By Deb Humiston, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DuPage Forest Preserve District officials are mulling construction of a net-zero 27,000-square-foot new wildlife rehabilitation clinic for Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn.
Plans call for building a 27,000-square-foot wildlife rehabilitation clinic and visitor center with expanded naturalized outdoor and indoor rehabilitation areas and interactive learning exhibits that explain the wildlife rehabilitation process. Plans also include a welcome plaza, an outdoor classroom, an interpretive trail with wildlife observation areas, and outdoor activity spaces.
The improvements are needed so Willowbrook can remain a state-of-the-art wildlife rehabilitation facility and a national leader that not only engages visitors in veterinary science and medical care, but also demonstrates how to live in harmony with wildlife.
“The District has operated Willowbrook since 1956, and the current clinic and visitor center were built 40 years ago in 1981,” said Anamari Dorgan, director of Community Engagement Services for the District.
“DuPage has grown by nearly 250,000 residents in the last four decades, and the impact of our human footprint directly impacts local wildlife. So, over the decades the center has seen a dramatic increase in the number of injured and orphaned animals it cares for,” Dorgan said.
The proposed center will follow best practices and move away from a zoo-like setting with animals in cages to a less stressful way for the public to see native wildlife in their natural settings.
The project has received overwhelming support from the public, with 84.3% of respondents voicing support for the project. The District provided numerous opportunities for public input on the plan and received nearly 500 comments via survey responses, social media, the project website, email, and four public input meetings, Horsfall said.
“The facility will be transparent so the public can see the entire rehabilitation process from intake to release,” Horsfall said. “The public will be able to see animals as they’re being examined, undergoing surgical procedures, and being fed and rehabilitated through one-way glass and video-camera feeds.
“It will address the reality that not all animals can be saved, and the public wanted this story to be told,” he said. “It will also provide unique educational opportunities to create an awareness, to limit negative interactions with wildlife, and to help people understand when wildlife truly need our help. This will help mitigate and stabilize the number of animals brought to Willowbrook.”
The 65-year-old nationally recognized Willowbrook Wildlife Center provides care and medical treatment to injured and orphaned native wildlife in DuPage County and surrounding counties. Willowbrook is the largest rehabilitation center in Illinois and one of the largest centers in the U.S. based on caseload. During the pandemic in 2020, Willowbrook treated more than 9,000 patients; in 2019, it treated 9,669 patients.
Tentative Timeline for Project
Fall 2021 – Summer 2022: Design development and construction document preparation.
Spring/Summer 2022: Start construction of outdoor rehab phase I (raptors, carnivores, transitional rehabilitation).
Fall 2022: Complete outdoor rehab phase I and transfer outdoor residents to transitional rehab enclosures.
Winter 2023: Start construction on clinic and visitor center.
Summer 2024: Complete clinic and visitor center, move staff and indoor resident animals, demolish old clinic. Start outdoor rehab phase II. Soft opening.
Fall 2024: Complete outdoor rehab phase II (songbird, waterfowl, turtles, and aquatic mammal enclosures). Start renovation of species propagation building.
Early 2025: Complete renovation of species propagation building.
Spring 2025: Ribbon cutting and grand opening.
Great news.
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