Willowbrook Wildlife Center Getting $25 Million Upgrade

In order to accommodate growing demands, Willowbrook Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is getting a $25 million upgrade. The project aims to expand the outdoor animal exhibits to accommodate different species. It also aims to make the facility more energy efficient and create a net-zero building. Once completed, the center will have nine to ten hundred plus animals in its care.

Expand outdoor animal exhibits to accommodate different species

The Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, has been receiving more animals than ever before. The center is in the process of expanding outdoor animal exhibits to accommodate different species, and will also add new indoor classrooms. The center is currently rearing 35 baby cottontails in an indoor classroom. The new exhibits will include an outdoor area and a separate outdoor area for keeping the animals.

Plans are to build the new enclosures on the preserve's northern edge.

In addition to expanding outdoor animal exhibits, the center is introducing one-way windows to better educate visitors. This will allow visitors to watch procedures on opossums, which are commonly seen in zoos. This will allow visitors to view the procedure and learn more about the animal's health.

The Willowbrook Wildlife Center was founded in 1956 and is now home to more than 10,000 wild animals. It performs many important functions in the community, including the unique role of animal rehabilitation. The current facility is inadequate and inefficient for the volume of animals it treats. The center is also an important partner in larger-scale species recovery projects.

With its current expansion plans, the Center will be more efficient than ever in providing treatment and care to its animals. The expansion is also an opportunity to showcase the center's conservation efforts.

The expansion will also extend the active life span of many of the existing facilities.

These improvements can be implemented in phases or all at once, and will include more outdoor animal exhibit space and parking lots. In addition, the new additions will improve educational experiences for the children.

A new net-zero-designed building will add two 7,000 square feet to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center's outdoor animal exhibits. It will also house a new wildlife rehabilitation clinic. The facility will also have an interpretive trail and outdoor activity spaces.

The new clinic will be more than two-thousand square feet and will replace a 40-year-old building. When completed, the new clinic will have a net-zero carbon footprint and could feature geothermal heating and cooling as well as solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity.

Moreover, the new building will incorporate the latest science in wildlife rehabilitation and green infrastructure.

Improve energy efficiency

The Willowbrook Wildlife Center is a haven for injured, orphaned, and sick animals. Currently, the center takes in approximately 10,000 animals a year. The new master plan for the facility includes a new wildlife rehabilitation clinic, expanded naturalized outdoor wildlife rehabilitation areas, and improved trails and indoor public activity spaces. The project is expected to cost an estimate $29 million and take three years to complete.

The new clinic will feature an energy-efficient geothermal heating and cooling system and solar panels on the roof.

This energy-efficient design will lower the wildlife center's carbon footprint and save the District money over the next 25 years. It's new solar panel array is projected to generate almost 30% of the center's electrical needs and can provide power for the center's main building and its fleet maintenance facility.

The new building will add more space to the center, which is currently housing 35 baby cottontails. Currently, caretakers work in cramped quarters to nurse the animals back to health and raise their babies until they're old enough to be released. The center will have a total of two 7,000 square feet of space.

Featuring indoor and outdoor holding areas, and it will be located on the north edge of the preserve property.

It is the only facility in the area with this status. The new clinic will feature one-way windows for visitors to view the animal surgeries. During surgeries, visitors will be able to watch the process and learn about the animal.

Create a net-zero building

The project will include geothermal heating and cooling and solar panels. It also includes a 27,000-square-foot wildlife rehabilitation clinic. Visitors will be able to observe the animals through one-way windows and video monitors. The project is expected to be finished by 2025.

The building will be the first net-zero facility in DuPage County and will produce more energy than it consumes. Solar panels will convert sunlight into electricity, and a geothermal heating and cooling system will produce heat and cool the building without creating carbon emissions. The facility will also have one-way windows that allow visitors to view the animals and staff while shielding them from human presence.

Funds raised will cover the construction costs of the new building. The district is also seeking additional grant funding for the project.

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