Conservation Education
Project Details by Fiscal Year
2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,144,354
2018 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$677,621
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Minnesota Zoo
Recipient Type
State Government
Status
Ongoing
Start Date
July 2016
End Date
June 2018
Activity Type
Education/Outreach/Engagement
Project Overview
Educating Minnesotans about conservation issues and how they can engage in conservation activities is critical to the stewardship of our state’s natural resources. Legacy funds have been used to create new programs and expand existing activities to bring zoo guests and citizens statewide in close contact with animals and demonstrate the ways people can participate in conservation in their own backyard. Program highlights include:
- Conservation Interpretation
- Butterfly Garden
- Bird Show Conservation Education
- Seasonal Programming
- Close Encounters
Competitive Grant Making Body
Project Details: 2017 Fiscal Year
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Minnesota Laws 2017, Chapter 91, Article 4, Section 2, Subdivision 7, appropriates $1,500,000 in the first year and $1,950,000 in the second year of the FY17-18 biennium to the Minnesota Zoological Board.
Appropriation Language
|
Subd. 7. Minnesota Zoo |
|
1,550,000 |
|
1,950,000 |
These amounts are appropriated to the Minnesota Zoological Board for programs and development of the Minnesota Zoological Garden and to provide access and education related to programs on the cultural heritage of Minnesota.
2017 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,144,354
Number of full time equivalents funded
8.79
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)
Seasonal Programming
- Create and staff two weekend of “HallZooWeen” family programs
- Create and staff four-week “Tropical Beach Party” promotion with weekend programming
Kangaroo Crossing
- Graphics will be read together by families with children.
- Zoo guests will report overall satisfaction with their Australia visit.
- The Australia exhibit will draw repeat guests.
- 25% of guests visiting Australia will gain a basic knowledge of the threats posed by feral animals to native Australia wildlife; this knowledge will be applicable to outside housecats in Minnesota
- 15% of guests visiting Australia will be able to list some of the deadly animals found in Australia
- 25% of guests visiting Australia will be able to describe the difference between a placental mammal and a marsupial mammal, including a basic understanding of marsupial natural history
- 15% of guests visiting Australia will be able to describe some shared characteristics of flightless birds
- 20% of guests visiting Australia will learn about Australia animals that burrow as an adaptation to the intense hot temperatures in parts of Australia
Bird Show
Measure number of participants in attendance at the programs to determine the exact number of the general public that are impacted by the additional opportunities offered
Butterfly Garden
- Output measures: penetration according to the % of daily zoo attendance.
- Outcome measures: weekly visitor feedback and secret shopper feedback.
Close Encounters
- Increases in amount of "on exhibit" enrichment each day
- Number of keeper-led programs developed through Close Encounters
- meet an animal
- meet a keeper
- animal enrichment
- animal training
- animal feeding
- keeper talks
Measurable Outcome(s)
- New interpretive elements created for the Weesner Family Amphitheater, Butterfly Garden, Minnesota Trail, Kangaroo Crossing, Discovery Bay and other areas across the zoo.
- More than 110,000 guests visited the Butterfly Garden.
- The Butterfly Garden provided program content and curricular focus for a number of summer zoo camps, serving students ages three to 17.
- Fall/HallZooween attendance was 73,746.
- Expanded Tropical Beach Party sandbox promotion from 3 to 4 weeks.
- Tropical Beach Party attendance was 78,162 compared to 69,420 in FY 2016 (3 weeks) and 11,520 in FY 2015 (3-day event).
- Kangaroo Crossing was available to 663,676 guests between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
- More than 1,736 scheduled “Close Encounters” offered along with another 2,000 to 3,000 informal keeper chats.
- More than 160,000 participants connected with engaging animals through these Encounters.
Project Details: 2018 Fiscal Year
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Minnesota Laws 2017, Chapter 91, Article 4, Section 2, Subdivision 7, appropriates $1,500,000 in the first year and $1,950,000 in the second year of the FY17-18 biennium to the Minnesota Zoological Board.
Appropriation Language
|
Subd. 7. Minnesota Zoo |
|
1,550,000 |
|
1,950,000 |
These amounts are appropriated to the Minnesota Zoological Board for programs and development of the Minnesota Zoological Garden and to provide access and education related to programs on the cultural heritage of Minnesota.
2018 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$677,621
Number of full time equivalents funded
8.36
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)
Bird Show
Measure number of participants in attendance at the programs to determine the exact number of the general public that are impacted by the additional opportunities offered
Butterfly Garden
- Output measures: penetration according to the % of daily zoo attendance.
- Outcome measures: weekly visitor feedback and secret shopper feedback.
Close Encounters
- Increases in amount of "on exhibit" enrichment each day
- Number of keeper-led programs developed through Close Encounters
- meet an animal
- meet a keeper
- animal enrichment
- animal training
- animal feeding
- keeper talks
General Interpretation
- Zoo guests will report overall satisfaction with their Australia exhibit visit.
- 25% of guests visiting Australia will gain a basic knowledge of the threats posed by introduced animals to native Australia wildlife; this knowledge will be applicable to domestic cats with access to the outdoors in Minnesota
- 15% of guests visiting Australia will be able to list some of the deadly animals found in Australia
- 20% of guests visiting Australia will be able to describe the difference between a placental mammal and a marsupial mammal, including a basic understanding of marsupial natural history
- 15% of guests visiting Australia will be able to describe some shared characteristics of flightless birds
- 20% of guests visiting Australia will learn about Australia animals that burrow as an adaptation to the intense hot temperatures in parts of Australia
- 35% of guests visiting the Mussel Conservation Cabin will gain an understanding of the importance of native mussels in our waterways
- 25% of guests visiting the Mussel Conservation Cabin will start to understand how mussels are studied and the Zoo’s role in mussel conservation
- 30% of guests will increase their visit time at the underwater reef viewing area in the Tropics Trail. Young children will have the opportunity to play and explore reef-themed hands-on manipulatives.
- Information about signature conservation projects (such as the Poweshiek and Dakota Skipperling, native freshwater mussels and Blue-throated Macaw) will be more visible to our guests. 10% of Zoo guests will learn about one of the projects.
Measurable Outcome(s)
- New interpretive elements created for the Weesner Family Amphitheater, Wells Fargo Family Farm, Butterfly Garden, Kangaroo Crossing, Medtronic Minnesota Trail, Close Encounters, Tropics Trail and other areas across the zoo.
- More than 110,000 guests visited the Butterfly Garden.
- 30 ZooTeen volunteer shifts in the Butterfly Garden
- 45 ZooCrew students learned how our interpretive naturalists care for the butterfly collection.
- The Butterfly Garden provided program content and curricular focus for a number of summer zoo camps, serving students ages three to 17.
- More than 725 bird shows offered to approximately 146,000 Zoo guests throughout the year.
- Kangaroo Crossing opened daily between July 1 and September 4, 2017 and between May 26 and June 30, 2018.
- 643,873 guests had the opportunity to visit Kangaroo Crossing.
- Three performances daily from July 1-August 31, 2017.
- 10,720 guests attended a Lakeside Family Tunes performance.
- Approximately 1,736 scheduled “Close Encounters” offered along with another 2,000 to 3,000 informal keeper chats.
- More than 116,000 participants connected with engaging animals through Close Encounters.
Project Manager
Administered By
Administered by