ZOO BOISE ANNOUNCES MAJOR CONSERVATION DONATION FOR BOISE FOOTHILLS PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION
Every time you visit Zoo Boise, you are helping to restore and protect the Boise Foothills. Boise Parks & Recreation (Zoo Boise is a division of Boise Parks & Recreation) and the Friends of Zoo Boise are pleased to announce that funds generated by visits to the zoo will be used to help protect one of Boise’s favorite features—the Foothills. Over the next five years, Zoo Boise will generate $250,000 for Foothills preservation and restoration.
When people visit Zoo Boise, they pay a $.50 conservation fee in addition to their admission price. Members pay $5 in addition to the price of annual membership. Some of those funds, combined with funds generated by giraffe feeding, sloth bear feeding, the Conservation Cruise and the Zoo Farm, will provide funds that will be used by the Boise Parks & Recreation Department’s Foothills & Open Space Division to carry out a variety of work throughout the Foothills. Since 2007, visitors to Zoo Boise have generated $2.3 million for the conservation of animals in the wild.
“When you visit Zoo Boise, you aren’t just seeing animals. You are also helping to protect animals in the wild, both in Idaho and around the world. We are pleased to announce that some of the funds generated for conservation at Zoo Boise will be used to help protect our own backyard. We have turned the act of visiting the zoo into a conservation action,” says Steve Burns, Director of Zoo Boise.
“The sagebrush steppe ecosystem where we live is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the country. We are thrilled that visitors to Zoo Boise will be helping to protect and restore the sagebrush steppe that is so important to our community and quality of life,” says Sara Arkle, the Foothills and Open Space Manager for the Boise Parks & Recreation Department.
This is the second time that conservation funds generated at Zoo Boise will be used for the Foothills. Last year, Zoo Boise provided $100,000 towards the restoration of Table Rock, which burned in a June 28, 2016 fire.
Funding will be used to do the following:
1) Build a science-based land management program for the City of Boise’s open space reserves
2) Enhance and restore wildlife habitat by managing for invasive species, reducing the risk of wildfire, and planting native species
3) Engage volunteers and Treasure Valley families in the science, management, and restoration of the Boise Foothills, highlighting the wildlife that live there