Download here - Playing All The Way

NATURE’S NEIGHBORHOODS: THE NEW GEORGE ROBERT WHITE FUND
CHILDREN’S ZOO
CONCEPT:
With seamlessly incorporated play structures, animal exhibits, and hands-on
programming, Nature’s Neighborhoods provides a foundation for science
education, exploratory learning and connections to the natural world. Using a
multi-sensory approach, the exhibit leads visitors through diverse ecosystem
“neighborhoods” replicating different bio-geographical regions.
DESIGN:
The exhibit is organized into biome-based live animal exhibit and experience
zones—The Woodlands, Wetlands, Grasslands, and Thicket. All of the spaces
are designed to be accessible and inclusive for children and families of all
abilities.
EXHIBIT
FEATURES:
PLAY STRUCTURES
o Bamboo Climber: Children can explore and climb among live bamboo
plantings and an array of vertical, tilted, crossed and intersecting
“bamboo” poles which mimic the habitat of a red panda
o
Eagle’s Nest: A rope mesh “tunnel” leads into a giant eagle’s nest built
around an oak tree, where children can get an “eagle’s-eye” view of the
Zoo through a sighting tube or spotting scope. A spiral slide leads them
back down from the Eagle’s Nest.
o
Grass Maze: Natures play at its best, perennial grasses make for a perfect
maze in which children explore looking for sculpted elements representing
animals that live in the grasslands.
o
Prairie Dog Pop Up: The new prairie dog town provides a unique
opportunity to get up close and personal. The exhibit design provided two
windows of opportunity to immerse oneself in to the exhibit and come face
to face with these always busy little critters.
ANIMALS
o Red pandas: Resembling a raccoon, the red panda has white and red
markings and is covered with dense fur. They use their long, bushy tails to
balance while in trees and a small bony projection on their wrists that
helps them grip bamboo stalks. In the wild, red pandas are found in the
cool temperate bamboo forests in the foothills of the Himalayas and are
considered a vulnerable species, threatened by habitat loss.
o
Prairie dogs: Small, stout, tan rodents with a lightly white or buff-white
belly, prairie dogs use their long claws for digging complex, widespread
underground burrow systems. Black-tailed prairie dogs are found in short-
grass prairie habitats of western North America, from southern
Saskatchewan down to northern Mexico. Strictly diurnal, though most
active in mornings and evenings, these herbivores generally sleep in the
sun in the middle of hot days and are more active when it’s cool or cloudy.
o
Muntjac: A small Southeast Asian deer, the male of which has tusks, small
antlers, and a doglike bark, which has given them the nickname of
“barking deer”
o
Aviary species: White-naped crane, Red-breasted goose, Baikal duck,
Azure-winged magpie, Cabot's tragopan
TURTLE PONDS
o Two turtle ponds host a handful of spotted turtles and an adult Blanding’s
turtle.
o
More of this semi-aquatic reptile species will be introduced to the exhibit
next summer as part of Zoo New England’s local conservation work to
preserve wild populations of Blanding’s turtles. Through this project, turtle
hatchlings are raised in a safe, stable environment at the Zoo until they
are ready for re-release into the wild, which greatly increases their
survival rate.
DONOR WALL
o Nature’s Neighborhoods features a donor wall comprised of colorful tiles
made by local children and community members that feature animals and
nature scenes.
EDUCATION:
Educational programming for Nature’s Neighborhoods will focus on the
importance of habitats, ecosystems, biomes and the inter-connectedness of
animals and plant life within an ecosystem. Scavenger hunts, interpretive
activities will be incorporated into some of Zoo New England’s programming
with students, parents and toddlers, and camps, as well as informal
interpretation and scheduled encounters.
OPENED:
September 1, 2016
DESIGN TEAM:
Lead architect: Cambridge Seven Associates, based in Cambridge
Exhibit Designer: Main Street Design, based in Cambridge
FUNDING:
The total cost of the project was $7.2 million dollars. The George Robert
White Fund made a $3 million capital investment to build Nature’s
Neighborhoods, which occupies and expands the space of previous George
Robert White Fund Children’s Zoo. Generous support for Nature’s
Neighborhoods at the George Robert White Fund Children’s Zoo also comes
from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, the Barr Foundation, the
Yawkey Foundations, Robert L. Beal, Grace and Ted Fey, Peter A. Wilson, The
Charisma Fund - Lucy R. Sprague Memorial Fund, Emily V. Wade, Cabot
Family Charitable Trust, Highland Street Foundation, the Gifford
Family, Citizens Bank and AT&T, among other generous donors.
ZOO HOURS:
Summer Hours (April 1 – September 30)
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. weekdays
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. weekends and major holidays
Winter Hours (October 1 – March 31)*
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily
*Closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day
ZOO ADMISSION: Adult: $19.95
Senior (62+): $16.95
Child (ages 2-12): $13.95
Children under 2: Free
Members: Free
ADDRESS:
One Franklin Park Road
Boston, MA 02121
PHONE:
617-541-LION
WEBSITE:
www.franklinparkzoo.org
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
Franklin Park Zoo
@ZooNewEngland
@ZooNewEngland
For more information, please contact Erin DeVito or Patrick Cusick, marlo marketing,
617-375-9700, [email protected] / [email protected]
###
Zoo New England manages Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and Stone Zoo in Stoneham. Both are
accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Zoo New England's mission is to
inspire people to protect and sustain the natural world for future generations by creating fun and
engaging experiences that integrate wildlife and conservation programs, research, and education.