The Iowa Natural Resource Commission has approved the demolition of Springbrook State Park’s Conservation Education Center.
The DNR closed the center in Guthrie County in 2017, citing budget constraints and declining use, and said it had fallen further into disrepair. NRC commissioner K.R. Buck said during a meeting Thursday the decision to demolish the education center marked a “sad day.” “A lot of kids had a lot of fun there, a lot of fun. And if you remember when I was sworn in, in May three years ago, I was hoping we could save this somehow.”
The center hosted thousands of students, educators and DNR staff over five decades. The Iowa Conservation Director of the Izaak Walton League, Mike Delaney also said he has fond memories of the education center at Springbrook. “The setting, of course, in the park, the facilities, the dormitory, the food – everyone remembers the cinnamon rolls. I mean, it was wonderful,” Delaney says.
Conservationist Liz Garst says she wishes the buildings could have been saved but that’s no longer an option now. “I drove through the parking lot a year or two ago and the are trees growing in the middle of the parking lot. It’s abandoned. It’s toast,” Garst says.
The DNR says demolishing the education center buildings, along with four dilapidated sheds, will remove public hazards and return the site to its natural state. The project at Springbrook State Park is expected to be done by April.
(By Rachel Cramer, Iowa Public Radio)