Category: Conservation

April 26, 2021

In 2019, I had the opportunity to participate in the Climate Alliance Program hosted by Polar Bears International. Through the program, I learned about polar bear natural history and travelled to Churchill, Manitoba, the polar bear capital of the world.  While seeing polar bears in their natural range was an amazing experience, I took something else away from this trip as well.  I realized that my job as a zookeeper is not only to care for the animals here at Seneca Park Zoo, but it is also my job to teach our guests and inspire them to take action to protect these amazing animals and their habitat.For this program, PBI had teamed up with the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation.  So not only was I learning about polar bears, I was now learning evidence-based communication methods about climate change.  I knew that a major loss of sea ice was the biggest threat polar bears are facing, but didn’t know how to confidently talk about climate change.  Climate change can be a topic that scares people, they think it’s too political, or that discussions will always turn into arguments; this was my train of thought.

Through NNOCCI, I learned about the science of climate change and how to explain it in an easy way for everyone to understand using metaphors and explanatory chains that are relatable.  The ocean circulates moisture and heat throughout the planet, similar to how the heart circulates blood through our bodies.  This maintains temperatures throughout the world and helps keep the climate stable; but the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil and natural gas disrupts this stability when these emissions build up in the Earth’s atmosphere.  This build up causes the oceans and Earth to heat up, so the ocean pumps too much heat and moisture to some parts of the planet, other parts receive too little.  This is what causes droughts, flooding, and crazy weather patterns.If we think of the ocean as the heart of the climate, we realize that we need to take care of it just like we take care of our own bodies.  The best way to start is to decrease our use of these fossil fuels.  By making easy, common-sense decisions in our everyday lives, we can start to help the planet. Switching to solar and wind power will greatly reduce our carbon emissions. Making sure we are being as efficient as possible with our appliances and even making sure we have energy-efficient windows installed in our homes are easy steps we can start to take to make sure future generations can enjoy our beautiful planet.

Coming home from the program, I jumped right into my keeper chats using everything I had learned.  I can now teach guests how we can be responsible with our resources to reduce our carbon emissions.  I encourage everyone to talk about climate change with their friends and family, just having a conversation is a step forward in working together to help stop climate change.

– Randi Krieger, Zoo KeeperDonate

April 25, 2021

What is World Penguin Day? For starters, it’s a day for us to acknowledge our love for all things penguin, a day for us to admire this quirky little bird who can’t fly, has a most humorous walk, sounds like an angry donkey, and swims like a torpedo. But it’s also a day for us to acknowledge the sad fact that penguins around the world are in sharp decline and some could potentially disappear in our lifetime. To ignore this part of the story is to resign ourselves to the idea that we can’t do anything about it.What can we do in Rochester, New York to help save a bird that lives over 8,000 miles away?

One of the most important steps we can take is to support organizations that are on the ground where these penguins live. Here at the Seneca Park Zoo, we have a colony of African Penguins. These penguins can be found at the very southern tip of Africa. While there are a number of organizations working with African penguins, there is one that stands out to us. The Southern African Foundation for Conservation of Coastal Bird, better known as SANCCOB. In their 53-year history, they have treated more than 97,000 seabirds, most of which were African penguins. So, rest assured, as you pay your entry fee, membership dues, or donate to one of our penguin days fund-raisers you are helping to save these amazing birds.

For more information check out their web site here.

What is the biggest threat to the African Penguin?

Over the years, they’ve had to overcome many threats including egg collection for food, guano collection for fertilizer, massive oil spills from shipwrecks, and human encroachment on their nesting site, but these days, their number one threat by far is lack of food!

A combination of commercial over-fishing and changing water temperatures have left the African penguin on the verge of starvation. As adults struggle to feed themselves it becomes harder and harder for them to feed their chicks. Many chicks are left to starve in the nest as parents are forced to make the hard decision of survival.This is where SANCCOB steps in. While their legal teams work with local officials to change fishing regulations, their rangers work to remove starving chicks from the nests to be taken to one of SANCCOB’s two rehabilitation facilities. Here they’re fed and cared for until old enough to be released back on the very same beach they were hatched on, thus ensuring the next generation of penguins.

How can we help change fishing behaviors?

