Harrison County Conservation
Willow Lake Nature Center
LOESS HILLS UNCOVERED
The Harrison County Conservation Board presented McCullough Creative with an exceptional challenge: Make the unique landscape and wildlife of western Iowa come vibrantly alive within the new Willow Lake Nature Center. Provide abundant ways for both children and adults to learn more about the natural world. And ignite a lifelong interest in exploring and maintaining the ecology of the scenic Loess Hills area.
We embraced the opportunity by working with the board and staff to create a variety of fun and informative exhibits that enable interactive experiences, hands-on mini adventures, and deeper learning dives. A revamped aquarium area, eye-catching wall graphics, and engaging video installations help draw visitors beyond the ordinary. And a custom-built case for an epic root replica helps illustrate the importance of prairie soil systems.
SERVICES:
– Project Management
– Interpretive Planning
– Creative Direction
– UX Design
– Experiential Design
– Content Development
– Elevation Drawings
– 3D Renderings
– Illustration
– Video
– Animation
– Interactive Development
– Graphic Production
– Fabrication
– Installation
WILDLIFE IMMERSION ZONE
Visitors don’t always see wildlife in its natural habitat. By integrating existing fish and taxidermy mounts with grasses and seasonal plants native to the area, this worthy alternative setting provides an intriguing opportunity for education.
PRAIRIE ROOT DISPLAY
Have you ever seen a prairie root quite like this? With education about managing the soil of the Midwestern landscape as an ongoing nature center goal, we custom-built a durable acrylic case to showcase an oversize prairie root complete with informational panels that tell how essential managing and respecting the land we farm, build over, and live on is.
ECO-SMART LEARNING TOOLS
An ecofriendly Wentzscope™ easy-view microscope sets the stage for learning more about the Willow Lake ecosystem. Dimensional content panels illustrate the effects of storms, runoff, and long-ago glaciers on water levels and their contributions to the health of the lake.
Turn the wheels that power cylinders filled with food wrappers, plastic bags, and other everyday items to find out how long it takes for them to break down when people litter. This serves as a great introduction to responsible waste disposal and recycling.
CATTAIL COVE CORNER
The cozy Cattail Cove is filled with absorbing games, activities, and stuffed animals to keep little ones busy while learning. Colorful questions and fun facts displayed on the walls attract and inform developing minds.
INTRODUCING DRIPPY
A kid-friendly “Drippy” introduces an engaging schematic to help teach visitors of all ages about rainfall and the function of the local watershed.