Thank you to our Docents!

 

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is truly fortunate to have an enthusiastic group of supporters within our Auxiliary, or Docent program. We can’t thank them enough for everything they have done and continue to do at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Auxiliary (CMZA) was formed in 1969 as a non-profit organization to give aid in carrying out the Zoo’s objectives. It is an active and founding member of the Association of Zoo and Aquarium Docents (AZAD). The docent volunteers within the Auxiliary are required to be members of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and pledge to serve at least 30 hours a year in a variety of support activities.

 The zoo would surely not look the same as it does today, without the support of our docents. Many of the educational opportunities at the zoo are a direct result of the Auxiliary’s efforts in starting school group “safaris” (pre-trip programs) and zoo tours, the original Zoo On The Move (ZOOM) program, special event and on-grounds education stations and presenting puppet shows in classrooms out in the community for grades K-2. The docents also played an active role in several of the Zoo’s early marketing campaigns including the “Name the Baby Elephants” contest in which the names for Lucky and Kimba were chosen. They also played an active role in the Zoo’s first capital campaign, Zoo for All Reasons. As the zoo has grown, so have the ways in which the Auxiliary continues to support the zoo!

In addition to all of the activities listed above, our docents also play integral roles in the renewed ZOOM program, zoo-wide animal enrichment, special animal care efforts such as health or birth observations, and financially and physically support our conservation initiatives. There’s just nothing this group of enthusiastic individuals won’t do! In the last year alone, 106 docents collectively contributed over 15,000 hours of service to the zoo. That’s the equivalent of over seven full-time staff members.

 It’s clear that Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a better place because of the docents and the enthusiasm and support they provide. So to bring “National Thank You Month” to a close, on behalf of all of the staff at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, We say – “THANK YOU” to the Auxiliary for all you do.

I'm a big cat fan!

Trista Johnson

I look forward to seeing Trista’s smiling face when she comes in each week.  She has devoted her time to help in Monkey Pavilion and I know the keepers welcome her help!  Kudos and many thanks to Trista!  Both the staff and the animals at CMZ appreciate you!

- Megan Hudak – Volunteer Services Manager   

Favorite Zoo Animal
I'm a big cat fan, so I love the African lions, tiger, leopards, and mt. lions. In the Monkey Pavilion department that I volunteer in, I love them all (from the bears, lemurs, gibbons, guenons, howler monkeys, marmosets, sloths, etc.)

What’s your favorite part of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo?
I love the animal conservation programs that the zoo has and participates in. I also think the zoo does a great job in educating the public and involves the community in special events and workshops.  CMZ is also a wonderful place to see exotic and wild animals up close and personal.

How long have you been a volunteer?  
It will be a year next month (February)

What are some of the activities you have gotten to help with?
As a volunteer, I've been able to help prepare diets for the animals in Monkey Pavilion, Spectacle Bears, and Asiatic Bears. I get to help make enrichment items for the animals in Monkey Pavilion and watch them enjoy them. I also help the zookeepers clean exhibits as needed. I've been able to watch and observe the zookeepers do training sessions with the animals in Monkey Pavilion, with the African Lions, Spectacle Bears, and Asiatic Bears.

Do you have any funny/good stories about your volunteering experiences?
I enjoy watching the animals receive enrichment toys/food. I feel wonderful when I am able to help the zookeepers with the cleaning and preparing diets so they have more time to do their job (training, animal introductions etc.)

Thank You James Bugea & Marissa Young

James Bugea
Jim is a dedicated volunteer that helps our Pony Wranglers as well as our Australian exhibit.  He is a fan of our feather friends – the budgie birds – and does a great job of helping out the keepers with their care.  Thank YOU Jim for lending a hand and helping support the Zoo!

-  Megan Hudak – Volunteer Services Manager

What’s your favorite part of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo? 

My favorite animal at the zoo are the wolves. My favorite area is Australia (matte!)

How long have you been a volunteer?

I have been volunteering at the Zoo for just over a year. 

What are some of the activities that you’ve gotten to help with? 

One of my favorite activities I was involved in was when Thea and Nichole were weighing the wallabies. That was fun and exciting to see how Thea was catching the wallabies by the tails! She was good at it. Then at the Big Backyard, it was also weigh day for the turkeys. Jeanne tried to catch a turkey and the turkey flapped her big wings and it slapped Jeanne across her face with a loud slap. Jeanne didn't think that was so funny at the time! Nichole & I took the goats out for a walk one day and that was cool. So I have enjoyed being entertained for over a year at your Zoo. Thanks for the memories!

Marissa Young

It’s great to have Marissa on the Zoo’s volunteer team!  We know we can always count on Marissa to do her best in Aquatics.  She has such a positive attitude and I enjoy seeing Marissa every week.  Thank YOU Marissa for being an awesome volunteer! 

