PARK ZOO 20H EDUCATION YEAR IN REVIEW The purpose of education at the zoo is to inspire and cultivate an informed community of conservation stewards. Woodland Park Zoo thanks the generous donors in 20I I who helped make our education programs possible: Rene and Jerry Alkoff The Paul G.Al|en Family Foundation Anonymous Howard and Behar Bezos Family Foundation Heather Blackie Heidi Blackie Barbara Blywise The Boeing Company JPMorgan Chase Foundation Chicago Zoological Society Robert and Delores Cicci Gina and Ken Corsun Mark and Carolyn Guidry Sally and Gilberto Hedges-Blanquez John C. and Karyl Kay Hughes Foundation Institute of Museum and Library Services Caroline Johnston David and Kara Knox Stephen Lifflc and Rasa Raisys Alan and Kimberly Lippman Steve Macbeth Pamela jo Merriman and Sonia Ross Kay Mesirow and Jeffrey Eaton National Geographic Society John and Deanna Oppenheimer Peach Foundation Debra and Mark Perry Raikes Foundation Safeco Insurance Sarah Teasley and Cameron Osborne United Guaranty Walter and Jacqueline Williams Wockner Foundation CREATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONSERVATION STEWARDS The purpose of education at the zoo is to advance the zoo's mission by inspiring and cultivating an informed community of conservation stewards. As the Washing- ton hub for excellence in conservation education, our programs are grounded in a robust. science and outcomes-based framework for inspiring conservation. The guid- ing framework for program development is: - Connecting children to nature 0 Developing ecological literacy - Providing pathways to conservation From early learners to senior learners, and on and off grounds, our developmental approach to lifelong learning is to foster empathy for nature. build conservation knowledge and skills, and increase people's personal ownership for action that benefits wildlife and habitats. EDUCATION STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Five strategic initiatives focus our zoo education work: I. Connect Children to Nature 2. Intensify the Impact of Engaging Experiences 3. Deepen Science Education, Increase Ecological Literacy 4. Empower Conservation Leaders 5. Strengthen our Leadership Through Education Research Strategically aligned to create the next generation of conservation stewards. the following six teams are the core of education at Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ): 0 Volunteer Education Services - Child Family Programs 0 Zoo Experiences 0 School Community Engagement 0 Education Research - Interpretation This Education Year in Review. organized around our strategic initiatives. show- cases our programs and accomplishments in 20|l and how our efforts are strategi- cally aligned to create the next generation of conservation stewards. Cover Photo: Ryan "mmj -e Many thanks go to the following partners who contributed to the strength and quality of our education programs in 20l I: Chicago Zoological Society Bats Northwest Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition Grizzly Bear Outreach Project Kent School District Madison Middle School Meredith Mathews East Madison YMCA Miami University's Project Dragonfly National Geographic Society National Wildlife Federation Neighborhood House NW Zoo &Aquarium Alliance Overlake School REI Refugee Women's Alliance Seattle Aquarium Seattle Audubon Society Seattle Children's Theatre Seattle Tilth Seattle Public Libraries Student Conservation Association University ofWashington, Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center University ofWashington. Learning in Formal and Informal Environments (LIFE) program University ofWashington, Museology Graduate program Washington Department of Fish andWildlife Washington Native Plant Society CONNECT CHILDREN TO NATURE What better place is thgre for chil- We've been connecting children dren to develop Qmpathy and respect to nature in Zoomazium since for animals and nature than at the 2006' November' Happy Sm Birthday Zoomazium was a zoo? ofthe more than one mmlon wonderful zoowide celebration who Visit Woodland Park for our littlest zoo-goers! More Zoo each year. more than 70% are than 4,000 visitors attended the families with children. 75% of families Where there were cupcakes, stories. live animals, live music. dancing. singing. puppet shows. games and goodie visiting the zoo have children under the age of 8. With our early child- h??d Program offen-ngsv Zoomazium! bags galore! There was also our naturalistic exhibits and many birthday celebration enrichment natural areas, we provide a wide vari- 'Or Penguins>> Snow leopards. ety of venues for children and their ferret caregivers to connect with nature. As we watch "screen time" replace "green time" and witness increased health and development issues in our communities' children. the zoo': work connecting children to nature and em owerin their care 'vers to do so, becomes even more im rtant. 