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Jester Park Nature Center

Admission into Jester Park
& the Nature Center is FREE

News & Announcements

Get the latest news and information on the Jester Park Nature Center here.

On March 18, the Outdoor Recreation & Wellness Center will reopen to the public by reservation only.

On February 22, the Jester Park Nature Center will reopen to the public with limited hours and restrictive guidelines for social distancing and sanitation. 

Donations are being sought to create a lithic  (stone)  artifact exhibit at the Jester Park Nature Center to educate visitors about Iowa's archaeological past. This $60,000 exhibit is anticipated to open to the public in the spring of 2022. Over the past 30 years, private collections of artifacts have been donated to Polk County Conservation. All of the artifacts originated fro ...

Polk County Conservation has been providing access to the Jester Park Outdoor Recreation & Wellness Center this summer and fall while the weather has been such that the overhead doors could be open to ensure proper ventilation in the facility. Now that the weather is getting cooler, these doors need to be closed. This factor, combined with the inability for the public to sa ...

"Art has the power to inspire us in times of adversity, and the ability to teach our society that even in times of ugliness, beauty is still all around." – River Mural Artist, Jan Hutchison
 
We hope you enjoy the latest art installation, the River Mural, located on the floor at the Jester Park Outdoor Recreation & Wellness Center!

We regretfully inform the public that the Jester Park Nature Center will remain closed until August 3rd so that we are in conformity with Polk County’s COVID public facility operations plan. However, the adjacent Jester Park Outdoor Recreation & Wellness Center will open as planned on Thursday, July 2nd due to the open air nature of this facility.

Tune into Polk County Conservation's Facebook page Monday - Friday at 10 a.m. for a live educational program!

UPDATED: May 27, 2020 | In response to the ongoing development of COVID-19, we have decided to close the doors of the Jester Park Nature Center to the public until the Polk County Health Department advises otherwise.

We are currently seeking local vendors for our Fall Makers Market - Locally Grown, Raised, Created! Interested? Read more. 

The upper level of the nature center will showcase a new, unique travelling exhibit this March! Snakes, Rattles and Holes consists of a 69 foot long, 10 foot high plywood rattlesnake model.