Generous donors have contributed $12 million to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s next capital campaign, which seeks to support a variety of Zoo improvements.

“We’re excited to announce our next capital campaign, called ‘ELEVATE,’” said Kelley Parker, director of development at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. “Unlike previous capital campaigns, which typically focus on improvements for one exhibit or zone of the Zoo, this campaign seeks to further elevate our animal care standards and guests’ experiences throughout the Zoo.”

ELEVATE’s fundraising goal is $13.5 million. Thanks to private donations, the Zoo is just $1.5 million shy of that goal. Now, the Zoo is inviting the public to contribute.

CMZoo is a nonprofit organization and one of very few zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in the country that does not receive tax support. The support of the Colorado Springs community is vital to the Zoo’s continued ability to upgrade facilities.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has been consistently named one of the top 10 zoos in North America by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards and TripAdvisor. The Zoo is known for its top-notch animal care, incredible up-close animal experiences, leading conservation practices, educational programs, and natural setting on the side of Cheyenne Mountain. As CMZoo approaches its 100th year, in 2026, ELEVATE’s ambitious goals will solidify a foundation for the next 100 years.

“Thanks to our dedicated private donors, we are very close to meeting our fundraising goal,” said Parker. “And we know we can meet that goal with the help of our community. A donation to ELEVATE means you’re contributing to the next hundred years of elevated animal care, conservation and guest experiences at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.”

ELEVATE aims to support a variety of Zoo focuses:

  • Advance animal care by improving existing animal exhibits, including plans to update African Rift Valley, which opened in 2003. ELEVATE will raise funds to design new homes for Western lowland gorillas, orangutans and more, but does not include construction fundraising. The next animal-centric capital campaign, after ELEVATE, will focus on construction costs to replace existing homes for our great apes.
  • Improve animals’ fresh food security by growing the majority of needed lettuce and other high-demand produce at the Zoo. CMZoo’s horticulture team is already testing an on-site hydroponic lettuce grow pod, made from a recycled shipping container, and will add more after successful testing. This plan also includes building a larger and more easily accessed hay barn.
  • Expand the entry plaza with an updated look and feel. Guests and members will enjoy more space and beautiful mountain rustic aesthetics as they start their Zoo day.
  • De-emphasize the main road’s impact on guest experiences by rerouting traffic. ELEVATE will raise funds for a more peaceful meander from the Zoo’s entrance up to Australia Walkabout. Cars visiting Shrine Road or Broadmoor Cloud Camp, above the Zoo, would enter the Zoo behind Water’s Edge: Africa, and cross pedestrian paths only briefly, instead of continuously sharing the main road with foot traffic. This will also create space for new future animal habitats.

To learn more about the ELEVATE capital campaign and to make a contribution, please visit cmzoo.org/elevate.

BID ON AMAZING ITEMS, LIKE THE CHANCE TO NAME OUR BABY LEMUR OR RED RIVER HOGLET! – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s annual fundraising gala is going virtual! You can be part of this CMZoo tradition from the comfort of your couch through online trivia, the Zoo’s social media channels and a virtual auction!

“Our Zoo Ball auction has incredible items this year, including the opportunity to name our new baby lemur and our Red River hoglet,” said Kelley Parker, director of development at CMZoo. “We’re excited to be able to invite more people to participate in Zoo Ball this year by offering it online instead of exclusively in-person. No matter where you are on Thursday evening, you can join in the fun and test your Zoo knowledge as we share CMZoo trivia videos on Facebook and YouTube.”

The online auction opens Monday, June 14, 2021 at 8 a.m. MT at cmzoo.org/ZooBall.

Auction items include:

– Naming privileges for our 6-week-old ring-tailed lemur
– Naming privileges for our 7-week-old Red River hoglet
– Breakfast with the sloths
– Breakfast with the African penguins
– Breakfast on Safari Trail with the giraffe, zebra, vultures and more
– A photograph on canvas of BB, our 9-month-old giraffe calf, and her mother, Bailey, taken the day BB was born
– Painting session with a North American porcupine
– Paintings created by our elephants and orangutans
– Giraffe hoof print painting
– A decorative “Poo Planter” pottery piece created with CMZoo elephant dung
– A tour of Lemur Island
– Private cocktail party at the Zoo
– A Waterford Crystal sculpture, “Eagle’s Wing”
– And more! See photos and full descriptions here

Save the Dates

Online Virtual Auction
8 a.m. MT, Monday, June 14 – 8 p.m. MT, Sunday, June 20

Online Zoo Ball Trivia
6:30 p.m. MT Thursday, June 17
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Facebook
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo YouTube
cmzoo.org/ZooBall

All proceeds from Zoo Ball will benefit the Zoo’s general operating budget, which funds all of our critical work in conservation, education and animal care. In addition to bidding on auction items, CMZoo supporters can purchase VIP tickets or a Premier Patron “table.” These enhanced tickets come with an exclusive Zoo Ball swag bag and invitations to an exclusive cocktail party at the Zoo on Friday, September 10, 2021.