8 8' P0 ZOOMAZIUM PROGRAMS - 35,988 young learners and their caregivers were reached through formal programs in Zoomazium, from engaging puppet shows to animal encounters. - Over 2.000 children actively engaged in Nature Exchange trading. 346,448 children and their caregivers visited Zoomazium. - More than 3|,770 children touched an animal in Zoomazium. ZOOMAZIUM Zoomazium, an indoor facility designed for children birth to 8 years of age and their caregivers, integrates the fun of interactive nature-themed areas with age-appro- priate programs devoted to play, discovery and learning. Coupled with the adjacent wooded area, Zoomazium is the zoo's. hub for connecting children and their caregiv- ers to nature, science and exploration. ZOOMAZIUM PROGRAMS INCLUDE: Creature Feature: Each day, children can get up close with live, furred, feathered or scaly animals. They might experience an interactive puppet story and meet one of the stars or design a play space for a curious creature and watch as it explores. Nature Exchange: Staff at Nature Exchange loves to hear about the exciting observations children make in nature and at the zoo. Children bring in drawings, photos, research or cool nature items and earn points to trade for the natural items in our ever-changing natural history collection. Puppet Shows: Animal puppets tell stories and sing so'n\gs that develop empathy toward the natural world and foster caring and respect for animals. Children are invited up to dance and meet the puppets after the show. Shake, Rattle 8: Roar: Toddlers strengthen sensorimotor and language skills by singing. dancing and playing instruments to animal and nature-themed music. Zoomazium': Backyard Programs: Children connect with nature as they explore thisoutdoor natural area. Opportunities include balancing on the log balance beam. learning cause and effect by building with tree cookies. or creating natural artwork at the sorting table. Additional activities such as Bug Hunts. Spider Web Walks. or Scav- enger Hunts are offered in the aftemoon for Nature Exchange points. Zoomazium Animal Encounters: Zoo Corps teen volunteers and intems present a variety of animals to Zoomazium guests. The presenters use biofacts and other activ- ities to engage visitors of all ages in the wonder and discovery of amazing iive animals. kyan CLASSES AN CAM PS Early childhood classes are designed to increase children's connections with wildlife and build empathy in our young visitors. Programs are offered for all ages, including newboms and their caregivers. in 20l I. we modified our Walkin' and Rollin' program to emphasize the importance of parenting based on research from the Talaris Institute. Summer camp programs such as Kinder Camp (ages 3-5) and Zooper Day Camp (ages 4-9) helped to increase children's awareness of the natural world and their connection to wildlife. 20l| summer camps included "Mystery Animal," in which campers focused on classification of animals such as arboreal. terrestrial. noctur- nal and diurnal. They put this knowledge to the test as they pieced together field research clues to classify a newly discovered (fictional) species. "My Ultimate Zoo" was another program option in which campers learned what it takes to design and build zoo exhibits, and used their new knowledge to create 3-D exhibit models. Zoo (Zoo University) engages I0-I4 year olds in in-depth programs about natural history and conservation. During 20| l. I30 teens and tweens attended Zoo U. Two different curriculum were offered. The Exhibit Design course took a higher level look at the many facets of creating and maintaining zoo exhibits to meet animal needs. Students enrolled in the Wild Ecosystems course learned about the valuable services ecosystems provide to humans as well as all other living things on Earth. ZOO EVENING AND OVERNIGHT ADVENTURES Zoo Adventures offers themed evening and ovemight experiences for children and adults. These programs include education activities. live animal programs and guided tours on zoo grounds to special non-daytime tour areas. In 20l l, we offered three different program options. allowing participants to pursue their individual interests and allow for repeat visits. Program offerings were: A Zookeeper's Life for Mei, Stealthy Science: Research After Dark and Scouts for Adventure. CLASSES AND CAMPS AND OTHER PROGRAMS - 6.069 zoo visitors participated in fee-based classes. camps, overnights and other programs. 