Park Director Rusty Scarborough invites guests into the Secrets of the Night Theater.

Walter B. Jacobs Nature Center brings great outdoors indoors

Caddo Parish invites the public to explore the Sportsman’s Paradise in a whole new way at the Walter B. Jacobs Nature Center in Blanchard.

Dignitaries cut a ribbon on the new exhibit building at Walter B. Jacobs Nature Center on Dec. 4 at an invitation-only event. The expanded and remodeled facility opens to the public Jan. 17.

“Today marks a significant milestone, not only for the Caddo Parish Commission but for the entire Caddo Parish community,” Caddo Parish Administrator Erica Bryant said at the ribbon cutting. “Today we celebrate not only the opening of new opportunities here at the nature center, but also the enduring vision of Walter B. Jacobs, whose legacy reminds us of the importance of preserving nature for generations to come.”

The original exhibit building had about 2,500 square feet. The new building is 13,000 square feet, including 4,000 square feet of exhibit space. The exhibits create a state-of-the-art interactive experience that brings the sights, sounds and even the smells from the great outdoors indoors. Park administrator Rusty Scarborough said that was the goal from the beginning of this project.

“This park has become something I have never experienced before,” Scarborough said. “We have long offered for decades the best interpretive programs available. And now we have the facility to match that. TBA has come and done a workshop on what we thought were the important parts of this piece of property, and we have built that into an indoor setting where you can experience the outdoors of our property indoors. Hopefully, that indoor experience will lead you to go out and see more of this wonderful landscape that we have to offer.”

The new building also features two classrooms and a laboratory, where the staff can host more students than before.

“Our staff is just giddy about getting into the building,” Scarborough said, “We have had about 20 calls a week for the past two months of teachers trying to schedule programs. The community has embraced it and is excited about it.”

Bryant said the improvements at Walter B. Jacobs Nature Center were the dream of her predecessor, Dr. Woodrow Wilson Jr.

“Caddo Parish is known for its great management of its roads and bridges,” Bryant said. “But Dr. Wilson wanted a project that would improve the quality of life for Caddo Parish citizens. He asked the Parks and Recreation team if they could build anything, what would it be. Unequivocally, they said we’d love to update the nature center. And an idea was born. With the support of the Caddo Parish Commission, we sought the approval of the voters. And in 2022, the voters approved a $20 million bond initiative to build a new nature center.”

Stormy Gage-Watts, president of the Caddo Parish Commission, called it “a true gem in the heart of Caddo Parish.”

Displays detail the various elements of the ecosystem at the nature park.

The new exhibit building at Walter B. Jacobs Nature Center brings the great outdoors indoors through a variety of interactive displays.

The Secrets of the Night Theater showcases the nocturnal animals at the nature park.

Designers included a replica of Park Director Rusty Scarborough’s hawk in the exhibit space.

“This is truly a state-of-the-art facility,” she said. “It’s more than just a place to walk trails or watch wildlife. It’s a living classroom. A sanctuary for family, for students and nature lovers alike. It’s where curiosity meets conversation, and where generations can come to reconnect with the land and with each other. We pay homage to the family and the legacy of Walter B. Jacobs.”

The Jacobs family was on hand to celebrate the ribbon cutting. Walter Jacobs Smith said his grandfather, the park’s namesake, came up with the idea for the park in 1970.

“He was frustrated our young citizens weren’t spending enough time in nature,” Smith said. “In one of his letters to the commissioners, he said, ‘They don’t know a pine tree from a white oak.’”

Smith went on to tell the story of his family’s roots in the area, which go back almost as far as the founding of Caddo Parish.

Edward Jacobs was born in Germany.

In 1839, at the age of 16, he left home to seek a dream, determined that he would not return home until he was worth $600,000. He spent some time sightseeing and working across Europe until he earned enough money to pay for a ticket to America. After landing in Mobile, Alabama, he made his was to Shreveport in 1844, six years after the parish was founded.

Smith said that Edward was a “born salesman” and operated a general store and one of the largest cotton compresses in the South. He also owned the trolley car system and bank in Shreveport.

Edward brought his brother, Ben, to America to help him manage his growing holdings.

Those holdings included the 160 acres that the nature center sits on. When Edward died in 1896, his son Walter took over stewardship of the family holdings.

Walter Jacobs Smith shares the story of his family’s legacy at the Walter B. Jacobs Nature Center.

Smith said the improvements at the nature center represent not just Walter B. Jacobs’ dream or a dream for Caddo Parish. It is something bigger, he said.

“Today we are here to celebrate the opening of this new nature building but also the park’s birthday,” Smith said at the ribbon cutting. “I remember that initial dedication day almost 50 years ago.

I thought about how pleased my grandfather was that it turned out exactly how he wanted it. And now, with this magnificent new facility, it’s even better.

So let us celebrate this great country’s birthday and be thankful for what you can accomplish in a free society. Our great-great grandfather came here seeking the American dream, and we all got this park because of it.”

The Walter B. Jacobs Memorial Nature Park is set to reopen to the public later this month. It is at 8012 Blanchard Furrh Road in Shreveport. The hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (318) 929-2806 or visit https://caddoparks.org/map/walter-b-jacobs-memorial-nature-park/.