Oregon Zoo's Urban Nature Overnight and Zoo Animal Presenters Programs

By Bill LaMarche 

Portland, OR - The Oregon Zoo's Urban Nature Overnight and Zoo Animal Presenters programs received the Excellence in Diversity award at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' national conference last week in Milwaukee.

"We strive to create strong and diverse programs, and to promote conservation of nature to underserved Portland-area youth," said Tony Vecchio, zoo director. "We're very pleased that AZA has recognized these important and innovative programs."

The award honors "significant achievement in workforce and audience diversity by an AZA member institution."

The zoo's ZAP and UNO programs have been working to connect urban youth with animals and nature since 1999. Participants interact with live animals, go camping, raise salmon, visit local natural areas, learn about careers in conservation and form lasting connections with the natural world. 

"It is such an honor to see that our efforts are being recognized nationally," said Pam McElwee, ZAP program coordinator. "ZAP and UNO are designed to foster an appreciation of nature and wildlife in underserved, ethnically diverse populations. These two programs have made such a difference in the lives of our kids."

ZAP is a two-year, paid internship program that trains students in natural science, animal handling, interpretation methods and public speaking -- helping participants build confidence and providing them with real-world work experience. ZAP team members receive training and mentoring to become teachers in their communities. This year, the zoo is piloting a third year of the ZAP internship. Third-year members work with the UNO program as mentors and trainers and conduct hands-on field-conservation work.

UNO provides children ages 8 through 11 with overnight camping and outdoor education opportunities. Second-year ZAP members serve as UNO counselors, teaching campers about animals and nature while they camp overnight at the zoo and other local natural areas. UNO also provides after-school programs that continue educational experiences for youth participants and ZAP members.

Since 1999, ZAP has employed 111 teens and provided more than a thousand outreach opportunities to more than 75,000 children and adults. Since 2000, UNO has taken more than 2,000 children on camping trips and provided school-year programming for 400 youth.

The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington's pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles, and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus No. 63.
Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive $1 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo's Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

Caption: Urban Nature Overnight camper Cameron, age 8, looks at a flower through a magnifying glass during an overnight adventure at the Oregon Zoo.
Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy Oregon Zoo.

Oregon Zoo ¨ 4001 SW Canyon Rd. ¨ Portland, Oregon 97221 ¨ 503-226-1561