Here at the Seneca Park Zoo, we encourage everyone to check out seafoodwatch.org. By downloading the Seafood Watch app, you’ll be able to make sure you’re making sustainable choices when shopping for seafood.

– Kevin Blakely, Zoo Keeper

April 23, 2021In 2001, the zoo joined the effort to preserve the most endangered animal in New York State, the Chittenango Ovate Amber Snail. Found only in a small section of a rock ledge in the spray zone of Chittenango Falls located east of Syracuse, the Ovate Amber Snail competes with an invasive European snail.In collaboration with the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation we assist with population surveys across their rocky ledge habitat.  Over the past 20 years, zoo staff have participated in these annual surveys. Mark and recapture studies can tell us how the population is doing and we can use that data to estimate population size. Many different projects have also taken form, all in an effort to help protect this species. Surveys look at native plants and park staff are working to keep the invasive plants from overtaking the Ovate Amber Snail habitat. The snail eats native plants like Joe Pye Weed. Invasive species can grow at an alarming rate and out-compete this native plant for resources. SUNY ESF has a very successful captive propagation program to preserve the species in hopes of someday returning them to the falls. Studies conducted on the water quality and environmental conditions around the falls can help us understand the threats that the snails are facing.

For more information visit the DEC’s website here.

– Robin English, Veterinary Technician

April 23, 2021More and more people are wondering where water goes when it enters our house and storm drains. Here in Monroe County, there are two separate systems that deal with our water which are the storm sewer system and the sanitary sewer system.  The storm sewer system is a system of pipes/ditches and that is not part of the sanitary sewer system that transports sewage from our homes to the water resource recovery facility to be treated. This means any water running into storm drains will be transported to the nearest waterway, and ultimately to Lake Ontario, without being treated at a sewage treatment plant.  

The City of Rochester however has a combined system in certain areas, where stormwater and sewage are transported through the same system of pipes and are treated at the Frank E Van Lare Water Resource Recovery Facility. Regardless of where you live, if you wash your car or fertilize your lawn, those chemicals will end up in Lake Ontario eventually. Remember, only rain down the drain!  

For more information on local water quality conservation visit one of our favorite local organizations, H20 Hero, website here. – Dave Will, Lead Zoo Naturalist for Citizen Science

April 22, 2021

Right now, climate change is having serious effects on this planet. We are seeing a major loss of sea ice, an increase in droughts, and even changes in the ocean’s chemistry. One major cause of climate change is deforestation. Because trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, when people remove trees for agriculture and development, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increases. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, almost 18 million acres of forests are lost every year, and almost half of Earth’s tropical forests have been cleared already.Seneca Park Zoo believes it is important to protect the planet by saving these forests. Reforestation is one of the easiest and most important actions we can take to help solve climate change. Trees act as carbon sinks by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, keeping the air clean for local communities. Reforestation programs not only help maintain habitats for a variety of species, but also help stabilize the land from erosion and natural disasters and promote economic development in local communities.

So, what can you do to help? Join us at Seneca Park Zoo to help raise funds for The Canopy Project; for every $1 donated, one tree will be planted!

The Canopy Project has planted trees across the globe. Currently they are working on projects in Madagascar, Sierra Gorda in Mexico, the Mt. Elgon region in Uganda and the foothills of the Himalayas in India. A lot goes into picking these planting sites. Coordinators consider the following when choosing locations: urgency to protect biodiversity, threats to the location from climate change and environmental disasters, development of local communities, cost-effectiveness, and accessibility. Local communities benefit from planting sites as it creates new jobs learning how to care for and maintain the forests for future generations. Many species of trees that are planted also provide fruit and other resources for communities.Help us reach our goal of planting 500 trees with the Canopy Project! By working together, we can make positive changes for both people and animals around the world. Stay tuned all week to learn other ways you can help protect the planet for future generations to enjoy.

