The
National Aviary on the North Side has announced the opening of Grasslands, its newest exhibit space. The flight-free space will celebrate its grand opening Saturday and Sunday, March 20-21.
The exhibit highlights species native to grasslands around the world, such as Gouldian finches, paradise whydah, Sudan golden sparrows, shaft-tail finches, melba finches and blue ground doves. A boardwalk trail and simple rope railings will minimize the barrier between visitors and free-flying birds. The exhibit's plantscape includes sea oats, bayberry, birch and dogwood, as well as other greenery.
The opening of the Grasslands exhibit is part of the National Aviary's $23 million multi-phase expansion and renovation project, designed by Springboard architectural firm, located at the River Walk Corporate Centre on the South Side. The project is shooting for LEED Silver certification.
The first phase of the project (the 2,3000-square-foot Penguins Point exhibit and renovated Main Hall) opened Memorial Day 2009. Construction on the Grasslands exhibit started in December 2009.
Elements scheduled to be complete in fall 2010 include: the 125-seat Helen M. Schmidt FliteZone Theater, which will be the nation's first indoor educational theater built to incorporate free-flight bird demonstration; the rooftop Sky Deck theater for open-air raptor demonstrations and special events; a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating (the Aviary currently has no dining option); and classroom space with state-of-the-art multimedia features. The facelift will also add a new Arch Street entrance, which will feature an innovative, bird-friendly fritted glass window that will block reflections and reduce bird strikes, says Erin Estell with the Aviary.
"We're doing this entire renovation because we feel that by getting visitors to get close to the animals, they start to really care about them and want to do something to protect them in the wild," says Estell. "We're doing this because we want to protect wild birds."
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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Erin Estell, assistant director, manager of the Helen M. Schmidt FliteZone Theater, National Aviary
Image courtesy of National Aviary