Written by Leslie Wilhoit, School Programs Coordinator and Steve Gerkin, Interpretative Programs Manager
As Earth Day was coming up, Leslie and I were talking about what we, as Zoo educators should focus on. It is always difficult to narrow down a focus because there are so many actions guests can take to help wildlife and wild places.
So where to start? After a brief discussion, we thought it best to identify our community. There are all types of communities, such as interest groups, our friends, and social organizations. For us, the Zoo is all of these! It is our space to create opportunities to share stories of conservation the Zoo is involved in and to express our passion for the environment. It is also where we spread the hope that we are all able to make a positive difference in the world.
After identifying that space to share, what next? We know that learning about conservation efforts is important, but it is critical that people know the actions they can take to help. Saving wildlife from extinction is a mighty goal; matching actions to that is difficult. Within the Zoo community, our job is to provide those action steps. Creating chances to be part of something bigger than themselves can prove powerful and inspire action. It’s imperative to realize individually we do not have to do it alone. There are many existing organizations to partner with.
This brings us back to community. We get support, ideas, and strength from those within our communities. The actions our guests can take while at the Zoo - buying conservation buttons, talking with staff, taking part in programs - rely on teamwork. Making these interactions fun and engaging help create a memorable moment for our guests and encourages them to take select actions. Our hope is for them to take that information and those actions back to their own communities and share what they did and why, expanding the reach of the Zoo and one important aspect of its mission: saving species from extinction.
In the past year, the Zoo dove into the virtual world to share our conservation efforts to a much wider audience. To discover more about what the Zoo is doing to save species, protect wild spaces, and lower our carbon footprint, please click on the following links we picked out just for Earth Day:
Zoo EDventures: SMART in Action
Make a Home for Frogs & Snakes Activity