454 children and their caregivers participated in early childhood classes. - |.744 children ages 3-I4 attended I30 week-long camp sessions. 25 seasonal camp staff led programs over the course of the year. - I36 seniors participated in Senior Zoo Walkers. Senior Zoo Walker participation increased by 25% over the previous year. - Fee-based programs generated $568,622 in revenue, 26% over projections! - Donations of $2,065 to the classes and camps scholarship fund allowed 29 children to attend classes and camps on partial or full scholarships. 306 children participated in a Parents' Night Out (filling 402 spots). EVENING AND OVERNIGHT ADVENTURES - - - - - - a a a - - - 2.99| participants came to Zoo Adventures in 20l I, the highest number of participants since 2007 and over l,000 participants more than 20|0 (the lowest year currently documented). INTENSIFYTHE IMPACT OF ZOO EXPERIENCES I ZOO EXPERIENCES - a a a a a so Nearly 385,000 zoo visitors participated in public programs presented by zoo staff and volunteers including summer experience-themed programs, keeper/horticulture chats, raptor flight programs. poo paper-making. African bracelet- making, Cultural Interpreter programs, Dinosaurs Then and Now interpretive program, discovery stations/ramblers and other volunteer programs. - 347,228 zoo visitors got close to or touched an animal in the Contact Area. Willawong. giraffe feeding. elephant feeding, penguin feeding or at an Animal Encounters program. can't believe turtles have been around longer than dinosaurs.' That's old. 4-year-old guest remark at DinosaursThen and Now didn't know that and i have been thinking about this my whole life!" 5-year-old guest at Dinosaurs! upon learning that continents move and land masses were a lot closer together I00 million years ago, enabling dinosaurs to live on every continent Woodland Park Zoo plays a vital role in promoting and supporting conservation, local- ly and around the world, by creating engaging experiences that inspire people to learn, care and act on behalf of wildlife and wild places. Through zoo experiences, we create excitement and build meaningful and unique connections to nature and animals for our guests. This deeper understanding leads to improved ecological literacy and is a crucial step in moving people towards taking conservation action. Engaging zoo experiences including global habitat immersion, new informal science inquiry opportunities, more experiences to interact with and get closer to live animals, and chances to learn from staff, volunteers and global conservation partners are what make Woodland Park Zoo unique, bring guests in the gate and keep them coming back. DINOSAURS THEN AND NOW The 20ll Summer Experience started off with a BANG in the form of Dinosaurs!, a temporary exhibit staffed by Zoo Experiences presenters and filled with opportuni- ties to learn about ancient and modern animals, survival, extinction and biodiversity. Visitors enjoyed the new robotic collection and explored fossils as well as animal encounters with living dinosaur relatives, celebrating the 20th Anniversary of our Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project. Highlighting our zoo': excellent animal care and conservation innovations. we offered fun new programs for our guests in 20l l. including elephant feeding and elephant poo paper- making. delighting visitors of all ages in a "what goes in must come out" experience. Woodland Park Zoo is reliably crowded during the summer months. Our new Winter Experience allowed us to pilot new wintertime Quarters for Conserva- tion talks for our guests, including additional weekend Raptor Flight programs and elephant interpretive talks. Experimenting with new programs at different times of year, a new Rainy Day Zoo tour and offering year-round programming are helping establish our zoo's reputation as a fantastic destination any time of year. ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS AND EXPERIENCES Charismatic mini fauna? You bet! From hands-on time with invertebrates to hand- feeding major mega fauna, zoo visitors enjoyed daily interactions with presentation animals and the opportunity to touch provided by staff and volunteers. For a small fee, visitors had the opportunity to feed the elephants, giraffes. budgies and penguins throughout the year. At the Family Farm Contact Area, visitors enjoyed special, one- on-one interactions, learning about our sheep and goats up close. AFRICAN SAVANNA PROGRAMS Maasai cultural interpreter Kakuta Hamisi shared his firsthand knowledge of African savanna wildlife, habitat and conservation issues with zoo visitors. These interac- tions built understanding of the relationship between people, animals and habitats and helped to draw clear links between zoo animals. exhibits