- Megan Hudak – Volunteer Services Manager

Favorite zoo animal:

I think it's really amazing that the zoo has a snow leopard. Considering it was only within the last decade that we were able to get them on film (Planet Earth series) because they are so elusive, it is pretty cool that we can see one in person! 

How long have you been a volunteer?

I've volunteered at the zoo for about a year now.

What are some of the activities that you’ve gotten to help with? 

Feeding the hippos is always fun. It's cool to see them smash a melon in their mouth so easily. Feeding the penguins is also a lot of fun. They are all such characters and it's always fun to see what is going on in "penguin world", it's usually such a soap opera with that bunch. I mostly help with the hippos, beavers, penguins, and sometimes the cranes each week.   

 Do you have any funny/good stories about your volunteering experiences? 

One time I was cleaning out the beaver exhibit and letting Ginger and Duncan roam around in the little back area. As usual, Duncan was content to sleep the entire time, but Ginger was up and checking things out. They had a bunch of tree branches to munch on that were ready to be cleared out, so I moved them out of their exhibit to make room for the new tree branches to be put in. This was not ok with Ginger, though. Every time I moved something out, she would go and bring it back into the exhibit. She got her way and had a huge mixture of old and new branches to munch on for the day!

Just the other day, I got to watch the hippos play in the snow. I didn't think that hippos would like the snow, but they loved it! Their favorite thing was to eat the snow. They were very funny, walking around and scooping up piles of snow just like snow plows!

Thank goodness for strong fences!

January is National Thank You Month! We wanted to take this time to thank some of our amazing volunteers. Over the week we will be highlighting four volunteers who help out here at the zoo on a weekly basis.

Anne Willie –

Anne is one of our fantastic volunteers in the Horticulture Department!  Anne is a great asset to the Zoo team and has helped with a variety of tasks.  I know I can always find Anne out and about on Zoo grounds!  Thank YOU Anne for all your hard work and dedication to the Zoo! 

- Megan Hudak, Volunteer Services Manager 

What’s your favorite part of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ)? 

I love the interaction with the guests. The kids are so much fun and so excited when they see the animals. Working with the crew from Hort is so great, they are a great group of people

How long have you been a volunteer?

Since the end of March, 2011 

What are some of the activities that you’ve gotten to help with? 

Since I am assigned to Horticulture I have pulled what seems like a "mountain" of weeds but it's just job security because they keep on coming!! I helped with the Electric Safari lights including helping with Santa one evening, carved many pumpkins for Halloween, planting trees and flowers, working at the Plant Sale in the spring

Do you have any funny/good stories about your volunteering experiences? 

We do get a lot of fun questions and suggestions from the guests - Why not just spray the weeds rather than pulling them or what kind of weed is that?

I was pulling weeds by the Mountain Lion when a guest asked if the cats made me nervous - My response was "no not really" until I looked up and the cat was right above me - thank goodness for strong fences.

  

Don’t “E-Waste” your Chance to Help the Zoo!

What is e-waste?

“Electronic waste" may be defined as discarded computers, electronic office equipment, entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, television sets and refrigerators.

Trashy E-Waste Facts

The nation now dumps between 300 million and 400 million electronic items per year, and less than 20% of that e-waste is recycled.

E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste. 

Only 15% of the population recycles their computers, which means the other 85% end up in landfills.

E-waste is the largest source of lead in solid waste.

E‐waste is still the fastest growing municipal waste stream in the US.

Green Solutions = Zoo Funds 

Being part of the solution and helping the zoo is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. This Saturday, January 14, from 10:00am to 2:00pm the 2^nd annual E-Waste Recycling event will be taking place in the main parking lot at the zoo.  Bring your computers, audio/video equipment, small appliances, batteries, ink cartridges and cell phones to recycle. For each pound of e-waste collected the zoo will earn a percentage of the fees charged on monitors, TVs and hard drive destruction. During the event the zoo will also be collecting monetary donations as well.  

2. The zoo collects and recycles cell phones, batteries and ink cartridges every day of the year. Place your recyclable items in the bins at the zoo admission booths between 9:00am and 4:00pm daily.  The collected items are shipped to companies that recycle them, and in turn contribute funds to our animal conservation programs.

* If we recycled just a million cell phones, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.

3. Headed to the junk yard with an old vehicle? Donate it to the zoo! We accept vehicle donations through vehiclesforcharity.org. The proceeds from the salvage sales are contributed directly to the zoo.

Sources – Wikipedia.org & dosomething.org

Holy Year of the Bat, Batman!

Rewind back to 1922 when the first vampire film was released-bats are frequently portrayed as dirty, scary varmints you don’t want to come into contact with.  But in real life, you will find bats are very clean, not-that-scary animals, acting as natural pest controllers and eating up to 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour!

