ZooTeens: Committed to Conservation

For educators, being able to share one’s love of a subject with new learners is exhilarating. From the first curious glance to the last presentation, conservation education can be such an enriching experience. We’ve been hard at work as the ZooTeen season is in full swing here at the Seneca Park Zoo, from designing new stations to face painting, or even helping out with ZooCamp!

When we recruit for the ZooTeen Program, we look for the best and brightest middle- and high-school students in the Rochester area. Though our interview process might seem daunting, we’re simply looking for students who are passionate about animal conservation, and can easily talk with guests about it.

This is, at its core, what ZooTeens do: educate guests on how the Seneca Park Zoo and zoos worldwide help to save species from extinction, and what guests can do to help. Each teen is committed to at least 2 days a week. Along the way, ZooTeens grow and strengthen their public speaking skills.

After their time with the program, our ZooTeens go on to become conservation advocates in their own communities, and in their own ways. Brenden John, one of our graduating ZooTeen Leaders, will be studying to become a naturalist filmmaker in college. Several of our own Zoo staff members are ZooTeen alumni!This year’s ZooTeens are especially representative of the diversity in the greater Rochester area. Nearly half of all ZooTeens live within 30 minutes of the city. One quarter of ZooTeens live in the city proper, and another quarter live in nearby Irondequoit or Greece. Some ZooTeens even drive over an hour to come volunteer.

At 116 ZooTeens, it’s one of our biggest seasons yet. Though nearly half of our staff are new recruits, you’d be hard pressed to notice; many new ZooTeens are as outgoing as our returners. In addition to engaging in some public outreach programs throughout the school year, this year’s ZooTeen Leaders were able to design some new station materials for the program.

Many of these newly-designed stations are smash hits, including: ‘A Wake Up Call’, which educates guests on the effects of microplastics from common household products. These new arrivals join perennial favorites such as our African Elephant station, which educates guests on how we partner with conservation organizations like the International Elephant Foundation (IEF) to best help our cared-for species. Whether through using BioFacts or hands-on activity, these stations offer engaging materials to draw guests in, and teach through play and experience, to help our guests to understand conservation care.

Please feel free to reach out to either of us at [email protected] if you have any questions about the program. If you are an environmentally-conscious teen in the Rochester area, and would like to help out at the Zoo, we will soon be accepting applications for the 2017-2018 ZooTeen Leader Program. Additionally, information for the 2018 ZooTeen Program will be available during the first quarter of 2018.

Alex Baer & Kristi Frey
2017 ZooTeen Coordinator Team

Interested in the ZooTeen Program?

LEARN MORE

Naming contest announced for sea lion pup

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC-TV) – County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo and Seneca Park Zoo officials announced Wednesday that the male sea lion pup born to 8-year-old Lily on June 7 is doing very well and will be on exhibit regularly.

Zoo officials also announced a naming contest for the new pup, and you could be the one to give it to him!

“Our new sea lion pup has almost everything he needs, from a loving mother, to caring staff, to a wonderful home with plenty of visitors, but he is still missing something important – a name!” said Dinolfo.

Read the full story HERE.

Seneca Park Zoo begins first phase of renovations

Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) – The first phase of Seneca Park Zoo’s master renovation plan is now under construction.

Monroe County and city construction crews broke ground on the upgrades Tuesday morning.

The renovations include an African savannah exhibit, a cold Asia exhibit, and a passenger tram system to help visitors get to each side of the zoo easily.

Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo explained why this project is so important.

“When we’re talking about the Seneca Park Zoo, I mean certainly we’re talking about the county’s commitment to animal preservation, to conservation and that’s important,” Dinolfo said. “But it’s equally important as we look at the quality of life in Monroe County. We want to make sure that people who live here, continue to live here.”

Read the full story HERE.

“I am just a small thing. What can I do?”

This morning while I was running my negative self-talk said, “You are going to embarrass yourself at Jungle Jog. You’re going to be slow. You’re going to have to walk parts of it. You won’t be happy with your finish time.”

And then I thought, No. All of that is true EXCEPT the part about embarrassing myself. I’m up. I’m off the couch. I’m out there, wanting to make a difference for me, and for conservation. The people who should be embarrassed are the ones not even cheering me at the sidelines, but sitting at home, waiting for someone else to take action.

