Reset coming for Bever Park Zoo

CEDAR RAPIDS — Amanda Bennett of Cedar Rapids remembers the excitement as a kid visiting the exotic animals at Old MacDonald's Farm at Bever Park, which many still call Bever Park Zoo.

She acknowledges the freshness has worn off.

The more unusual animals, such as monkeys and prairie dogs and decades earlier lions and bears, are long gone and it's gotten a little stale, she said.

'Kids like fresh,' Bennett said. 'It needs to be updated. It needs more interaction because you are fighting against video games and TV.'

Bennett, 37, a neighbor and regular user of the 123-year-old Bever Park, was walking her Jack Russell terrier mix, Luke, with her husband, Christopher. She said she was pleased to hear the farm-zoo is due for a reset.

In January, Megan Corrigan became the new animal exhibit coordinator for Cedar Rapids, replacing Kathy Myers, who retired in 2015 after more than 30 years on the job. Corrigan is leading several changes that will kick off when the farm-zoo opens April 23. All activities will remain free, she said.

'When they come in this year, kids will be able to touch the animals, play with them, feed them if they want to — overall more interaction with them,' she said.

The 'new' farm will be more interactive and expand its educational mission, she said. The interactive piece is something that's been missing, and a feature Corrigan hopes will create a better experience for children.

As part of the shift, young animals such as lambs, piglets, calves and goats provided by local farmers will live at the farm.

Two lambs are coming from Schminke Genetics, three piglets and two rabbits from Tyler Dougherty, two calves from Sand Ridge Farm, three mini goats from Sarah Krueger, and eight chicks from Hoover Hatchery. A video of the goats is posted on the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Facebook page.

People can 'adopt' the animals, name them and watch them grow throughout the season before the animals return to their home farms when the season ends in October, Corrigan said.

Visitors will be able to buy feed for a quarter from dispensers to give to the animals, Corrigan said.

The new activities are still a few weeks off. These days, Corrigan has been tending to the 38 types of ducks the farm houses over the winter, rabbits and baby chicks. The ducks will return to their pond when the weather gets nice, although they will not be part of the interactive features, she said.

The farm has had animals, but in the recent past they've been adults too big for interaction. Visiting the farm mainly would consist strolling past, looking and moving on. Now the hope is that people will stay longer and become more engaged.

Other activities this year will include a Farmer for a Day, free movies screenings, and Cedar Rapids Public Library programs.

'We saw an opportunity to keep and revitalize the old facility, and with the change in leadership because of Julie's retirement, we said let's go, and we have a lot of fresh ideas now,' said Sven Leff, Cedar Rapids parks and recreation director.

A concept Corrigan is working on for the future is to incorporate an urban garden in Bever Park, which would stretch for about a quarter acre along the walkway between the animal pens and duck pond. Corrigan has been working with Iowa Big to flesh out a design and educational mission for the garden where people could learn basic concepts and transplant their produce back home, she said.

Nate Pruett, an instructor at Iowa Big, which works with older high school students on community and business partnered projects, said his organization began discussing adding an urban agriculture component to Bever Park in 2014. It has worked with the city, Iowa State University Community Design Lab and the Matthew 25 organization.

'Our students at Iowa Big were very interested in urban gardening,' Pruett said. 'What a great idea for Old MacDonald Farm to make it an actual urban garden-farm that people could engage with and see what urban agriculture can look like in Cedar Rapids.'

Other longer-term plans include constructing a natural play area with an earthen slide and tunnels, and a trail through the hill on the backside of the animal pens. The trail would create a loop around the area rather than having to walk in and out the same way, Corrigan said.

All the changes coming this year are cost-neutral, Corrigan said, and funding strategies for longer-term remodels are still being developed, she said.