and field conservation efforts. Visitors also had the opportunity to make a beaded bracelet and learn about African beading traditions through our "Upapi" program. INTERPRETATION In 20" we brought field conservation front and center with Quarters for Conserva- tion. With this program we are giving every visitor the chance to vote on how we spend our field conservation dollars. This heightens visitor awareness of our conser- vation work and stimulates a more complete conservation conversation on grounds. Our education-interpretation team led the process to create two voting kiosks that were debuted September 7, 20ll. Since then each and every visitor is given the opportunity to vote for -- and thus direct money to -- the field conservation project of their choice. The attractive. playful kiosks are a flexible addition to the process of improving connections between our visitors and our conservation actions. After new solar panels were installed atop the carousel pavilion, we created a large and colorful display to tell their story. The solar panels not only generate enough electricity to keep the carousel turning. they also send excess power back into the city's electrical grid. The colorful solar carousel display lets visitors know we're - getting our horsepower from the sun. Planning for our future exhibit complex for tigers and Asian bears was a major focus for educafion staff in 20l I. We participated in many hours of planning sessions and helped shape the future exhibit's design and messaging. One of our key contributions was a "narrative document - essentially a "you are there" exhibit preview -- that will help zoo staff see how exciting and compelling this set of exhibits will be. CCNSEFYEHG AMONG THE INTERPRETIVE TASKS COMPLETED Four large sign panels for WPZ's new Steller's sea eagle. - Eight signs for the zoo's new elephant feeding program. - Northern Trail and Tropical Rain Forest "interpretive story" training for docents. - More than a dozen custom signs for the temporary "Dinosaurs!" exhibit. - Three new sets of "Zoo in the World" signs about our conservation projects. Major upgrades to sound systems in the Tundra Center and Raptor Center. - New signs for several new-to- WPZ species, including: Indian flying fox, fulvous whistling-duck. brown booby, waxy monkey frog, Pan's box turtle and rhinoceros beetle. In all, more than 250 signs and other interpretive elements were created during 20| I. STUDENT PROGRAMS . . . - - . . - Over 74,579 students/teachers/ chaperones visited the zoo for programs or self-guided visits, with 24, 83| of these coming from King County schools with 30% or more students on free or reduced--rate lunch. |3.073 students reached in King County and statewide through outreach programs. Woodland Park Zoo's Ready, Set. Discover (RSD) program earned the top education award from the Association of Zoos Aquariums. It is WPZ's fourth AZA education award and the first time we have garnered "best in education" from AZA. DEEPEN SCIENCE EDUCATION, INCREASE ECOLOGICAL LITERACY 0 Our school programs support academic requirements in the sciences. offer field-based opportunities. and foster inquiry to ensure that all students have sufficient knowledge and skills in science for success and sustainability in the 2lst century. The zoo accom- plishes this through educator professional development, student programs on and off zoo grounds and extensive educational resources. Playing a statewide leadership role in deepening science education and increasing ecological literacy is core to Woodland Park Zoo's vision of creating the next generation of conservation stewards. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES Our educator programs are focused on empowering educators with the skills they need to be successful and include a strong foundation in ecological literacy, skills in inquiry-based leaming and principles of field investigation. Our professional develop- ment programs for educators give them the knowledge, skills and resources to bring meaningful environmental education to" their students. All program activities and materials provided directly address the state': academic learning requirements, as well as national science standards for inquiry-based science learning. We offer: - Advanced Inquiry Program master's degree - Professional Development workshops - Educator newsletter (online) 0 Teacher curriculum packets (all online in a downloadable format) - Teacher Advisory Council Educator Appreciation Day - Teacher resources for the classroom and for use during zoo visits (both loan resources and downloadable resources at ADVANCED INQUIRY PROGRAM (AIP) Summer 20" saw the launch of Woodand Park Zoo's first cohort in the