I’ve been privileged to spend time with Malagasy researcher Mahandry Hugues Andrianarisoa this month. We first met Mahandry a year ago when he was a research student assigned to our One Cubic Foot project team in Madagascar. We have had many serious conversations about the future of conservation in Madagascar, and his role in it.

When we picked up Mahandry in Washington D.C. last month, where he had been interning at the Smithsonian Institution, we sat on the front steps of our friend’s home and he said to me, “I am a small thing. And the problems are so big. What can I do?”

Isn’t that the exact question we should all be asking ourselves? What can WE do? The environmentalist Edward Abbey said, “The antidote to despair is action.” The problems are overwhelming, but if we determine a goal, a path we can take to make even a small difference, we have to take that action and begin to be a part of the solution. We cannot sit back and hope someone else is moved to action, or hope the problem solves itself.Mahandry is beginning to focus his path on reforestation in Madagascar. More than 90% of Madagascar is deforested, and Mahandry has been astounded by the vast forests we have all around us in New York. Last night, at dinner with Mahandry and another colleague, he asked us, “Do you think it is possible to bring back the forests in Madagascar?”

The answer, of course, is yes. But it takes action, and garnering support, and patience, and even the knowledge that you might not live long enough to see the results of your efforts. The magnificent tree stands along the road in Letchworth State Park were planted in 1912. That reforestation effort took foresight and action.

What does all of this have to do with running or walking a 5k? Nothing, and everything. I have found running to be a metaphor for achieving any goal. You must first have the goal in mind, and then you have to carve out the plan that will take you to that goal, and set the foundation in place to be successful. And then you have to act. You will encounter obstacles and pain along the way, but as you get closer to that goal, the sense of accomplishment is like no other.

So – one last plea for you to join me on Sunday, July 16, for the Jungle Jog 5K and Conservation Walk. Run, walk, or cheer me on at the finish line. Consider this your first step toward making a difference for yourself, and making a difference for conservation in Madagascar. You can also support lemur conservation through my Crowdrise fundraiser.— Pamela Reed Sanchez, Seneca Park Zoo Society Executive DirectorREGISTER

The impact of a collaborative conservation effort

This summer, I had the opportunity to be the Seneca Park Zoo’s 2017 Aab pre-veterinary fellow, and it has been an absolute blast. Over the past five weeks, I have taken a baboon’s heart rate, researched copper toxicity in snails, learned how to carry a penguin, and made friends with a couple of orangutans. I’ve fallen in love with so many of the animals here, and I’ve discovered new ways to think about veterinary medicine from the perspectives of population management and stress reduction.

However, one of my favorite experiences with this program did not happen at the Zoo. It occurred out on the beautiful Genesee River. I was given the opportunity to accompany our Zoo’s veterinarian, Dr. Jeffrey Wyatt, and a USGS scientist, Dr. Dawn Dittman, on a lake sturgeon population survey. Dr. Dittman has released over 5,000 lake sturgeon into the river since 2003, and they are becoming more and more common each year.

We started the day by releasing two display sturgeon from the Zoo. These sturgeon were two years old and were close to outgrowing their habitat at the zoo. After they were introduced to their new home in the Genesee, we began pulling up nets. When we found sturgeon, we measured their length, girth, and weight. We also tagged any untagged sturgeon so that we could identify them later. Then, we put these sturgeon back into the river, hoping to see them again in future years.

The most rewarding part of the day was when we pulled up a sturgeon that was over three feet long. I had never held a fish that big in my life! Dr. Dittman told us that this sturgeon was very likely released with the first ever year class in 2003, and must have already visited Lake Ontario. I could only imagine another student pulling up a three-foot-long one of today’s released fish in a decade. To me, this was concrete evidence that Dr. Dittman’s efforts were producing real results.

This was one amazing day among many. However, it sticks in my mind because I could really see the impact of a collaborative conservation effort. Dr. Dittman has worked to repopulate the Genesee with sturgeon, the tenure of sturgeon at the Zoo may inspire people to change their behavior and help keep the river clean. This is just one great example of how zoos and scientists can work together to make a real difference for animals.

-Allison Bichoupan