Surprised? Bats aren’t confined to caves, spending the majority of the summer living in trees, under bridges, or in old houses. You may already have them in your area, so why not take advantage of their insect eating powers by building a bat house.  When built correctly, bat houses mimic an ideal bat environment-tight, dark, and warm. Follow the steps below to build your own bat house.

Constructing a Bat House

Tools ·  Measuring tape ·  Straightedge ·  Combination square ·  Spring clamps ·  Safety glasses ·  Jigsaw ·  French curve and circle templates ·  Drill fitted with .25” drill bit ·  Caulking gun ·  Paintbrush ·  Foam roller ·  Scissors ·  Staple gun

Supplies ·  2’x 4’ section of ½” exterior grade plywood ·  One 6’ 1x2 ·  ½” deer netting ·  Exterior latex paint – black and another dark color ·  Low VOC adhesive caulk ·  1” deck screws ·  3 ½” deck screws ·  3/8” Staples

Directions

1. Measure and cut the plywood
Using a tape measure and straightedge, mark up for cutting a 2’x4’ piece of ½” exterior-grade plywood. You’ll need one piece that’s 2’ wide x 26” long and one that’s 2’ wide x 22” long. Clamp the plywood to a worktable. Make sure you have on safety glasses, then use a jigsaw or a circular saw to cut the plywood.

2. Draw the bat design
Create a bat cut out using circular and oblong templates called French curves (available at most office supply stores). Lay out the bat shape on the edge of the shorter piece of plywood, making sure it’s 24” wide. 

3. Drill holes for the jigsaw
Clamp the plywood and bat design to your worktable, making sure the whole bat hangs over the edge. Using a drill/driver with a ¼” bit, drill holes just inside the points of the bat shape. This will make it easy to turn your jigsaw blade as you cut out the curved parts.

4. Cut out the bat
Using a jigsaw fitted with a narrow scroll blade, which is designed for making intricate curves, cut out the bat design. Cut the shape closest to the edge first, then cut the whole bat from the sheet. Because both halves of the cutline need to look clean, work slowly and carefully. Whenever you get to a drill hole at one of the points, stop the saw and turn it before you continue.

5. Make the sides
To raise the front panel off the back and create a small crawl space to house the bats, you’ll need strips of lumber around the edges. Cut three pieces from a 1x2-one 24” piece and two 19” pieces.

6. Attach the sides
Using a caulk gun, lay a bead of caulk along the face of the long 1x2. Line it up with the top edge of the larger piece of plywood and clamp it in place with spring clamps. Using a drill/driver, drive 1” deck screws through the 1x2 and into the plywood every 6 inches to hold it in place.

Attach the two shorter pieces to the sides in the same manner and caulk the ends where they meet the top piece before you clamp them down. Use a damp rag to wipe up any caulk that oozes out.

7. Paint the parts
Using a brush and roller, paint the back piece black, from the top edge to the ends of the 1x2s. Also paint the back of the front piece black. These will form the dark inside of the bat house.

Paint the other surfaces in a color that will help maintain a healthy temperature inside the house. If you live in the North, a dark color can keep the house toasty by absorbing the sunlight. In the warm South, a light color may be a better choice. Be sure all surfaces of the wood are painted and well sealed.

Let the paint dry completely.

8. Attach the netting
Unroll the deer netting and lay it over the inside of the back section, flat against the plywood. Using a staple gun, attach the netting to the inner edge of the top 1x2 and along the sides. Make sure to pull it taut so it can’t sag when bats hang from it. Extend the netting all the way over the bottom edge and wrap it around to the back. Once it’s stapled all around, cut off the excess.

9. Attach the front piece
Caulk along the face of the 1x2s on the back section. Place the front piece onto the 1x2s with the bat shape facing the bottom, and the top edges and corners lined up. Clamp it in place. Drive 1” screws every 6 inches through the face and into the 1x2s to secure it.

10. Put on the bat cutout
Caulk the exposed sections of the 1x2s, then place the cutout onto them just below the large front piece. Leave a ½” gap between the two for the air vent. Clamp the piece and attach it in place with a single 1” screw on each side.

11. Hang it up
Hang your bat house under the eaves of your house or from a tall, flat pole made from pressure-treated lumber (make sure to bury one-third of the lumber in the ground to keep it steady). Attach it by driving 3½” deck screws through the corners into the siding or fascia of your house, or if you’re using a pole, along the middle at the top and bottom.

The bat house should be at least 15 feet off the ground, away from bright lights. Choose a place facing south so it gets plenty of sunlight (aim for 6 to 10 hours of exposure). This will keep it nice and hot—just the way bats like it!

These directions and more building tips can be found at: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20165965,00.html