Advanced Inquiry Program master's degree for educators, co-delivered by faculty at Miami University's Project Dragonfly and Woodland Park Zoo professional education staff. The AIP combines graduate courses at the zoo with web-based leaming communities that connect graduate students to a broad network of educators and community lead- ers. As one of four national Master Institutions for the AIP. Woodland Park Zoo offers local Washington educators unique learning experiences on zoo grounds, in natural settings around Washington. and at field conservation sites around the world. EDUCATOR PROGRAMS l25 educators participated in professional development opportunities offered by Woodland Park Zoo. This includes 38 educators who participated in field courses in Borneo and eight teachers who participated in an evening training/orientation for the Ready, Set. Discover program. 23 teachers are active members of our Zoo Teacher Advisory Council. 258 educators attended the Educator Appreciation Day in June (this new format replaced the Educators' Open Houses held in previous years). Participating educators impact over 6,500 students annually (assuming each teacher reaches an average of 25 students per school year). STUDENT PROGRAMS - - - - - Thanks to King County Parks levy funds. received free zoo admission and bus transportation to participate in School-to-Zoo programs, ZEST programs and self-guided visits. - l4,l92 participated in Schoo|-to- Zoo staff-guided programs. - |,052 participated in ZEST docent-guided programs. - 65| participated in Home- school Days. SCHOOL-TO-ZOO PROGRAMS. These programs are zoo-based science programs for K-5 grade students. King County School-to-Zoo programs directly complement the science kits taught in grades K-4 classrooms and include the award-winning second grade Forest Explorers program. ZEST (Zoo Experiences for Students and Teachers) Facilitated by zoo docents, these programs involve students in exploration: of differ- ent areas of the zoo and conservation issues through on-grounds zoo experiences and. in some cases, a classroom component. SELF-GUIDED ZOO VISITS The majority of school participants experience the zoo on self-guided visits. A vari- ety of materials and resources, available on the zoo': website. support teachers in planning and developing learning goals for these visits. HOMESCHOOL DAYS Three homeschool days were offered in 20|l for homeschool students and parents. Students and their caregivers came special tours. hands-on workshops and activities focused on animal and plant life cycles. SCHOOL SERVICE PROJECTS The zoo partners with several schools in King County to bring their students to the zoo once or twice a year to engage in service projects on zoo grounds. From outdoor work with Horticulture to organizing props and resources for Zoomazium. a total of 246 students from five schools participated in service projects at Wood- land Park Zoo in 20| I. 53.. WILD WISE Wild Wise is an interactive multimedia classroom presentation exploring the habi- tats, wildlife and ecosystems of Washington state. 4th-7th grade students learn to hone their observation skills as they "visit" Washington habitats by making observa- tions. taking field notes and sketching wildlife. In addition to classroom Wild Wise presentations. students engage in Outdoor Explorations programs to explore nature in their schoolyards and neighborhood -parks. Wild Wise programs will be focused primarily within King County during the 20| l-20l2 school year. UP CLOSE Our Up CLOSE animal outreach program brings animals (birds of prey, reptiles and arthropods) into King County schools for engaging programs connected with state science learning standards. New supporting materials (teacher packets, previsit sheets and loan kits) are provided to teachers to accompany Up CLOSE programs. READY, SET, DISCOVER This award-winning program, piloted in the 08/09 school year, has continued this school year with grant-funded support. This program involves 2,200 students from I4 low-income King County schools (over l.lO0 4th and l.l00 5th grade students; primarily Kent School District). In the RSD program. students engage in an ongoing. two-phase cycle of learning activities in cohorts consisting of l.l00 students of the same grade level. beginning in the 4th grade with Phase I. Fourth grade activities are designed to develop science reasoning and inquiry skills using ecosystems as a focus. Fourth graders engage in an Ecosystems program on zoo grounds and three Wild Wise programs (in the classroom, on school grounds and in a local park). Through- out 5th grade (Phase 2). students apply their inquiry skills to investigate components . of ecosystems and their interconnections in a variety of settings (in their schoolyard, at a local park and at the zoo). Fifth graders engage in two Wild Wise programs (an inquiry-focused schoolyard program and a field investigation program at a local park) and then visit the zoo and Nature Exchange to share the results of their investiga- tions with zoo staff. INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION CONSORTIUM (ISE) Woodland Park Zoo has ioined forces with five other Seattle-area informal science institutions (Burke Museum. lslandwood. Museum of Flight. Pacific Science Center and Seattle Aquarium) to create the Informal Science Education Consortium. lSE's work consists of a pre-planning phase and three stages. 