– Randi Krieger, Zoo KeeperDonate

February 27, 2021

Human-wildlife interaction is a conservation challenge widespread throughout the natural world. There is little true wilderness left on our planet, and if we want crucial ecosystems to survive, we must constantly assess the effects of our activities on wildlife. With support raised through guest donations at Seneca Park Zoo, our partner, Polar Bears International (PBI) was able to take part in a study to better understand the impact human interaction and disturbance has on denning polar bears and their reproductive success.PBI teamed with researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Brigham Young University (BYU) to study polar bears in the Prudhoe Bay Operations Area and adjacent habitats across Alaska’s North Slope. Researchers were able to document 138 human-bear interactions, spanning a 42-year period from 1975-2017, with the objective of analyzing the different disturbance stimuli at den sites and the associated bear responses. To ensure consistency in the data, each human-bear interaction was categorized by type of stimulus (humans on foot, small machinery, large machinery, or aircraft) distance between stimulus and bear (0-150m, 151-300m, or 300+m), intensity of stimulus (on a scale of 1-3), and intensity of bear response (on a scale of 1-4).Although individual bears responded differently to each type of stimulus, the study concluded that polar bears in this area are largely tolerant of human activity near den sites. During the study, researchers did not observe any instances of polar bears abandoning sealed dens. This may be due to either the fact that sealed dens are highly insulated and therefore less sensitive to sound and vibrations, or the high cost of abandonment, since polar bears expend so much time and energy to complete their dens. Most den abandonment events were caused by high intensity interactions of low-flying aircraft, and occurred during the fall when dens are in the early phases of construction and the bears have less to lose by abandoning the site.

Data collected from this study is immensely important for not only wildlife managers, but also for industrial workers. Prudhoe Bay is home to the largest active oil field in North America, which leads to a higher frequency of human-bear interactions. This study showed a 1.6km (1 mile) buffer zone is effective for minimizing den disturbances, which means wildlife managers can work together with industrial workers to coordinate human activity rather than halt it altogether.

Studies like this one are crucial when considering the future survival of any species, especially the largest land carnivore of the Arctic. The first step toward conservation is research, and our Zoo is proud to be able to support polar bear research projects through our partnership with Polar Bears International.

–  Annie Wheeler, Lead Zoo Naturalist for Programs

*Banner photo of Seneca Park Zoo’s Ambassador Polar Bear Anoki by Wayne Smith

Your Support Helps Snow Leopard Conservation

September 2020

They said, ”Do you want to be an urban ecologist?”

I said, “Sure, I’ll be an Urban Ecologist.” 

Naaman and I were discussing how he didn’t know at the time that this decision would lead to a morning deep in the Genesee river gorge on a path that offered little room to move between the flowing water on his left and layered stone cliffs to his right.As the Urban Ecologist program manager I think I can safely say that most of the 15 Urban Ecologists we hired this summer weren’t really sure what they are getting themselves into. Each one applied through the City of Rochester’s Summer of Opportunity program with the hope of getting some real life work experience. Luckily this diverse group of high school students were willing to take a chance on a job that was explained as an opportunity to spend the next two years developing their future readiness, studying their relationship to the urban environment, engaging the community in nature-based activities, and working to improve the natural environment through stewardship projects. This adventurous spirit has led to a team of young people who are confidently and courageously facing the particularly challenging set of circumstances we find ourselves in this summer. 

As we considered how to run a program that kept our young people and the community safe and healthy, we saw online work as an opportunity we could take advantage of, but early conversations with our senior urban ecologists provided motivation for figuring out how to provide in-person work as well. They had spent the spring in their homes and they emphatically expressed a desire to get out in nature.  There is plenty of research to back up the idea that getting out would be good for their social, emotional, and physical health. Fortunately the outdoor work embedded in this program lends itself well to a work environment that is well ventilated with space to spread out. We have been able to create a hybrid program that provides both in person and online learning.We have used our time online and at home for a variety of experiences. We worked with an expert to take a financial literacy course. We had a video conference call with an EPA attorney in Baltimore and an expert in environmental justice education in Buffalo. We have had workshops to dissect our sense of place by considering what an urban ecosystem is and how we map our world.  We have read “The Home Place” by J. Drew Lanham and have worked on self-designed community engagement projects.Our in-person work has benefited from the fact that the Urban Ecologists have taken to heart the idea that their attention to health and safety makes a greater impact possible.  With daily health checks, masks on and six feet between each other breaths of fresh air fills our lungs, dialogue about the state of the world fills our ears and gardening soil fills our hands. We have spent several mornings tending community food gardens. We now have a deeper connection to the neighbors who benefit from the freely available fresh food and the pollinators who make that food possible. Removing invasive species in an urban forest has connected us to the ecosystems that bring people in the city peace. Sharing photo stories of Seneca Park connects us to the land in our city and the community of people telling their stories on instagram.

