DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Door County’s Peninsula State Park’s White Cedar Nature Center is welcoming visitors again.
COVID-19 concerns kept the site closed for more than a year. In the meantime, it’s undergone renovations.
“Now we have a huge classroom. We have a big office for all of our volunteers, and naturalists who work here. We have storage room. We indoor bathrooms, which is a huge upgrade,” said Jennifer Birkholz, Peninsula State Park Assistant Superintendent.
Birkholz says the nature center opened on July 16. The building was part of an expansion and remodeling project which began in the fall of 2019. She says construction was completed, but because of the pandemic, state-owned facilities were closed to the public. She says guidelines changed about a month and a half ago.
“I believe it was around June 25, that they were looking to have buildings open by, like especially the nature centers and stuff,” said Birkholz.
Birkholz says the center is open daily, but volunteers are needed. The non-profit group Friends of Peninsula State Park contributed $300,000 to the White Cedar project, which included a part-time naturalist they hired to help.
“The nature center first of all, was a pretty iconic building, and we just wanted to improve it,” said Chris Holicek, Friends of Peninsula State Park President.
Holicek says it’s money well spent.
“It’s really important for the future that we provide education for children. Obviously they love the park because they’re here with their families, but also to learn more about it, so they become sponsors of nature and parks in the future,” she said.
Birkholz agrees. She says attendance at the new nature center is about double what it was before.
“We’ve had an average just around and under 200 people a day coming through here, and that’s huge. And they’re all excited to come in here, and see the new exhibits,” she said.
More improvements are expected at the Nature Center, including an amphitheater and expanded parking in the lots nearby.
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