The raptors will stay in Itasca after all.
Itasca officials, who last month threatened to dissolve the bird-of-prey rehabilitation program at Spring Brook Nature Center, voted unanimously Tuesday night to allow a Barrington-based wildlife rehab group to take over.
Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation, a not-for-profit group, will also continue the center’s raptor-education program.
Two years ago, the village downsized the center’s wildlife rehab program, which took in dozens of injured or sick raptors and later released them into the wild. In April, officials decided to abolish the program, saying it wasn’t drawing enough visitors and “had outlived its usefulness.”
The program, which Mayor Gigi Gruber said was costing the village at least $100,000 a year, likely will be expanded by Flint Creek to make the nature center more of a destination in the western suburb.
“By not having the taxpayers pay the $100,000 a year to support the raptor program, we can now use some of that money to expand things at the nature center,” Gruber said before this week’s Village Board meeting. The program was paid for with revenue from a local hotel tax and the village’s general fund.
Village Administrator David Williams said Flint Creek director and founder Dawn Keller contacted Itasca immediately after hearing the raptor program may be dissolved. Williams said that officials were impressed with Keller’s professionalism and passion and that negotiations to transfer the program to Flint Creek moved swiftly.
The Village Board voted to approve a three-year contract with Flint Creek, Williams said.
“This decision was not just based on financial issues. We want to expand our mission at the nature center and present more programs that deal with environmental education and preservation,” Williams said.
Keller said Flint Creek will apply for grants to help support the program.
The group has programs in Barrington and Northerly Island in Chicago. As a source of revenue, the nature center charges schools between $300 and $400 to present raptor-education programs to students.
