Interactive space features conservation lab, lecture hall and brand-new insect zoo
Oregon Zoo visitors can meet Smokey Bear and get their first look inside the zoo's new Education Center at open houses March 4 and 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center's grand opening festivities, presented by KinderCare Education, also include a free March 4 lecture at 7 p.m. by National Geographic photographer and renowned insect expert, Mark Moffett, aka "Dr. Bugs."
At the open houses, free with zoo admission, visitors can explore areas soon to be behind the scenes and out of view. Experts from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service (with Smokey Bear) and many other local conservation organizations will provide fun activities, demonstrate ways to attract pollinators to your garden and share information about places to see wildlife around the region. Public agencies and community groups will provide programs in the center on an ongoing basis.
"The new Education Center aims to help visitors appreciate the small, unsung heroes of the natural world," said Grand Spickelmier, Oregon Zoo education curator. "In nature, small things matter — small animals, small habitats and the small but important actions people can take to protect them."
In the center's expansive new Nature Exploration Station, visitors can gaze at insects, spiders and millipedes in the new Insect Zoo and learn about their role as nature's tiny recycling crew. The Conservation Lab showcases the zoo's species-recovery efforts as young western pond turtles are head-started for release. Stories about local "conservation heroes"— told through photos and comic books — show how small actions can make a big difference for wildlife.
The center — the fifth of eight major projects funded by the 2008 community-supported zoo bond— is located in the area opposite the zoo's Amur tiger habitat and adjacent to the train station. It provides a welcoming entry and staging area for the thousands of children who participate in zoo camps and classes each year, and serves as a regional hub, expanding the zoo's conservation education programs through partnerships with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Wildlife Federation, the Intertwine Alliance, Portland Audubon and more.
"Joining the Oregon Zoo in their new Education Center is a natural extension of our shared conservation mission," said Robyn Thorson, regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We have a long history of working together to recover species, and now we look forward to continuing our collective efforts on an education mission."
The center's grand opening festivities and Wildlife Talks speaker series are presented by KinderCare Education, the nation's leading private provider of early learning and care.