Okay. So, and that’s what the mission of the, that that’s why this children’s zoo was created in 1965. Our founder, Mr. Arnold Folsom, wanted kids to be connected with nature. You know, now in 1965, they did a little bit differently. You could sit on a Galapagos tortoise and… Read More
We have pioneers Park Nature Center, which has native Nebraska fauna in Florida. So we shouldn’t be redundant. Okay. A community of 350,000. You don’t wanna have a redundant collection that’s, you know, five mile, five miles away from your institution. So you try to be respectful of what’s in… Read More
The Lincoln Children’s Zoo, I mean, 18 acres, that’s 18 acres is good for a small herd of elephant. Okay? We’re not gonna have just an elephant, you know, herd at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, that kind of thing. So I think it’s, it’s what’s really important is listening to… Read More
’cause you know, you obviously, you asked the question, what, what’s the top five animals you wanted to zoo?… Read More
Is it endangered? Is it just species people like, I, I think what’s real key to the success of an institution in a community is listening to that community, talk to people. And it not like they get a, a vote and I want orcas or I want elephants. Read More
Zoo? I mean, if you just ask a child or ask, ask a parent in the community, of course, you know, the list is they want elephants and they want lions and all the typical megavertebrates. Okay, well though that’s important to hear, but you also have to do more… Read More
So for a medium size zoo with limited financial resources available to them, what do you think should be the focus of the collection?… Read More
Is it North American? Is it the western hemisphere?… Read More
It’s, you know, all you have to do is commit three weeks of an employee’s time and their, their travel budget and send them out. It’s not that much money anymore. Okay. It, so it’s very easy to be involved in international conservation. It’s very, very easy. Especially like I… Read More
So, so we’ve done all kinds of conservation work, South Africa with giraffe. And you just, you just have to make that commitment to do it. And, and carve out a little bit of your budget too. It doesn’t have to be that expensive, especially if you collaborate with other… Read More
What projects are they interested in?… Read More
It was very much a seasonal zoo, as many zoos that were the children’s zoo time built in the fifties and sixties. Okay. So it’s, it’s a medium-sized zoo. And you know, I think being involved in conservation is, is really easy for an institution. Once you really put your… Read More
You know, what species are, are, are, are you targeting in, you know, in, in your zoo. You know, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo is known for its machi tree, kangaroo reproduction. We’re the leading zoo in the, in the world as far as machi tree kangaroo reproduction and documenting development… Read More
And once you do, what, what can a small or medium sized municipal zoo or private zoo do today to be involved in wildlife conservation, either nationally or internationally?… Read More
Well, I, I think the Lincoln Children’s Zoo is probably a medium sized zoo now. It’s pushing a $10 million year operating budget. It’s, it’s 18 acres in size. Millions and millions and millions of dollars have gone into rebuilding it, remodeling it, updating it, and upgrading it. And so… Read More
I’m going public environmental affairs with the major and policy administration with a minor in accounting. Okay. I’m not a zoologist, I’m not a biologist. I am not a scientist at all. But I think that that academic background helped me out greatly. There are small zoos, medium zoos, and… Read More
How would you categorize Lincoln Children’s Zoo?… Read More
You need to be a collaborator, a partner. You need to be a great listener. You need to really work aggressively with your community to, to, to build it, to, to, to make that mission a success and to, and to make that institution a success. So, you know, my… Read More
It, it really, really is. Read More
And people go, well, what’s your degrees in John?… Read More