Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium

The initial Wonders of Wildlife museum was the result of an intensive lobbying campaign by and financial support from Johnny Morris. He campaigned for a ballot initiative that funded a portion of the $52 million cost of building the original museum and the creation of a museum district to oversee the planning, design, and construction of the museum. An agreement with the City of Springfield allows a portion of the city's hotel-motel tax to be used for capital projects. This project also received $1.5 million in federal appropriations. However, after receiving public backlash for using public funds on the project, Morris returned the local public money received, and used private funds and donations to finish the project. ==Original Wonders of Wildlife (2001-2007)==

Wonders of Wildlife's original facility, designed by Cambridge Seven Associates opened to the public on November 1, 2001. It housed 225 species of live animals, fresh and saltwater aquariums, interactive displays and educational programs. The original attraction closed in December 2007, with the announcement of a planned expansion that would increase the square footage of the facility by 58 percent, at a cost of $25 million. Subsequently, museum representatives announced a much more ambitious expansion, at a cost of about $80 million. With some changes and updates, the original facility was incorporated into the much larger attraction that opened in September 2017. ==Reopening==

The facility opened to the public under its current name and configuration on September 22, 2017. In attendance at the opening event were prominent North American conservation leaders and numerous celebrities including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, U.S. President George W. Bush, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Costner, Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Easton Corbin, and many others. More than 40 conservation groups, including the National Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, National Wildlife Federation, National Wild Turkey Federation and National Geographic Society, partnered with the Wonders of Wildlife project, which was nearly a decade in development and construction. Wonders of Wildlife was voted the "2017 Best New Attraction" in the United States by readers of USA Today. == Gallery ==

Aquarium entrance.jpg|Aquarium entrance hall Whale and fishing boat.jpg|Whale and fishing boat Shipwreck room.jpg|Shipwreck room Spoonbills over mangroves.jpg|Mangrove swamp display Wonders of Wildlife Caribou Diorama.jpg|Caribou diorama Wonders of Wildlife Museum (interior).JPG|Wonders of Wildlife Museum (interior) ==References==