Photo Credit: Wildlife Discovery Center
Nestled on a rare oak savanna amid a residential neighborhood and park sits one of the most unique nature centers in the Midwest. Founded in 1996, the Wildlife Discovery Center (WDC) falls under the umbrella of the Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Department in Illinois. For communities looking for ways to bring in more revenue, participation, donors, and positive public relations (PR), a nature center is an opportunity to reach the population in the community that doesn’t typically participate in more organized activities. These non-traditional participants can be captured by providing opportunities for outdoor education, adventure-based activities, and environmental stewardship. In the case of the WDC, it has provided the community with a unique facility that the public can visit and learn more about the environment, conservation, and stewardship.
The WDC is a hybrid of a traditional nature center and a zoo. As a nature center, the facility provides opportunities to learn about the local environment and features indoor and outdoor displays, an outdoor trail with interpretive signage to teach people about the local wildlife, and programs that focus on the native habitat. The WDC also hosts outreach programs to teach people about native animals in the area. As a zoo, the facility features exhibits of live animals from all over the world. The mission of the WDC is quite broad; by taking a global approach towards conservation, the center can teach people that what they do in their own backyards has global implications.
Starting Small
After I dusted off an old thesis on starting up a nature center, I learned that the WDC began very modestly, taking up a 20-foot by 15-foot fitness room. I then submitted it to the park board. With the endorsement of the former director, Fred Jackson, a convincing argument was made to start a new program involving nature and environmental education. The board loved the idea, so I got to work immediately. Eventually, due to rapid growth, this space became too small. Several significant donors came on board, and in 2003 the WDC moved to Elawa Farm, where it has several thousand square feet of indoor space plus 15 acres outdoors. This city-owned property is adjacent to the 1,000-acre Middlefork Savanna, owned by the Lake County Forest Preserve District.