20l0 funding supported the creation of a strategic plan. Funding obtained in 20Il will support Stage One. which includes hiring a director for the Consortium and developing a business plan. Successful completion of all three phases over the next four years will allow our organizations to lay the foundation for delivering effective integrative program- ming that will increase STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) knowledge, boost critical thinking skills. and increase science interest for students and teachers in Washington state. Planned initiatives include a continuum of support for local students and teachers aimed at elementary school (teacher training), middle school (after-school programs), and high school (intensive intemships). with each step building upon the previous one. OUTREACH PROGRAMS - Wild Wise instructors presented programs to 5.98| students throughout King County; of these, 5.669 came from schools with 30% or more students on free or reduced-rate lunch. Up CLOSE served 7,092 participants; of these L534 were from schools with 30% or more students on free or reduced-rate lunch. Ready, Set. Discover program, during the school year 20I I-I2, will involve 2,200 students from I4 low-income King County schools. EMPOWER CONSERVATION LEADERS Empowering people of all ages to take action to protect wildlife and habitats is criti- cal to saving the world': wildlife. and the zoo is uniquely well-qualified to encourage such conservation actions. The zoo': global focus. reflected in our bioclimatic zone exhibits and our field conservation projects. enables us to engage visitors in action on behalf of animals around the world--from East Africa to Papua New Guinea-- and right here in the Pacific Northwest. From volunteering at the zoo to taking a hands-on conservation workshop, our in-depth programs provide youth and adults with the skills and experience necessary to be conservation stewards and empower them to become conservation leaders. BACKYARD HABITAT WORKSHOPS During 20l l, Woodland Park Zoo offered one spring and one fall five-part backyard habitat class series and a summer habitat/restoration tour event for a total of 229 participants. During each class series. participants worked with staff and volunteers from Woodland Park Zoo and our Backyard Habitat partners: Wash- ington Department of Fish and Wildlife. National Wildlife Federa- tion, Seattle Audubon Society and G) -- Washington Native Plant Society. Full-series participants left with a binder of information containing an action plan creating habitat as well as information on appropri- ate native plants, invasive species identification and removal. pesti- cide and herbicide reduction. the an possible addition of supplemental 9 feeders and nest boxes for wildlife "ml am>> and information on certifying their yard as wildlife habitat. I-may 3-or-nay 3 Yuwvulla Map showing distribution of 20! Backyard Habitat participants by ZIP code '37 'll 'r VOLUNTEERS Zoo volunteers make the zoo come alive for our guests. In 20l|. l7 individuals from around the community donated 79,638 hours to the zoo. Through the struc- ture of the volunteer program. all zoo volunteers are oriented to educate zoo visi- tors and their local communities about the role our zoo and others play in conserva- tion. In addition to the specific work that a volunteer does to support the work of staff around the zoo. a volunteer': primary responsibility is to be an ambassador for the zoo. helping our guests to make those deep and meaningful connections with wildlife. Docents provided 28|,673 visitors with natural history and conservation messaging in l.928 programs from Animal Encounters to school programs. Thirteen service groups from around the region supported the zoo with special pro]ects that included creating a browse garden for our zoo animals. removing invasive plants around the zoo. and assisting with special events like jungle Party and ZooTunes. In short. it would not be possible to accomplish all that we do