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s mountain Zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. In 2021, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted #4 Best Zoo in North America and CMZoo’s Rocky Mountain Wild was named #3 Best Zoo Exhibit in North America by USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s goal to help guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 233 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of very few operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues, special event attendance and donations for funding.

Get your locally grown, native, pollinator plants from the Zoo! Order online April 1-26 for curbside pick-up April 30-May 2, or make plans to join us in person on May 22 and 23, at the Zoo! With traditional plants, like vines, ferns, butterfly bushes, grasses, and lilies, plus new offerings like hanging baskets, fruits trees and veggies, you can reach all of your green-thumb goals while supporting the Zoo. This annual fundraiser keeps getting bigger, and your support means we can focus on even more horticulture projects at the Zoo! Check it out at cmzoo.org/plantsale.

Back to The Waterhole

 

Over the next several months, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo plans to get thoughtful input from the community on the short- and long-term future of the Zoo. We plan to pose various questions and surveys to you, our valued guests and neighbors, to help us identify big ideas that could make your experience at the Zoo even more unique and special.

Our first question has to do with the future of the Monkey Pavilion space. The building will be demolished within the next few months, and after that, we plan to use it as a multipurpose space, featuring 1) some unique adventure/experience/play space, 2) covered outdoor seating, and 3) smaller, more intimate animal exhibits. We’re looking for short-term ideas that could be installed by this summer, and long-term ideas that would be installed in the next two to three years.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

We want to see photos of the most unique interactive experiences you and your family have seen. These can be any adventure or play activities, ideally for both adults and kids.

These experiences can fall in several categories:

  • non-structured play,
  • nature play,
  • “country life” play, etc.

We are looking to go way beyond swing sets and slides!

– Please submit your photos and a short description of the experience to [email protected]
– We may reply to your email if we want to find out more about the experience.
– Please send your photos ASAP! Our President & CEO, Bob Chastain, will personally review all submissions on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021.

What started in 1969 as a way for CMZoo fans to take a more active and supportive role at the Zoo is now known as a fundamental arm of the organization. This month, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Auxiliary celebrated fifty years of important contributions, cultural impact, conservation advocacy and evolution. Two docents, Ellie Solomon and Sally Goldstein, are still active members of the Auxiliary, with fifty years of service and counting. Although the docent organization operates independently from the Zoo, it is a valued and vital part of the Zoo’s success and culture.

“It started as a group of women who wanted to bring an educational aspect to the Zoo experience, which some may be surprised to learn was not the norm at that time,” said Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Auxiliary Past President, Glenna French, who has been a docent for ten years. “Docents are the original Zoo educators.”

The CMZoo docent program is one of the first three established, the only self-regulating program and the third-longest running auxiliary program in the nation.

“If you think about the era when this group established itself, it was a really socially pivotal time,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, CMZoo vice president of mission and programs. “This was a group of women who created a platform through which they could contribute their skills and knowledge for the greater good of animals, children and their community. To this day, they are an incredibly impressive and important part of our Zoo.”

Over the years, docents have embraced changes with grace. One superficial but notable change is the docent uniforms, which have gone from animal print ladies’ long coats and high heels – admittedly subpar equipment for giving tours and doing physical work at America’s mountain Zoo – to recognizable forest green polos, multitools and practical footwear. French and her colleagues joke about how as more men started to sign on as docents, the attire became somewhat of an issue to address. What hasn’t changed, though, is the auxiliary members’ commitment to supporting a Zoo they love.

“Docents have a passion for contributing to the Zoo’s success, whether here at the Zoo or around the world as we support field conservation efforts, financially and through educating and raising awareness,” said French. “We love everything that Dr. Liza is doing for giraffe conservation. Being able to talk to kids about the Quarters for Conservation program, and how when they visit the Zoo, they have a chance to choose which project they want to support is really empowering for them.”

There are two main tracks for docents: tour educators, who lead school and group tours throughout the Zoo; and interpretive educators, who perform educational puppet shows, present biofacts and educate guests at stations throughout the Zoo or on ZOOMobile outings – a program now managed by CMZoo’s EdVenture program, which was founded by docents under the name ‘ZOOM,’ or ‘Zoo on the Move.’

