The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City shared plans to reopen its visitor center, which has been closed since 2024 due to major damage caused by a severe hailstorm.
The Prairie Learning and Visitor Center will undergo a $7 million rebuilding and renovation process that refuge staff hope will be completed in the fall of 2028. They are also looking for public input as they reevaluate what educational opportunities can be offered. Educational programs were held at the Prairie Learning Center prior to its closure.
Refuge Manager Scott Gilje said that the refuge wants to continue offering educational opportunities, but budget constraints, operation costs and staffing issues mean tough decisions still have to be made.
“Yes, we’re going to have a much smaller, reduced footprint, but then it’s just thinking creatively, ‘How can we still accommodate groups out here?’” he said.
Gilje said the size of the learning center will be cut in half, from around 40,000 square feet to about 20,000. Refuge staff explained once they have an official layout of the refined building, they can assess how spaces within the building, like the exhibit area and the classroom, can be used.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires national wildlife refuges to keep updated documents that determine if the facility’s uses are compatible with the original purpose of the refuge. Neal Smith's documents needed to be updated by 2027, and with plans to renovate the learning center, Gilje said this is an opportunity to reevaluate what programs they can offer — especially with funding concerns in mind.
“Over the last 20 years, our funding has been steadily decreasing, if not staying the same,” he said. “So, we’re looking at, 'OK, what can we feasibly do?”
Visitor Services Manager Nancy Corona said staffing shortages will also need be taken into consideration. She said the refuge used to have a staff of about nine people, and now she's accompanied by two.
“I’m doing a little bit of biology, I’m doing a little bit of maintenance, you know, administration," she said. "So, we’re working together to cover the bases that used to be covered with a larger number of people."
Corona added they want to have additional opportunities out on the refuge grounds to make up for the decreased building space at the learning center.
“The focus is to get people educated, and it’s wonderful to have this space, but we want to get them educated and get them to do more outdoor education opportunities,” she said.
Refuge staff said they plan to have an expanded learning garden, as well as an outdoor education pavilion in place of the building space that will be demolished.
They want to encourage more learning opportunities out on the prairie, Corona said, which could also allow for more outdoor classroom workshops and ranger-led curriculum if staffing allows.
The public can submit input on the future of the learning center and educational programs at the refuge until April 2 by emailing comments to nealsmith@fws.gov or mailing them to: Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 399, Prairie City, Iowa, 50228.