without the dedication and support from our zoo volunteers. YOUTH PROGRAMS zoo CREW Zoo Crew, our middle-school program for low income. minority and underserved middle school students in Seattle, is focused on introducing new audiences to the zoo. fostering ecological and science literacy in underserved populations, and inspiring conservation action among students and their communities. In 20| I. Zoo Crew's pilot year. 250 students participated in summer and after school programming and engaged many of their family members as well. Extended learning programs during the summer engaged students in hands-on leaming activities at community organizations for several weeks or during week-long intensive programs. Programs culminated with a trip to the zoo to implement animal enrichment projects and connect to their classroom leam- ing. In September, Zoo Crew instructors facilitated after school programs at Madison Middle School, The Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center and Neighborhood House High Point Center, serving 30 students during the pilot semester. Students leamed about consumption; how society uses, buys and throws away material items. For culminat- ing projects students shared their community action projects which varied from comic books about recycling to videos about littering, targeting their Somali community. VOLUNTEERS - - - 760 volunteers and I3 service groups of another 357 individuals gave over 79,500 hours to the zoo, valued at over l.5 million. - Docents ended the year with 28l ,673 visitors contacted through docent programming as compared to l59,706 contacts in 20l0, representing an increase of over 75%! YOUTH - - - - 250 middle-school students participated in Zoo Crew. - ll3 Zoo Corps teens developed their ecological literacy through training and service at the zoo and participated in meaningful and inspiring habitat restoration and conservation experiences. Zoo Corps teens contacted |30.238 zoo visitors with wildlife natural history and conservation messages via backpack, cart and animal encounter programs. - 20 Zoo Corps interns received paid positions at the zooThank you to Woodland Park Zoo for sparking a lifelong interest that's become an encompassing passion and for giving me the chance to volunteer and to change my life. l'm profoundly grateful for everything I learned and experienced as a volunteer. . .My time as a WPZ volunteer made clear to me that conservation and animals are where my greatest passions lie and where I should be focusing my energy and that's what intend to do from here on. In short it changed my life, and I am so eager to continue on the path this change has led me to. A quote from zoo volunteer Elizabeth Van Every ZOO CORPS Our Zoo Corps program engages youth in hands-on approaches to science learning; provides opportunities to explore careers in conservation and science: and builds a sense of stewardship through participation in real conservation--from teaching zoo visitors about issues and restoring wildlife habitat to acting as "citizen scientists" along- side zoo staff and others. Zoo Corps is for youth ages I4-I8 and in 9th-I2 grade. After receiving training in the spring, Zoo Corps volunteers spent l2.688 hours spreading conservation messages to l30,238 visitors at seven on-grounds stations. helping staff the Contact Area, and assisting camps staff with their young charges during the summer and weekends. Teen volunteers also staffed activities at Pumpkin Bash and Bunny Bounce. provided keeper staff with behavioral observations in the Tropical Rain Forest and assisted Horticulture with re-potting the violets that are fed to our Oregon silverspot butterflies. Continuing training and enrichment activities occurred year-round. from field trips to Padilla Bay and an overnight visit to compare notes with teen volunteers at the Oregon Zoo, to regular meetings and trainings on climate change issues. The most anticipated activity of the year was Presentation Animal Handling training in the fall and winter. Once completed the volunteers presented Animal Encounters programs with arthropods and reptiles. There were 99 active Zoo Corps volunteers in 20l I. Twenty Zoo Corps teens participated in paid. focused internships working 30 or more hours a week in the summer in their focus assignment as well as at various other stations at the zoo. Focus areas included Early Childhood Education, Visitor Experiences. Events and Marketing, and Animal Management (silverspot butterfly. pond turtle/spotted frogs, raptors. Australasia-Willawong and Tropical Rain Forest). In the fall they returned to a weekend/holidays schedule and continued to present dynamic puppet shows and animal programs, and provide customer