Des Moines Blank Park Zoo is receiving a long-lasting face-lift that

will change the average zoo-goer’s view of the many processes of

nature.

The Myron and Jackie Blank Discovery Center, which contains over

20 new exhibits, will be the newest addition to the Blank Park Zoo,

7401 SW 9th St. Various species of animals from all over the world

will be represented.

Besides the exhibits, the 30,000 square foot addition will include a

multi-purpose meeting room, an expanded gift shop, a visitors’

services area and a restaurant.

“It’s a culmination of a dream,” says David Allen, Blank Park Zoo

administrator. “It is our chance to bring the Blank Park Zoo to the

mainstream of contemporary zoos.”

The idea was to make an indoor learning exhibit that could bring

knowledge to visitors year-round, he says.

“The Myron and Jackie Blank Discovery Center adds a whole new

interactive educational experience for zoo visitors,” says Randy

McNeal, marketing director for the Blank Park Zoo foundation.

With the theme of water being the thread that binds all living

matter, the Discovery Center will allow patrons to become part of

and interact with the exhibits.

The different stages and processes of the water cycle will link all of

the exhibits.

“The exhibit is a dynamic, immersive and interactive habitat,

featuring water in a tropical environment that includes the climatic

features of snow, rain, mist and fog,” says Allen.

The exhibit will lead the visitor through the water cycle, starting with

the mountainous area, which will feature an 18-foot mountain and

animals like the Siberian lynx.

As the water lesson continues, different climate biomes will be

exhibited. The tropical and aquatic biomes will be the main

exhibits at the center, according to Allen.

The tropical biome will include a fully functional rainforest that

simulates life in those areas.

Containing animals like the dwarf Caiman crocodile, the

Madagascar giant day geckos, Wied’s marmosets and the

slithering boa constrictor, the biome will bring the feel of a South

American rainforest to Iowa, he says.

The exhibit will also include over 200 different species of

butterflies.

With features like like a 10,000-gallon aquarium, 3,500-gallon

jellyfish water column and coral reef, the aquatic biome is also a

highlight of the new center.

The use of underwater full-view areas will allow visitors an

up-close view of both freshwater and saltwater life. Other

subterranean biomes, such as the Egyptian Fruit Bat Cave, will

include water life in cave environments.

According to McNeal, the Discovery Center will also contain a

water lab and a multi-purpose meeting space. The water lab will

be an interactive station designed to resemble a scientific

laboratory.

The multi-purpose meeting room will be used for classrooms,

education camps, banquets and touring exhibits on ecology and

conservation.

The Discovery Center is the second part in a two-phase, $7.5

million project that has been planned for over four years.

Actual construction has been underway for approximately 20

months.

Completed in 1999, the Tom and Jo Ghrist Great Cat Exhibit was

the first phase of the project.

Despite the multi-million dollar addition, zoo admission prices will

remain the same as last year: $4 for children under 11, and $5.50

for adults.

Construction is scheduled for completion later this summer.