Wildlife Discovery Center

Who or what is the Wildlife Discovery Center? That's a question we are oftentimes asked and the best way to describe us is that we are a combination of a zoo (that specializes in reptiles and raptors), nature center, museum and biological station all wrapped into one of the most unique facilities of its kind. Here's what we have to offer:

• The Grass is Rattling exhibit features one of the nation's largest public displays of rattlesnakes and exotic venomous reptiles. FREE! The conservation education program is a special one day field trip experience for grades 5-8.
• Our Main Exhibit Room features: crocodilians, turtles/tortoises, lizards and snakes including rarities such as the Crocodile Monitor, gila monster and beaded lizards!
• Outdoor/Indoor Raptor Exhibits including: Screech Owl, Great Horned Owl, Red-tailed Hawk and a Harris' Hawk
• Nature/Interpretive trails with many wildlife viewing opportunities overlooking the 700 acre Middlefork Savanna - the finest black soil, tall grass savanna in North America!
• Wildlife Conservation Education Programs for preschool to high school aged people. Adult programs too!
• Reptile/Raptor Rescues: we assist local, state and federal agencies
• Research: our current research is focusing on establishing captive breeding techniques of blanding's turtles and eastern massasaugas.  Another important project consists of conducting a radio telemetry study involving the Western Fox Snake.
• Lectures: Curator will speak at area colleges, universities and conservation groups
• Captive Breeding: We have successfully bred over 30 species of reptiles
• Group Programs: nature centers, zoos, conservation groups, scouts, corporate events and much more. We also do many birthday parties.

Our Beginnings

Rob Carmichael, Curator, had a dream back in the early 1990's to start a new major program area for the Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Department…WILDLIFE CONSERVATION EDUCATION. Next to traditional recreation programs such as Athletics, Dance/Cultural Arts, Fitness, Beach/Sailing, wildlife education just seemed so tiny compared to these very successful program areas. Thankfully, with the endorsement of the former Director of Parks and Recreation (Fred Jackson), current director Mary Van Arsdale and support of the Superintendent of Recreation (Wendy McKiernan) and the Park and Recreation Board, Rob received the green light to turn the old fitness room into a mini nature center. And in 1996 the Wildlife Discovery Center was officially born! With a $500 grant from the Chicago Herpetological Society to purchase some cages, the WDC soon after began offering several after school nature classes along with a summer camp. Initially, this program hosted approximately 25 students and soon after, the program exploded. Once the WDC relocated to Elawa Farm, the public exhibits improved dramatically and the additional space allowed us to start hosting school field trip programs, summer camps and much, much more. Now, we reach over 30,000 people annually in our programs and we have just scratched the surface! It just goes to show that a grass roots environmental education program (with a focus on reptiles and raptors) and a lot of passion can take you very far.

Although we do not receive much in the way of tax support, we do work hard at finding grants and corporate funding. Recently, we received a generous grant from TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. to revamp our Grass Is Rattling program and exhibit that they originally funded with a different grant.

We are enjoying our 5^th year at Elawa Farm and we couldn't ask for a better location. Now, we are already making plans for some major improvements to this facility and we are very excited to see where this goes.

For more information about the WDC, go to: www.cityoflakeforest.com (go to Parks and Recreation and then to the WDC)