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A host of changes, renovations and improvements are in store at Wildlife Prairie Park over the next year, topped by a $1.5 million addition of a 40-space RV campground along Taylor Lake on the park’s west side.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re going to come out, wear your construction hat because there’s lots of construction going on at the park,\u201d said Roberta English, CEO of the 1,800-acre not-for-profit zoological park 10 miles west of Peoria.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMost people don\u2019t see the whole park when they\u2019re there, and that\u2019s really what we\u2019re trying to do, is expand what people can see of Wildlife Prairie Park.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n English said the notion of adding an RV park has been under consideration for a while, and the possibility seemed to fit the current window of opportunity.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNow it\u2019s just timing. It\u2019s been on our last two or three strategic plans, investigating the usefulness of an RV park,\u201d she said. \u201cBut really, since COVID, it\u2019s just been coming more and more to the head as RV traveling has become more popular. So this just seems to be the right time for us to pursue it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The RV campsites on the 9\u00bd lakefront acres on the \u201cParkside\u201d area west of Taylor Road will consist of concrete pads with individual electric, water and sewer connections.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a fully renovated camp recreation center with showers, bathrooms, a store, place where people will hang out. It\u2019s going to be a really nice facility,\u201d English said of the events venue that will also add a kitchenette, laundry and recreation space. \u201cWe don\u2019t have anything like that around here, and it\u2019s going to really draw people to the area.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Last week, the Peoria County Board approved a special-use permit for the planned RV park. English says that allows them to move forward in seeking additional approval from other agencies, such as the Illinois Department of Health and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a few more steps to go and permits to do, but so far we\u2019ve got a green light and we\u2019re going to keep moving,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The park opened nearly 47 years ago, originally presented by philanthropist Bill Rutherford as a birthday gift to his wife, Hazel. The park offers a range of recreational activities, from camping, hiking and biking to fishing, kayaking and paddle boats.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s different from most zoos, because we don\u2019t just have animals in wonderful, large enclosures,\u201d said English. \u201cWe also have lots of things for humans to do, including staying in cabins, which most zoos don\u2019t have. We have laser tag, we have disc golf. So we\u2019re a mix of a zoo, a state park and all kinds of fun wrapped up in one.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n English said the addition of the RV campground will allow them to improve an underutilized part of the park and provide year-round offerings for overnight guests.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to revitalize that area and put it to use and make it revenue-generating, not just for the park, but for the area,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is going to bring in people from across the country \u2013 we already get people from all over the country coming to visit \u2013 but they\u2019re going to stay in this area and visit these restaurants, these cafes, these bars.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Other aspects of the Parkside expansion project include the addition of a swimming beach, exterior renovation of an existing stone house from the 1800s, and a relocation of the Bison Hump pump track.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n English said funding for the project will come from a mix of bank financing, fundraising, and \u201canything else we could do,\u201d including the possibility of grants. She said they hope to break ground in July, with an opening targeted for March 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some of the other upgrades at Wildlife Prairie Park have already started. English notes that they\u2019ve already renovated several of their existing cabins, with makeovers to the grain bins and train cabooses.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re also building more ADA-accessible cabins, because \u2018Park for All\u2019 has really been a focus for us, being a park that\u2019s accessible for all,\u201d she said. \u201cSo we\u2019re building new, completely accessible cabins for people in wheelchairs. We\u2019re also going to be building an on-site veterinary clinic, because the park is going to have a dedicated vet coming to the park.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLast year, we got new TVs in all the cabins, and many of the cabins got new flooring. So we\u2019re just doing the renovations to our existing cabins as well as building new cabins.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As they continue to try and expand the park\u2019s reach, English said they\u2019re planning to start offering adventure tours where guests can ride in a five-seat utility terrain vehicle and view parts of the park not often seen.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n English said other construction at the park includes upgrades in the Merrill Woods area, where several of the park\u2019s 60 different species of animals are housed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur big five, of course, are bears, elk, bison, cougars and wolves, and we have quite a lot of them,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have been spending, really for the last five years, a lot of time and money updating our enclosures, making them better for the people viewing, but also for the animals.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n