Zionsville Nature Center Moving to Hussey Mayfield Library

Press Release: Town of Zionsville: Amanda Vela

01-29-21

Zionsville Nature Center announces move to Zionsville Library

The snake, turtle and other animals and exhibits at the Zionsville Nature Center (ZNC) will soon be on the move a few blocks away to the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library (HMMPL). ZNC and HMMPL have entered into a shared agreement to combine resources and temporarily house the nature center within the HMMPL.

With a shared goal of providing expanded educational opportunities to Zionsville residents, ZNC and HMMPL are partnering to move the nature center to the Olive Hoffman Room located on the first floor of the library. The Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department will continue to secure and maintain the exhibits and animals within the collection and continue to staff the nature center.

The move to HMMPL will provide a temporary location for the nature center as the Town of Zionsville continues to look for more permanent space. The move is expected to take place in the coming weeks but with the library being closed to foot traffic due to COVID-19, an opening date for ZNC is not yet known.

ZNC was founded in 2002 and is currently located at 690 Beech Street. The aging building is owned by Zionsville Community Schools and in need of costly repairs and maintenance. Due to the proximity to Eagle Elementary, the nature center has limited hours of operation of weekends only. With this new location, the nature center will be able to provide nature-based educational programming during the week and for longer hours.

“I served on the Parks Board during the nature center’s earlier years, and I’m thrilled for this new partnership with the library,” said Mayor Emily Styron. “Soon we will be able to deliver programs and connect with nature lovers throughout the week. The Town is extremely grateful for the longstanding partnership with Zionsville Community Schools and excited for this next evolution of our popular nature center.”

“The nature center is excited to be accessible to the community more often as well as the endless potential for future programming collaborations with the library,” said Zionsville Parks Superintendent Jarod Logsdon. “Now two essential institutions for learning and exploration will be under the same roof.”

“The library has enjoyed a successful programming partnership with the nature center for several years and this is an exciting expansion of that relationship,” said Sarah Moore, HMMPL Executive Director. “We look forward to this unique opportunity to provide the animals and exhibits with a safe, temporary home and to offer many more engaging events for our community.”