Potter Park Zoo Is Looking For A Few Good Volunteers

By Billie Harris

Lansing, MI - Potter Park Zoological Society is now accepting applications for participants in the Potter Park Zoo Docent program.

Join the zoological society on Saturday, January 10, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to noon to learn all about this exciting volunteer program at the zoo.

During the open house, guests will get a chance to meet current docents, have a close encounter with some of the zoo’s educational animals, enjoy a snack or two, and find out why becoming a Potter Park Zoo Docent is one of the most rewarding things you can do!

 The Docent Association is a vital part of Potter Park Zoo. The association is composed of trained volunteers who donate their time and energy to educating zoo visitors, classes of students, families, and local organizations on zoo grounds, in schools, and in a variety of other settings.

Each year over 35,000 children receive planned educational programming from the Potter Park Zoological Society. All of the zoo’s programming is provided by the Potter Park Zoo Society’s 103 docents who volunteer over 10,000 hours of their time each year.

“Without Docents the Zoo Society would be unable to continue to provide the excellent education programs the zoo is known for,” says Zoo Society Director Diane McNeil. “These wonderful individuals volunteer much of their time to ensure that the zoo is able achieve the goals set forth for education.”

Before working with visitors, docents will participate in an eight week intensive training course where they will be taught how to conduct zoo tours, give classroom presentations involving the zoo’s education animals, and provide hands-on learning opportunities for visitors. The training sessions will be taught by Docent Curator, Dennis Laidler and Class Coordinators, Ina Martin and Lori Patterson.

Potter Park Zoo is located at 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave. within Potter Park along the Red Cedar River in Lansing, Michigan. The zoo is open daily year-round, winter hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (517) 483-4222 or visit www.potterparkzoo.org