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Frequently asked questions
What is the Riverside Discovery Center?
Four non-profit organizations have merged into one: Riverside Zoological Foundation, Riverside Zoological Society, Children’s University and Wyo-braska Natural History Museum/Wildlife World. This new organization will own and manage the facility with support from Scotts Bluff County, Cities of Scottsbluff, Gering and Terrytown.
What will be in the new building?
The new Riverside Discovery Center building will house a natural history museum, children’s museum, two classrooms, a theater/multi-purpose room, public restrooms, offices, kitchen, a covered patio for picnic tables and entrance to the facility and the zoo. The classrooms and multipurpose room will be available for rent. The children’s museum will focus 2/3 of its exhibit space on early childhood development and education and 1/3 for early elementary ages. All of these amenities will allow all ages of the public to use the facility year-round in all types of weather. The entire facility will be ADA compliant.
Who are the partners?
Three separate museums within Scotts Bluff County are partnering to create a unique year-round educational campus that will become one large tourist destination within the community. Riverside Discovery Center will be formed through the partnership of Riverside Zoo, Don Steen’s Wildlife World, and the newly formed Children’s University. Riverside Discovery Center is a very unique educational center in western Nebraska formed from the synergy of three separate museums with a shared purpose. Education, conservation, and discovery will be the common thread that brings life to this new collaboration.
Riverside Zoo
At Riverside Zoo guests enjoy the experience of visiting wildlife from all corners of the world as well as native species. Children delight in a new splash pad with fun water features designed to help beat the heat on summer days. The zoo is also a Statewide Arboretum with botanical gardens, numerous trees and an annual iris walk. The zoo features a walk-through flight aviary, endangered species such as Amur tigers, swift fox, golden-headed lion tamarins and much more. Accredited by the AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums), the zoo serves well over 45,000 people each year through attendance, education programs and events.
Children’s University
The Children’s University will offer children an experience that sparks creativity and discovery and nurtures a love of lifelong learning. This science-based hands-on learning center will be a destination for educational field trips, enrichment classes, family outings and a site for after-hours events.
Don Steen’s Wildlife World
Wildlife World is a museum of natural science with over 500 animals from seven continents including extinct and rare animals, displayed within their natural habitats. It offers many opportunities for education and creates awareness of the natural world for all ages. It offers one of the best collection of animals in North America.
Where will it be located?
A new building will be constructed to house the new Discovery Center & will be located at the entrance to Riverside Zoo in Scottsbluff, Nebraska at 1600 South Beltline Highway West.
What community benefits will be derived from the merger?
Combining these three educational museums into one large discovery center makes perfect sense on so many levels for this community: economic feasibility, larger tourism impact by becoming a “tourist destination”, a year-round educational facility and revenue source, a broader base of financial support, and new economic development for the community. The initial goal for the Discovery Center is to create a year-round educational campus for Scotts Bluff County. Project partners will demonstrate fiscal responsibility by sharing staffing and expenses and combing services. The new center will benefit our community by increasing tourism dollars and generation of revenue. Partners of the new Riverside Discovery Center are looking towards the future by enhancing the current improvements to the Riverfront Development area, and providing a unique destination for children and their families to discover and learn throughout the year.
When will the new center be built?
Upon receipt of several grants, ground breaking will take place in the spring of 2010. We are anticipating the new facility being open for business and education in the spring or early summer of 2011.
Will my membership to Riverside Zoo get me into the new center?
All Riverside Zoological Society memberships will expire in 2010. New Riverside Discovery Center memberships will replace them. Until the new Discovery Center is open, RDC memberships will allow admittance to Riverside Zoo and Wildlife World, along with the appropriate discounts per membership level. Please support our project by becoming a member!
Why have membership fees increased?
Because we are a non-profit company, no longer owned and solely supported by the City of Scottsbluff, the organization needs to generate funds to keep the facility running and will be garnering operating capital from membership fees, in addition to gate receipts, gift shop sales, etc.
What volunteer opportunities are available to the public at Riverside Discovery Center?
Riverside Discovery Center has positions for people to serve as educational docents (volunteers). Docents must go through a training process, attend monthly meetings, and serve as educational ambassadors for the facility either in the natural history museum, children’s museum, or zoo, or for all three museums! Docents need to be available daytime, evenings, or weekends to conduct educational programs, tours of the facility, assist with special events, or conduct birthday parties. To volunteer to be a docent, please call the Riverside Discovery Center at 308-632-2971.
The Board of Directors has committees the public can serve on to help plan for the center. The committees consist of finance, special events/fundraising, membership, education, marketing, building/grounds, or one of the museum committees: zoo, natural history museum, or children’s museum. Committee members are not members of the Board of Directors, but serve as very important public liaisons and partners in helping to plan for and conduct the business of the center. If you are interested in serving on a committee, please contact an officer listed below. Members of the Board of Directors will often be elected from committee members, so serving on a committee could potentially be a stepping stone to serving on the Board of Directors.
Who do I contact if I want to assist Riverside Discovery Center ?
info@riversidediscoverycenter.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need to be JavaScript enabled to view it.
Who are the community supporters for the project?
- Educational Service Unit 13
- YMCA of Scottsbluff
- Scotts Bluff County Tourism
- Scottsbluff/Gering United Chamber of Commerce
- Riverfront Development Committee
- Children and Nature in Our Parks
- Scottsbluff Public Schools
- Torrington Kiwanis
- Star Herald
- Platte River Basin Environments, Inc.
- Twin Cities Development Corp.
- Monument Valley Pathways
- Farm And Ranch Museum (FARM)
- Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
- City of Scottsbluff Parks & Recreation Dept.
- Platte Valley Companies
- Physicians’ Clinic Women’s Center
- Valley Bank & Trust Co.
- Fred A Lockwood and Co.
- Couplamatic Systems, Inc.
- Dana F. Cole & Company, LLC
- Baker & Associates
- Chaloupka, Holyoke, Hofmeister, Snyder & Chaloupka
- TierOne Bank
- Trio Design & Graphics
- Winters Design Group
- Gering U Save Pharmacy
- Eric Vath Clothier
- Randy & Becky Richter
- Donald Overman
- State Senator John Harms
- Senator Ben Nelson
- Michael Gillen
- Vertex
