The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will move forward with demolishing an education center at Springbrook State Park after approval from the Natural Resource Commission Thursday.
The Conservation Education Center in Guthrie County hosted thousands of students, educators and DNR staff for nearly five decades. At its peak, the center received around 20,000 annual visitors, according to Lake Panorama Times.
“A lot of kids had a lot of fun there,” said Commissioner KR Buck during the meeting Thursday. “If you remember when I was sworn in, in May three years ago, I was hoping we could save this somehow. I hope there’s a day where we can rebuild something like this for the kids.”
The DNR closed the center in 2017, citing budget constraints, declining use and maintenance issues, and said it had fallen into further disrepair since then. Demolishing the buildings, along with four dilapidated sheds “will remove public hazards and return the site to its natural state,” the agency stated.
Responding to questions during the meeting, DNR staffer Michelle Reinig said the area will be seeded with native grass. The agency also has plans to add a picnic area and restore some of the trails.
Bob Rye served as supervisor of the Conservation Education Center for over two decades. He said he’s met many adults who distinctly remember their experiences learning about nature during school field trips to Springbrook.
“It really had a long-term effect on them,” Rye said, adding that some pursued careers in natural resources and conservation.
Teachers from across the state also visited to learn skills and take curriculum back to their classrooms, Rye said.
Mike Delaney and his wife, both educators, attended sessions years ago.
“It was phenomenal,” Delaney said. “The setting, of course, in the park, the facilities, the dormitory, the food — everyone remembers the cinnamon rolls — I mean, it was wonderful.”
Delaney is the conservation director of the Izaak Walton League Iowa division and one of the founders of the Raccoon River Watershed Association.
Delaney said some counties have strong outdoor education programs. The University of Iowa’s School of the Wild also provides experiences for elementary and middle school children.
But Delaney said the closure of the education center at Springbrook is a big loss and that state support for outdoor education has declined in recent decades. Rye agreed.
Liz Garst, a former member of the Iowa Natural Resource Commission, said she wishes the buildings could have been saved.
“There were people who wanted to keep the center open, including me. I think it provided a valuable service for the children of the state and for DNR staff,” Garst said.
But trying to save the buildings now is no longer a realistic option, she said.
“I drove through the parking lot a year or two ago, and there are trees growing in the middle of the parking lot. It’s abandoned,” Garst said.
Demolition is expected to be complete by April.
