Zoo Doo What?

A quick holiday breakdown: the New Year begins in 39 days and Christmas is in 32 days. Do you have your shopping done? And, Thanksgiving is followed by the one day of the year more people pay attention to the ads than we have animals in our zoo...Black Friday.

Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year. It’s estimated the amount of Black Friday shoppers will increase from 212 million last year to 224 million this year, spending an average of $385 per person. On-line sales are predicted to increase from $648 million in 2010 to $705 million this year.

But, these stats don’t help with the one person you don’t know what to get. Everyone knows a “person who has everything.” Not even the millions of ads, available 10 days before Black Friday, are helping with the gift ideas for this individual!

Don’t worry there’s no need to panic or run to Wal-Mart at 10:00pm on Thanksgiving Day. There is a solution right here in your own backyard. Just like Santa, we have been busy at the zoo (even the animals!) preparing gifts for this holiday season. Below is a list of our top five zoo gifts available today.

-         Zoo membership - Enjoy the zoo 365 days a year, a gift shop discount, discounts on zoo events and much more. There are five membership levels from which to choose, starting at $64.25. A zoo membership can pay for itself in as little as two visits!

-         Adopt-An-Animal – Have you always wanted to adopt an animal but just don’t have room for an elephant in your backyard? Each adoption gift directly supports the care of our animals, and with it comes a variety of special benefits only adoptive parents enjoy. There are six membership levels, starting at $30.

-         Zoo Doo – You’re probably picturing something and you are right - - it is what you’re thinking, animal poop. From our yard to yours, Zoo Doo is made from our big cat feces and is sold by the point. Gardeners swear by this all natural, deer deterrent to protect their plants and trees. 

-         Animal Art – We do have some pretty impressive artists at the zoo and, no, they aren’t on the staff. They live here. Art is available from the orangutans, elephants, ponies, and penguins. Everything from an original masterpiece to a more trendy “paw” print is available.

-         Behind-the-Scenes Tour – Go behind the scenes with a group of up to four friends or family members, for an up-close look at our incredible animals. Choose from our big cats to the animals in the African Rift Valley or design your own.

There are four ways to get your hands on one or more of these awesome gifts;

-         Visit http://www.cmzoo.org/supportZoo/donationProgram/gifts.asp

-         Ask a zoo team member the next time you’re here to visit.

-         Call 719-633-9925

-    Visit our zoo store – “Zoo to You Gallery.” The store is new this year and located at 214 1/2 North      
      Tejon Street in Colorado Springs - across from Acacia Park, next to CJ Kard.

Store hours:

December 3: 10am – 6pm

December 4^: 12pm – 5pm

December 7^: 4pm – 8pm

The holiday season is a time for giving, so why not purchase a gift that gives back to a great cause?

96 Yards of Waste

For many years the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has been searching for composting opportunities in an effort to resolve the question…What do they do with all the poop?  As you can imagine we have literally tons of organic material, or in other words poop, which can be composted.  In the summer of 2011 Bestway Disposal announced it had started a composting sector for commercial businesses and after considering all aspects of what a disposal transition would mean for the Zoo we decided to join the movement. 

What is composting?  It is nature’s way of processing and recycling decomposed organic material and returning the nutrients from organic material back into the ground.  Composting creates a rick, dark soil fit for growing just about anything.  Compost helps reduce pest problems which ultimately reduces your use of pesticides; diverts material from landfills; it improves moisture retention in the soil; prevents the need to purchase soil conditioners; increases the nutrient levels in the plants you are growing and consuming; allows for children to learn about the cycle of life…the benefits are endless. 

So far Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has started composting in African Rift Valley (ARV) and Elephants.  By composting in ARV and Elephants we have eliminated all but one of our regular consumable waste bins along the ARV Road.  In those two areas we have gone from 96 yards of waste per week to 2 yards of waste; that’s approximately 680 tons of material being diverted from the landfill on an annual basis.  Future moves include expanding our composting efforts to other areas of the Zoo to include Hippos, Primate World, Commissary and Food Services. 

