Nebraska Passport features Scottsbluff’s Riverside zoo

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. — The Nebraska Passport season will soon draw to a close, but there’s still time to squeeze in one more adventure out west at Riverside Discovery Center.

Riverside Discovery Center is a small zoo in Scottsbluff, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, with an impressive lineup of animals from around the world. A favorite of local families, the zoo is often called a hidden gem on the western edge of the state.

The zoo’s executive director, Desirée Drane-Davison, said that being selected as a stop in the Nebraska Passport tourism program has brought plenty of new faces to the zoo, many of whom are surprised to find such a place nestled in the Nebraska Panhandle.

“We are a big little zoo. Actually, we have animals here that Denver doesn’t have,” Drane-Davison said.

Anyone who plans their visit to Riverside Discovery Center on a hot day will get to take advantage of the zoo’s best non-animal feature.

“The most popular attraction is the splash pad, especially on hot days,” Drane-Davison said. “Everyone wants to get in the water. Even I want to get in the water some days.”

Naturally, the animals are the highlight of any visit. Drane-Davison said some of the zoo’s popular characters are Smokey the grizzly bear and a pair of hyenas, Baby and Charlie, who were recently added to Riverside’s lineup.

Some of the animals housed at Riverside Discovery Center are included in species survival plan programming through the zoo association. These programs oversee the movement of certain animals from zoo to zoo in order to maintain genetic diversity, health and sustainability of those species.

This summer, a porcupine named Oscar is visiting the Scottsbluff zoo from Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines on one of those breeding missions. If successful, there may be a good reason for visitors to return in a few months’ time.

“We’re hoping for little porcupines in the spring,” Drane-Davison said.

Right now, the zoo is home to three baby animals, two zebras and one Highland cow calf, who easily overshadow the popularity of their adult counterparts.

“Everyone is coming out to see the babies,” she said.

Whatever it is that brings a visitor through the gate, Riverside Discovery Center does its best to make sure that they leave with more knowledge than they brought with them. Education is a cornerstone for most zoos and RDC is no different, seeing it as an important piece in the protection and preservation of our planet’s incredible wildlife.

“The only way we’re going to be able to protect the animals that we have at the zoo — especially those that are on a Species Survival Plan — is through education,” Drane-Davison said. “It’s a solid purpose for zoos.”

Despite its small size, Riverside Discovery Center finds ways to keep pace with much larger zoos. In this way, they’re able to provide an important experience for folks who don’t live within easy driving distance of more well-known zoos.

“It’s a long distance between Denver and Omaha,” Drane-Davison said. “As an accredited AZA facility we have to go through the same process that San Diego, Denver and Omaha go through. The fact that we can hold our own with the big zoos says a lot about the staff and the commitment to the zoo, and people see that when they come to visit.”

Although the window to claim a Passport stamp closes at the end of September, Drane-Davison said that the last few weeks of this month are actually the perfect time to stop and visit the animals.

“They don’t necessarily like to be out in the heat. They’re a little bit smarter than we are and will find shade and hunker down,” she said. “As it cools off, the chances of seeing some of these animals are much better.”

Drane-Davison also said there are plenty of reasons to drop by Riverside Discovery Center even after the Passport season has concluded. Anyone visiting or traveling through western Nebraska should add it to their agenda alongside Scotts Bluff National Monument, Wildcat Hills, Chimney Rock and the rest.

“If they’re out here visiting, they should really see all the sights, and we’re definitely a good place to visit,” she said.

Riverside Discovery Center will be closed to the public during the first week of October so the staff can prepare the grounds for its 35th annual Spooktacular. Both kid-friendly and scary nights will be hosted at the zoo throughout the month of October for those craving some Halloween fun.