service to zoo guests in Zoomazium. One intern assigned to the Raptor unit focus actively contin- ued to work in the unit twice a month throughout 20|l. and advanced to assisting with raptor flight programs in addition to his routine duties. STRENGTH EN OUR LEADERSHIP THROUGH EDUCATION RESEARCH Woodland Park Zoo is known for its visitor-centered approach to creating memo- rable experiences as exemplified by its unusual commitment to full-time evaluation staff. The Education Research team is responsible for conducting ongoing evaluation and research into the effectiveness of the zoo's education programming. Through interviews. focus groups and surveys involving thousands of visitors each year. the team aims to evaluate overall visitor satisfaction about their zoo experiences and provide the zoo': education. interpretive and conservation staff with meaningful data regarding the impact of their programs on the many audiences they serve. Studies conducted by the Education Research team over the past year include, among others: - Ongoing research into perceptions of global climate change among visitors to zoos and aquariums in the Pacific Northwest 0 Observations and interviews with students and teachers participating in the Ready. Set, Discover program, which encourages science inquiry through activi- ties in the schoolyard. at the zoo and in local parks - Formative testing of new interactive programs on climate change. delivered by Zoo Corps teen interpreters 0 Ongoing research into the impact of up-close encounters with zoo animals on visitors' knowledge. attitudes and emotions 0 Formative evaluation of the new Quarters for Conservation initiative launched in Fall of 20| I. whereby a portion of visitors' entry fee goes towards a zoo conservation project of their choice NEW DIRECTIONS IN EVALUATION: Partnership Between WPZ and the University of Washington In December. we submitted the final report to IMLS (Institute for Museum 8: Library Services) summarizing results from our collaborative project with the University of Washington's Museology graduate program to train students in audience research in informal learning environments. Over the past three years of the New Directions partnership: 0 20 formal evaluation projects were completed within eight different Seattle area museums (three are currently in progress). - Twenty-two public forums, smaller lectures and workshops were presented at the UW and at Woodland Park Zoo by noted professionals in the field of Visi- tor Studies reaching over 400 students and local museum practitioners. 0 New Directions staff/students have presented their work at six national conferences and assisted in hosting one regional conference workshop. - Twenty-six students have completed the entire two-year audience research track. and a number of these have already been hired into positions in audience research in museums around the country. 0 The audience research track is now a permanent part of the Museology curriculum, and this year students are again conducting year-long evaluation projects at local museums. including Seattle Aquarium, Frye Art Museum and Woodland Park Zoo. RESEARCH RESULTS ace Among visitors to the zoo in Summer 20l I: 85% of those surveyed report they are "very likely" to recommend the zoo to friends. 97% said their zoo visit met or exceeded expectations. 93% agreed with the statement, "Qur trip to the zoo was worth the time and money." Almost all visitor groups identified at least one high point of their visit. The animals or exhibits mentioned most often included penguins, brown bears, gorillas. dinosaurs, giraffe and elephants. This year visitor satisfaction with staff and/or volunteer interactions was the highest it has ever been with approximately 82% agreeing with the statement, "Zoo staff/volunteers were available, welcoming and knowledgeable." know for a fact that without the training provided by New Directions, I would not have been hired for this position. . . [my employer] was impressed by the amount of training and project experience I gained through New Directions.' A recent graduate of the new Directions program now employed in the field. EDUCATION LEADERSHIPTEAM I000 JAMIE CREOLA Vice President of Education BECKY BARKER Education Programs Manager LINDA FARRELL Education Services Manager MARGARET WHITE Child Family Programs Supervisor xx CARLA BITTER Zoo Experiences Supervisor KIM HAAS Volunteer Education Services Supervisor KATIE RE-MINE School Community Engagement Supervisor OWEN Education Research Supervisor WOODLAND PARK zoo SAVES ANIMALS AND THEIR HABITATS THROUGH CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP AND ENGAGING PARK ZOO EXPERIENCES, INSPIRING PEOPLE TO LEARN, CARE AND