Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Ryan Driscoll, Education Photos courtesy of ZooCrew, Woodland Park Zoo Note from the Editor: Each term, ZooCrew empowers middle school youth to become conservation leaders by providing science learning experiences that inspire them to learn, care, and act through after school and summer expanded learning opportunities. Through the ZooCrew programs, we excite youth from traditionally underserved communities about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects by engaging with real-world conservation issues, preparing them for continued involvement in Woodland Park Zoo’s youth programs, and inspiring them to consider a broad range of STEM and conservation careers. We believe engaging these students, as well as youth across Washington state, is key to solving current conservation issues in our own backyard and around the world. Learning with the zoo doesn’t just take place on zoo grounds! As the school year winds down, we wrapped up another awesome sprin

Roxanne Sanders, a first-grader, was new to Seattle when her mom signed her up for a summer camp at Woodland Park Zoo so she could make some friends. However, Roxanne made more than friends. She found she liked exploring the zoo and the fact that there was more to the camp than just keeping the kids busy. “They taught you lessons about the animals, where they came from, how they live,” Roxanne said. “We got to see what the animals were doing and how they reacted.” Zoo camps became part of Roxanne’s life. She attended Zooper Day Camp for kids 4 to 9, then Zoo U for kids 10-14. In 2010, she became a counselor in training, and now, as a college student, she’s working as a camp assistant. Roxanne at Woodland Park Zoo. “Throughout elementary school, I knew I wanted to work with animals,” Roxanne said, “When I started thinking about college a few years ago, my parents were pushing me into medical jobs, but that wasn’t what I was interested in. I decided to go with what I wanted

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Ryther is a center that provides psychiatric and mental health services for children and youth. Just about 15 minutes away from Woodland Park Zoo, Ryther has been bringing kids to the zoo for over 25 years through the zoo’s free Community Access Program. These are the kids most in need of community and Ryther is one of the best kept secrets in our neighborhood. They take in some of the most vulnerable children in the Puget Sound and beyond. At Ryther , kids are never turned away. Today Ryther works with the most complex kids. Their mission is augmented by the generosity of the community, their dedicated volunteer base, the Ryther League, from large donations and sponsors to tickets from local institutions such as the Seattle Aquarium and Woodland Park Zoo.  This is a story about the kids in the Cottage Program.  Listen to the full story and hear from some of the kids who live at Ryther, their amazing counselors Jaspe r Kno

Posted by: Eli Weiss, Community Engagement Among climate scientists and activists there is clear consensus that climate change is a global crisis and urgent action needs to be taken.   As the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report indicates, there is no time to waste if we hope to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Given this urgency, we are confident that the Seattle Youth Climate Action Network is needed now more than ever. Since 2015, Woodland Park Zoo has focused our efforts to address climate change on working with youth and community partners through the Seattle Youth Climate Action Network (CAN). Seattle Youth CAN empowers teens to address climate change in their communities through education, leadership and action. Through this project, Woodland Park Zoo convenes community support for youth to gain the skills and confidence needed to become leaders in the continued fight for a better future for people, animals, and planet

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, communications Photo by Dennis Dow, Woodland Park Zoo We believe that every kid (and kid at heart) should have access to their local zoo. We are proud to report that in 2016, Woodland Park Zoo’s Community Access Program (CAP) partnered with over 600 local human service organizations who offered their clients more than 80,000 complimentary passes to Woodland Park Zoo.   The CAP mission is to reach out to those in our community who would not otherwise be able to experience a zoo visit. Our partnerships with 600+ human service organizations across Puget Sound make this mission possible. We want to thank our partners for their participation in this program and we'd like to thank you for making programs like CAP possible. With each zoo visit and membership, you support a zoo that supports its community. Our love for the community will never tapir.  Last year, we were pleased to have welcomed 54,286 CAP visitors to roar with Xerxes, wal

Have you been thinking of going back to school? Are you searching for a way to make a positive difference on the community and environment around you? Now accepting applications, Woodland Park Zoo’s Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) offers a groundbreaking graduate degree from Miami University focused on inquiry-driven learning as a powerful agent for social and ecological change. Designed for a broad range of professionals, from education and conservation to business and government, AIP could be the next step in your career that you’ve been looking for. Applications are accepted until February 28, 2017 for summer enrollment, and info sessions are coming up: Since the program began in 2011, Woodland Park Zoo’s students and graduates have been enacting amazing environmental stewardship and social change in their communities. We’ve collected some of their stories about how the program has positively impacted their personal and professional lives both locally and globally. Here

Posted by: Alejandro Grajal, President and CEO Alejandro Grajal with Coba the spectacled owl As the year wraps up, I take stock of what I’ve discovered in my first seven months at Woodland Park Zoo. So many highlights stand out to me. But what stands out most is what an amazing force for nature YOU have been. Thanks to you, the zoo is closing out a very strong year. Day after day you cheer our mission on. How well a community supports a nonprofit—in words and in actions—is a good measure of the organization’s value. I’m pleased to report that more people are coming to the zoo to take part in the wonders of species conservation. We’re on track to touch the hearts and minds of 1.32 million guests this year. What’s more, in an increasingly competitive experience economy, zoo membership and private support have remained strong, and special ticketed events have done particularly well this year. You’ve helped to bring about positive impact beyond our 92 acres as well. Each December

Woodland Park Zoo has the cause. Volunteers have the effect. Earlier in October, Woodland Park Zoo held its festive Celebration of Volunteers at the beautiful Seattle Aquarium. Hundreds of volunteers and staff turned out to share hugs and smiles and to give huge thanks . We can’t underscore our gratitude to these amazing people enough. A volunteer “freely offers to contribute to an enterprise or a task.” The key word is freely. Our volunteers, an amazing cadre more than 750 talented people strong, make the choice every day to show up rain or shine and contribute to any and all aspects of our mission. They are part of our team. They are our rock! At the Celebration, we recognized 45 members of this special cadre for making a difference in animals’ and peoples’ lives. Each honoree has given between 1,000 and 14,000 hours of service to the zoo. Altogether this generous group has invested more than 144,000 hours of time and talent in the zoo’s mission. That’s the equivalent of

Posted by: Ryan Driscoll, Education Western Washington is known for its amazing outdoor opportunities. This summer, participants in the ZooCrew Summer Learning Program took full advantage of those opportunities to sharpen their science skills and explore the ecosystems around the Puget Sound. From hiking Mount Rainier to working with local field biologists, students examined the different parts of the watershed while learning about how humans and animals interact with their environments. This cultural access program is about more than just exposing students to new careers and building their science skills—it is about our mission to inspire the next generation of conservation leaders. We want youth to see themselves as scientists and to understand not only that there are issues in our area, but that they can help to investigate and solve them. At the top of a watershed hiking Mount Rainier. Over two four-week sessions this summer, 18 6th and 7th grade students from Asa Merc