The Urban Ecologists sometimes ask me about getting paid for activities that hardly seem like work like hiking and reading. I tell them it is some of the most important work that can be done right now. Connecting to our environment and each other is necessary in a way it has never been before. I tell them they have a responsibility to share that connection with others. Finding a path through the urban wilderness on foot is just one of the ways they are preparing to lead our communities down an uncertain path. The skills, knowledge, and relationships they are building today will create the hopeful tomorrow we need.

– Chris Widmaier, Seneca Park Zoo Society Urban Ecology Program Manager

*Banner photo by Chris Widmaier

The Seneca Park Zoo Society Urban Ecology Workplace Development Program began 2017 in response to the lack of diversity in the field of conservation.  Now conducted in partnership with the City of Rochester Summer of Opportunity program, participants connect with nature, learn important life skills, and make an impact on their communities. Follow @rocurbanecologists on Instagram.

June 10, 2020

In honor of Invasive Species Week, we would like to highlight some of Seneca Park Zoo’s Ambassador Animals. These animals join programs to help the Zoo tell the unique stories of their species.

Invasive species are plants or animal species that are not native to a location. They have been introduced to the area and often cause damage to that ecosystem.

A great example of an invasive that has wreaked havoc in areas around the world is the marine toad, also known as the cane toad.

Marine Toad

Marine toads have been described as “the most introduced amphibian in the world”. Originally from southern Texas down through northern South America, this species was introduced by humans for pest control into places that it normally wouldn’t be found, such as Puerto Rico, Haiti, Hawaii, Florida and Australia.

How can a little toad cause big problems in an ecosystem? In many ways.

Marine toads are highly toxic at all stages of their life – including when they are eggs. Each female marine toad can lay up to the massive amount of 40,000 eggs at a time. Toxic eggs, tadpoles, and adult toads cannot be eaten by predators. Predators in the marine toad’s natural range have adapted to dealing with the toxins, but predators in the introduced areas have not. This makes it so that nothing can control the marine toad population, and their numbers increase exponentially as they out-compete the native animals for resources. This causes harm to the native animal populations.Normally, amphibians find food by seeing movement – an insect crawling or flying by. Marine toads utilize their sense of smell instead, and will eat practically anything that smells good to them – plants, dead or live small animals, trash, pet food, etc. Since they will eat almost anything, food is never limited. This gives them a high chance of survival, helping their populations to boom.

At Seneca Park Zoo, we have marine toads Bubba and Gump. As Ambassador Animals, they join outreach programs as well as programs within the Zoo. Bubba and Gump are wonderful ambassadors, bringing the messaging of invasive species to our community.

New Caledonian Crested Gecko

Seneca Park Zoo has another Ambassador species that helps to tell the tale of invasives.  While New Caledonian crested geckos are not an invasive species, they have been greatly impacted by one – almost to the point of extinction. 

These geckos are only native to the island of New Caledonia, off of Australia.  They were thought to be extinct until 1994, when they were rediscovered.  What would cause an entire species to seemingly disappear and then come back from the brink of extinction? The little fire ant.

These ants were able to travel to the island of New Caledonia by latching onto human supplies such as boots and suitcases.  Enough of these invasive ants arrived in New Caledonia to create a viable invasive population.  The fire ants prey on the geckos, with groups of ants stinging and attacking.  The ants also compete with the geckos for food by preying on the native insects.  The predation and competition were thought to have brought the geckos to extinction, until a few were found in select areas of the island in 1994.  

At Seneca Park Zoo, we have crested geckos Crazy Eye and Hopscotch, who are Ambassador Animals, just like Bubba and Gump.  Crazy Eye and Hopscotch are amazing animals, helping to educate our community on the impact of invasive species. 

Join us on our webpage and social media during Invasive Species Week to learn more about invasive species in our area, and how you can take action to help to lower their impact.

– Rhonda McDonald

*Banner photos by Elesa Kim (Marine Toad) & Wayne Smith (New Caledonian Crested Gecko)