From the Editor: Fall is Upon Us

The WildTimes

And so it seems, the Fall is upon us! At least that’s how it feels with the weather lately. I have to admit, for me, it’s been a welcome change to be able to enjoy a cool breeze from open win-dows! The animals always seem to enjoy the change, too, and who can blame them? Many of them do have to wear fur coats all summer long, after all. ;-) As the summer winds down, we say farewell to our Sum-mer Interns. We had a great 2015 season and a great crew of interns. We were able to accomplish more exhibit chats than ever be-fore, simultaneously deliver-ing extra “enrichment” items for the animals while edu-cating our visitors. If you had a great experience with an intern this summer, please consider leaving them a message or writing a re-view on our Facebook and/or Trip Advisor pages! We love helping interns grow and develop professionally. We are looking forward to Fall Semester Intern training this week — we even have interns starting in a NEW role this semester: Volunteer Management! I’m excited

to have interns who are in-terested in specifically learn-ing about and gaining expe-rience with what it takes to manage a large pool of vol-unteers—AND pull off a large-scale volunteer-run special event (for Hallow-een!) In the meantime, August and September are this year be-ing dubbed the “Months of the Zoo Snooze” because we have one booked on the cal-endar nearly every weekend! This has effectively filled our “weekend” calendar through the end of the year, as our Zoo Educator, An-drea, will have her hands full each weekend with these groups. However, we are beginning to book pro-grams for the late winter and early spring – so if you are interested in any sort of edu-cational program – whether it’s a Zoo Snooze Overnight or a Scout program, for ex-ample – consider giving us a call or sending us an email at education@newzoo.org. Now’s the time to make your reservations before things fill up. Finally, I cannot write a “September: From the Edi-

tor” without, of course, mentioning North Shore Bank Zoo Boo – as we are beginning our preparations in the Education & Volun-teer Departments for the event as we speak. We already have several corpo-rate groups scheduled to come in throughout the month to assist us with the decorating – but we are in need of groups to help us with clean-up for the event that last week of October. So if your business might be interested – OR if you just have a group of family and/or friends/etc that is looking to “give back” to the NEW Zoo this fall, please let me know! Clean-up for the event can be scheduled Monday through Fridays, from either 9am to 12pm or from 12pm to 3pm, with some flexibility based on group needs. Groups of 10 people are ideal. Contact me at volunteer@newzoo.org for info. I hope to see you here! As always, thanks for your support of the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park, and have a WILD day! ~Angela Kawski-Kroening~

Inside this Issue...

Conservation Connection 2

Animal Collection Report 3

N.E.W. Zoological Society 4

From the Director 5

Calendar of Events 6

NEW Zoo & Adven tu r e Pa r k

September 2015

Issue 90

The September 2015 Paws &

Claws Gift Shop Special Is…

10% off all OTTER items

Overshoot Day is upon us again – six days earlier than it was last year – and again we are faced with a stark reminder that we have to do a better job of taking care of the planet.

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological re-sources and services in a given year ex-ceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. We reach this point by overusing resources provided by oceans, forests, lakes and rivers, and by accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the at-mosphere.

Just like a poor diet, we can only maintain ecological overshoot for so long before things start to deteriorate. We’re already seeing this through water shortages, defor-estation, species extinction, and threats to human health; in recent decades, diagnoses of asthma –triggered by air pollution and allergies and exacerbated by climate change — have risen dramatically.

Overshoot Day is a fairly new phenome-non. The first occurred in 1970, when we used up all the resources we should have used in a year a little early–December 23. Since then, the date has moved earlier and earlier, all the way up to the date in 2015, August 13. The reason the date continues to move earlier each year is simple – the planet’s population continues to grow, and as more and more people rise out of pov-erty, they consume more. Living like we do, there’s just not enough planet for all of us.

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by this idea – like there’s nothing we can do solve such big problems. But as a mom, I don’t accept this. I don’t accept that we have to live in a world that will not provide the same comfort and safety it provided for me and my parents. And through my work at World Wildlife Fund, I’ve learned that we can in fact do something about it.

Large-scale change is important – but eve-ry day changes can make a difference as

well. While it’s crucial to have govern-ments and businesses use Earth’s resources more efficiently, it’s just as important for individuals like you and me to do our part.

We can all help to reverse Earth Overshoot day by making wiser choices about our day-to-day interactions – changes that don’t diminish our quality of life. In fact, in my experience these changes actually enrich your life because they prompt you to be-come more thoughtful and to prize quality in your interactions, experiences, and sur-roundings.

For me, it’s down to two simple things:

1. Old Fashioned Common Sense

This is my favorite, because it’s so simple. It’s sometimes easier said than done, but by taking an extra minute to think through the decisions I make, I often find that there’s a lower-impact alternative than the one I might chose at first.

