Quarters for Conservation

Cheyenne Mountain zoo is one of only 10 zoos in the U.S. currently participating in the Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) program. There are also 10 zoos hoping to begin participating very soon.  

The Q4C idea was started by Zoo Boise, but was taken to the next level here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with on-site voting, fours year ago. The program raises funds by contributing $.25 of every zoo admission and a portion of memberships to conservation work around the globe. Half is allocated to ongoing flagship conservation projects like the black-footed ferret, Mexican gray wolf, and Wyoming toad breeding programs, and the other half is divided between six select conservation programs based on your votes.

 The selection process for the year’s featured animals begins with zoo employees submitting a proposal to champion a program. A Q4C committee, consisting of staff members from various departments, reviews the proposals based on strict criteria and selects just six programs. At the end of the year a percentage of the funds for the six programs is allocated based on your voting using a special token when you visit the zoo. Every visit and every vote counts.  

Here are the most recent Q4C Programs:

-         Protecting wild African vultures

-         Rescuing amphibians in Panama

-         Raising and Protecting wild African penguins

-         Releasing endangered gibbons back to the wild

-         Saving wild Amur leopards and tigers

-         Protecting wild orangutans and their forest habitat

Since 2008, Q4C has raised over $400,000. You’re changing the world one quarter at a time! Click here to learn more about each of the projects listed above.