The Neal Smith National Wildife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center was created by an act of Congress in 1990, to re-construct tallgrass prairie and restore oak savanna on 8,654 acres of the Walnut Creek watershed and to provide a major environmental education facility focusing on prairie, oak savanna, and human interaction. The refuge, bordering the southwest city limits of Prairie City, Iowa, began from a core 3,600 acres that was purchased from an electric utility company after a proposed nuclear power plant was rejected. Through the purchase of land from willing sellers, the refuge will eventually occupy over 44% of the Walnut Creek watershed. The refuge has been designated a Fish and Wildlife Service Land Management and Research Demonstration Area. It will facilitate development, testing, teaching, publishing, and demonstration of state-of-the-art management techniques for fish, wildlife, and plant conservation.
The Prairie Learning Center facilities include a visitor center with classrooms, exhibit area, theater, and bookstore. Miles of paved trails radiate from the center, and an auto tour through the 740-acre bison/elk enclosure is open all year. Teacher workshops, birding, hunting, and nature watching are some of the outdoor activities featured for thousands of visitors each year.
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