You may ask yourself, how can you make a difference?  Well, composting is easy.  All you need is a relatively flat location, a pile of organic waste to include nitrogen and carbon, water and a way to rotate or turn the pile.  For additional details on how to compost please visit websites on composting practices, speak with representatives at your local nursery, call your disposal service or chat with a landscaping company. 

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo continues to strive for sustainability through conservation, recycling, composting and education.  Please visit our website to learn more about our conservation efforts.  


Written by: Mindy Carney

From BBQ to Black Tie...

Meet Kassy Boyd

Catering Manager, Taste of the Wild Catering
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Kassy joined the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo team in June 2011. After graduating from Colorado State University, she moved to Denver and worked at the Denver Zoo for the concessionaire, KM Concessions & Service Systems Associates. Her positive attitude, willingness to learn, and desire to excel quickly advanced her into upper-management as the Catering Operations Manager. When the Catering Sales & Ops Manager position opened at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, she eagerly accepted the promotion and relocated to Colorado Springs.

As the face of Taste of the Wild Catering, Kassy is committed to making your event at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo a success. She operates a full-service catering department and manages the entire process, from facility and catering sales to setup and tear down on event day.

Managed by Service Systems Associates, Taste of the Wild excels at any and every event style, from BBQ to black tie. The Lodge at Moose Lake is centrally located inside the zoo - a spaciously cozy event space with spectacular views of Colorado Springs and versatility beyond your wildest imagination.

The Lodge at Moose Lake is still available for rental during Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s 2011 Electric Safari. Your guests will enjoy warmth and refreshment while taking in the over 1 million lights throughout the zoo. Groups can also “stray from the pack” on select December dates and rent the whole zoo for a more personal touch. Don’t miss out on this affordable opportunity for your guests to check this holiday tradition off their lists!

To book your holiday party, company picnic, summer wedding, or for general inquiries about Taste of the Wild Catering at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, contact Kassy at 719.314.0970 or email catering@cmzoo.org.

“All I Want for Winter is…”

Winter is upon us, and so is registration for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s winter camps! There are two sessions to choose from, December 19-23 or 26-30. The sessions are five days long and run from 9am to 3pm daily.

This year’s theme is “All I Want for Winter is…” Children ages 6-10 will explore how we keep “hot” animals staying warm in the winter and how the “cool” animals enjoy the Colorado weather.  They will learn more about the different climates our animals are native to and how they adapt to those climates, as well as what type of acclimations they have made for Colorado.  We will spend some time learning about our Rocky Mountain natives and finally find the answer to the question, “Do the zoo’s bears hibernate?”  Each day will include time inside and outside, as well as some up close and personal time with animals right in the classroom. 

Each day’s program is different based on the daily schedule listed below.

v     “…Mountains with Snow”: Learn about the animals adaptations to survive the winter in the Rocky Mountain areas and how to track their movements in the winter.   Monday, December 19 and Wednesday, December 28

v     “…Different Places to Live”: Learn what makes a climate and investigate the types of climates the zoo’s animals are from. Tuesday, December 20 and Thursday, December 29

v     “…A Nice Heat Lamp”: Learn how we help keep our African Savannah animals comfortable in the winter.  Wednesday, December 21 and Monday, December 26

v     “…A Thick Fur Coat”: Learn about the adaptations all kinds of animals have to the colder times of the year, and the difference between the words adapt and acclimate. Thursday, December 22 and Tuesday, December 27

v     “…A Warm Place to Go”: Learn about what it really means to hibernate or migrate and which animals practice these techniques to cope with the cold weather, as well as some other special weather fighting techniques.  Friday, December 23 and Friday, December 30

Participants may register for all five days of a week, or any number of days during the week. 

Members: $40.25/day or $166.25 for one week.  Non-members: $45.25/day or $176.25 for one week.  Cost includes long sleeved youth t-shirt and take-home items made throughout the day/week. 

Registration is available via phone (719-633-9925 ext.127), mail, fax, or online at www.cmzoo.org. Just remember, registrations are not complete until a zoo camp health form is completed and returned. Forms can be printed off at http://www.cmzoo.org/docs/zoocamphealthform.pdf. 

We hope to see your child this December!