If I’m going somewhere that’s a half mile away, is it more efficient to drive or to walk? Sometimes I might be running late or feeling lazy and want to drive, but nine times out of ten, walking will win out as the easiest, cheapest, most enjoyable way. Poppy certainly agrees – she enjoys her stroller much more than her car seat!

I try to make smart decisions at home too: I take an extra second to turn off the lights, TV or radio when I leave the room. I shut down my computer when I’m not using it. When giving Poppy a bath, I used to use the sink to use less water. Now that she’s getting older she’s moved to the tub, but I only fill it a few inches. It’s faster, uses less water, and she’s just as happy splash-ing in a few inches as she would be in a foot of water!

The number of things we’re expected to buy as parents blows me away! The fact that these items are often only used for a few months (or weeks!) makes it even less practical. So I always ask myself: do I need to buy something new, or can I borrow it

from a friend? Many fellow parents are more than happy to get rid of an item their little one is no longer using, and those things are usually like new. Parents’ listservs in my community and Craigslist can also be a great resource.

Little ideas like this snowball over time into a big difference for the planet.

2. Passing Down a Love and Respect for Nature

This is maybe the most important thing you can do to end Earth Overshoot, and it’s absolutely free: teach your children to love the world we live in. Poppy and I love spending time outdoors, even if it’s for a few minutes after work sitting on our front step watching dog walkers go by. On weekends, I love going for walks with her and make sure to sit her down on the trail for a little while so we can play with and marvel at the sticks, flowers, and other things we find around us. When we can’t be outside, we’re devouring books about exotic animals and places, marveling at all the different kinds of life that the Earth supports.

Because of this, I’m confident that Poppy will grow up with a deep and profound respect for and love of nature, and will fight to protect it. Whether or not she chooses a career like her mom’s, I know that nature and the great outdoors will be a vital part of her life.

With enough of us passing on this message, we will be building a new world where the planet is just as important as the bottom line, and caring for the world around us is just part of being a human – as it has been for millennia.

Article by CeCe Sieffert, of the World Wildlife Fund. http://www.mothering.com/articles/author/world-wildlife-fund/

Conservation Connection: Overshoot Day, Aug 13th

Page 2 The WildTimes

A female American Badger has been added to the collection and is resid-ing in the badger exhibit located at the entrance to the Wisconsin Trail portion of the Zoo. The badger came into a wildlife rehab facility with in-juries believed to be the result of be-ing hit by a car. Although she is now healthy, permanent vision damage made her a poor candidate for release into the wild. She seems to be adjust-ing very well to her new home.

The Canadian Lynx kitten is now on exhibit full time with his parents. At 3 months of age, Edmond (photo be-low, left) is now quite active and can often be seen climbing in the exhibit trees or playing with his parents. Alt-hough lynx are solitary in the wild and male cats are not involved with rearing young, the introduction be-tween the kitten and his father has gone smoothly. Dad Carson is still a bit unsure about the youngster’s at-tempts to pounce on him, but is coex-

isting well with little Edmond.

The four Alpacas donated to the Zoo by Kele Alpaca Farm have complet-ed their quarantine period and have been moved to their new home in the Children’s Zoo. Mira, Jillian, Se-quoya and Brae are now sharing the exhibit with our two elderly llamas.

A powerful storm in the late after-noon of August 14th caused signifi-cant damage on Zoo grounds. Many trees came down and broke fences in several exhibits including: Moose, Elk/Bison, Emu (photo, below right) and Swan. Staff training includes Policy and Procedures for situations like these to ensure the safety of visi-tors, animals, and staff members. Everything went according to plan and all of the animals were safely contained and had shelter from the storm. The on-site emergency gener-ator kept the facility operational until power was restored. Temporary re-pairs were made quickly and, thanks

to the efforts of staff and volunteers, the zoo was safe and open for busi-ness the following morning. More extensive repairs and cleanup are ongoing.

Roebuck, the White-tailed buck, shed the velvet on his antlers this month. New antlers are grown each year. While the bone structure is develop-ing, blood vessels and nerves are contained in the protective velvety skin. Once the bone has hardened and is mature, the velvet dries up, detaches and is rubbed off. Because antlers in velvet can be easily dam-aged, Roebuck’s annual vet exam was performed shortly after he shed his velvet. In addition to annual vac-cinations and health check, he under-went a vasectomy this year. This pro-cedure should prevent any additions to the herd but will not interfere with his impressive antler production or rut behaviors.

