Construction crews are expected to complete the modernization of a wildlife rehabilitation center in DuPage County by early spring.
Glen Ellyn’s DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center at the Willowbrook Forest Preserve, formerly known as the Willowbrook Wildlife Center, is partway through a roughly $26 million project at 525 S. Park Blvd to meet the growing needs for wildlife rehabilitation around the county.
Rehab and visitor center nearing completion
The heart of the new campus is a 27,000-square-foot wildlife rehabilitation and visitor center.
“In the last six months, we’ve had drywall installed, we’ve had a lot of tile work, all the bathroom fixtures, just sort of the basics you’d expect to see in a finished building,” said Dan Dorian, Wildlife Operations Manager at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
The space will feature indoor and outdoor classrooms, and an expanded clinic with one-way windows to give locals a look into animal surgeries and rehab.
“The focus is to make sure that we’re following U.S. Fish and Wildlife (Service) requirements, but also making sure the animals are not scared further, or just in general by having people looking into the windows,” said Dorian.
Though construction is still ongoing, local artist Joel Sheesley completed a mural in the clinic earlier this year.
“Instead of seeking photography or some patterns, we decided to commission his work, and he came up with this concept for the mural,” said Karen Gray, Manager of the Planning and Development Department at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
During construction, the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center continues to accept injured and orphaned animals at its original facilities, and recently renovated raptor barn.
But Gray is excited for the site’s employees and volunteers to move into the new building soon.
“There’s a lot more space for them… we’re not cramming too many animals into cages,” said Gray. “Just a new, fresh, clean facility that they know, with all the right tools to be able to their jobs and rehabbing the animals much better,” Gray said.
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