During the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed several facilities at the park, including the original Horseshoe Lodge, the Pavilion, the Ballfield, and various road grades and bridges.

Throughout the 20th century, the park experienced periods of disuse, and there were times when the City of Pueblo considered selling the property.

Since 2018, the center reaches 7,500 people per year through awareness on the dangers raptors face due to environmental changes.

[6] The campus features structures from the Works Progress Administration era, including the renovated Horseshoe Lodge, which hosts a small museum, gift shop, and overnight accommodations.

[7] The park spans various ecosystems in the foothills transition zone, including forests of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, white fir, juniper, and oak shrublands.The Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center hosts the Colorado Owl Festival each fall, showcasing the variety of species present in the area with an eye toward education and fundraising for rehabilitation programs.

[9] In February, the Nature and Raptor Center along with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Pueblo Zoo team up to put on Eagle Days at the River Campus, in April, the Nature and Raptor Center hosts its annual Earth Day Events to honor the environmental heroes in the community, and in November, NWDC hosts their annual fundraising breakfast.

There are Weekend Raptor Talks at 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays at the River Campus,[10] a monthly fourth Saturday Birdwalk (led by members of the Arkansas Valley Audubon Society) and full-day Summer Nature Camps for children entering Kindergarten to 12th grade.

Students from Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University-Pueblo also visit NWDC's campuses to develop skills in outdoor education.

Each year, the Raptor Center admits, rehabilitates, and releases hundreds of injured, orphaned, or otherwise compromised eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, vultures, and other birds of prey.