Animal Collection Repor t: August 2015, by Carmen Murach

Page 3 The WildTimes

Photo by Garth Seehawer

“Feast with the Beasts” 2015 Wrap Up The N.E.W. Zoological Society, Inc. along with the Wisconsin Restaurant Association (WRA) hosted the 16th annual “Feast with the Beasts” event, presented by Capital Credit Union, on August 3rd. The SOLD OUT event was a huge success! The weather was beautiful and our zoo animal friends were out and active. We are confident in saying none of the 1200 guests left hungry and most were carrying a dish of custard or fruit for the ride home. We would like to congratulate Legends for taking the title of “Best of the Feast 2015”. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers, zoo staff, participating vendors, sponsors, & those that purchased a ticket. Proceeds from the event exceeded $50,000.00 and will go to support the missions of the N.E.W. Zoological Society & the WRA-Green Bay Chapter. Hope to see you next year!!

Thank you 2015 Food, Beverage, & Music Participants! 1951 West, 95.9 KISS FM, 104.9 NASH, al corso restaurant, Caliente, Culver’s, Dean Distributing, DeGrand Family Restaurant, Edible Arrange-ments, Fajita Republic, Four Way Bar & Restaurant, General Beverage, Grazies, Green Bay Distillery, Hagemeister Park, HuHot Mongolian Grill, Indulge Catering, Kay Distributing, Krystal Kleer, Legends, La Java, Los Banditos, The Marq, Michael Gillespie and the Trio, Noodles & Compa-ny, Olsen’s Piggly Wiggly, Pepsi, rustique pizzeria + lounge, Sam & Louie’s Pizza, St. Brendan’s Inn, Subway, Texas Roadhouse, Titletown Brew-ing, The Bottle Room, Triangle Distributing, Tundra Lodge, Woodfire Lodge, Zesty’s Frozen Custard

Thank you to our Wonderful Sponsors!

N.E.W. Zoological Society News

Page 4 Issue 90

The past week we were remind-ed by the cool weather that blew in that fall is just around the cor-ner. It is also a great time to vis-it the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park. Over the past week, signs of the fall began to appear through the zoo. One tell-tale sign of fall is the annual shed-ding of velvet from the antlers

from our white-tailed deer and elk (pictured below, with velvet just starting to peel away from the tips of his antlers). It always reminds me that a new sea-son is beginning for us and the animals’ annual cy-cle. With each new season comes new sights and sounds in the zoo. Soon the elk will be bugling, which is an impressive sound that connects us to the natural world and the seasonality of change. Look-ing out my window, a large flock of robins are busy

feeding and preparing for the annual migration thru our area. The fall is also a great time to visit the Adventure Park during cooler weather and take advantage of the zip line tower and ride to see the changing col-ors of the leaves during fall. If you haven’t tried out mountain biking on the trails adjacent to the Adventure Park, stop by the new Base Camp Build-ing for information about all the trails in the Refor-estation Camp area of the park. The Base Camp is also a great place to sit and watch participants on the Ropes Challenge Course and Climbing Wall. Think about taking a visit out to the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park this Fall, you will be surprised the different experience you will have during different seasons. Fall is also a great time to see animals with increased activity as the cooler weather brings relief from the hot summer days.

From the Director: Fall is around the corner, by Neil Anderson

Page 5 The WildTimes

Animals like Kitzu the red fox, above, seem to love frolicking in the fall leaves once the

temperatures cool down.

DON’T FORGET: Fall Hours start on Tuesday, September 1st at the Zoo! We’ll be open daily from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Adventure Park Fall Hours start on Tuesday, September 8th, when those features will be open

Saturdays and Sundays only from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Starting September 1st, you can feed the giraffes daily from 10am to 1pm and again from 2pm to 5pm.

September 1st

Fall Hours Start. The Zoo will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Giraffe Feeding Experience will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

September 4th

Senior Citizen Day. Seniors age 62+ receive free admission from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

October 7th

“Bring Your Own Pumpkins for Pizza,” Public Pumpkin Carving Event. 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Free.

October 9th & 10th, 16th & 17th, 23rd & 24th

North Shore Bank Zoo Boo 2015. 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. nightly. Zoo will close early to allow for event set-up and preparations. Additional details to follow. Keep an eye on our website!

October 31st

Halloween. The NEW Zoo will be open for regular business hours.

Upcoming Events & Things to Remember.. .

Want to know more about the WildTimes? Have a suggestion for an

article you would like to see, or would you like to submit an article?

Contact the Editor, Angela, at 920-662-2405 or through email, at

education@newzoo.org!

We are your only AZA Accredited Zoo in Northeastern Wisconsin.

4378 Reforestation Road Green Bay, WI 54313

Phone: 920-434-7841 Fax: 920-434-4162 E-mail: info@newzoo.org

NEW Zoo & Adven tu r e Pa r k

Your NEW Zoo is an always new, natural adventure that promotes recreation, education, and conservation through encounters with live animals.

Join our online communities:

Facebook.com/NEWZooGB Instagram.com/NEWZooGB