In response to changing times and adversarial situations in our country’s history, CMZoo docents established programs that made education more accessible for their community, like Classroom Safaris. Classroom Safaris started in 1973 as a way to bring the Zoo to schools during an historic gasoline shortage that made field trips unattainable for schools. These days, on-site tours make up a large part of their one million hours of service over fifty years. Docents have given more than 400 tours in the last ten years.

Safari Classrooms now take place before each tour, with docents visiting students at their schools to discuss the lessons they’ll study during their Zoo field trip.

“Tours have grown so much and have become quite complex,” said Charlotte Greene, a five-year docent and CMZoo Auxiliary continuing education coordinator. “We now use state education standards to create tour curriculum, which requires a lot of us as we build our tour plans and deliver on them. However, it speaks to the quality level of education these kids are getting when they come and spend time with us.”

The lessons include biology, environmental studies, taxonomy, anatomy and more.

“The interactions with the children and guests is so fulfilling,” said French. “Watching a sloth on the ropes in Monkey Pavilion and being able to share what we know about them really sparks those eye-opening moments when we know we’ve made an impact.”

Docents also contribute to the Zoo by making animal enrichment. They volunteer a required minimum of thirty service hours per year, in addition to volunteer hours and continuing education courses.

“It’s about connecting our guests with something in the natural world, right here at the Zoo,” said Greene. “Hopefully those connections inspire them with ideas to save our rainforests, learn about and support sustainable palm oil plantations and be more active with conservation.”

Next time you’re at the Zoo, please join us in celebrating half a century with CMZoo docents and thank our advocates in green polos for their tireless passion and support.

— Upcoming exhibit will feature African penguins, hippos, and more, but we need your help! —

Colorado Springs, CO – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is asking for the public’s help to “fund the flock” and help complete our Making Waves capital campaign to build a dynamic new exhibit for endangered African penguins, hippos and much more. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and one of very few accredited zoos in the country that receives no tax support, the support of the Colorado Springs community is vital to the Zoo’s continued ability to upgrade our facilities.

The $10.4 million campaign is currently over 95 percent funded, but we still need the community’s help to “flock to the finish” of this incredible effort. Our Colorado Springs community regularly rallies behind the Zoo, and we need their help now more than ever so we can bring home our hippo girls, Zambezi and Kasai, who are currently vacationing at Dickerson Park Zoo in Missouri. We’re asking for the community’s help in raising the remaining $480,000 and make a hippo-sized splash for these amazing animals.

The new exhibits will take the place of and expand upon our nearly 60-year-old, soon-to-be demolished Aquatics building. Not only will this dynamic new space be hip for hippos, it will also improve upon the Zoo’s carbon footprint and sustainable water use. In the old exhibits, we were using 60,000 gallons of water per day to maintain healthy environments for the animals residing in the Aquatics building. We know we can do better, so our new hippo exhibit will have a state-of-the-art filtration system that will drastically reduce our use of water.

The exciting exhibit space will house:

  • Our two Nile hippos, Zambezi and Kasai, as well as room for up to five hippos total – we plan to welcome a male and are hopeful for future hippo babies.
  • A new flock of around 18 African penguins. Our hope is that the flock will grow through successful breeding and chick rearing in our improved facility.
  • A lemur island in the middle of the hippos’ indoor/outdoor water exhibit. Guests will learn more about this endangered species and watch them swing, climb and play in a tree-filled area.
  • Gazelles will be featured adjacent to the hippos’ outdoor grazing area.
  • Saddle-billed storks and other bird species will live alongside the gazelles.
  • A suspension bridge will lead to a nature-themed play area for adventurous guests.

“This exhibit is absolutely going to be one-of-a-kind,” said Zoo President & CEO Bob Chastain. “Not only will guests be able to see our hippos from a whole new perspective, they’ll also get the opportunity to share the same space with African penguins and come away caring even more for this endangered species. Add to that the other featured species and nature play area, and this dynamic exhibit truly has it all.”

In addition to the new animal homes being funded through the Making Waves capital campaign, a new home for our EdVenture programs and new ADA guest restrooms will also be built using funds from the campaign. The new complex will house ADA-accessible restrooms on the lower level, and the upper level will house space for our growing EdVenture staff and programs. This new complex will also free up a location near the front gate for our Guest Services operations, which will provide an enhanced ability to respond to the needs of our approximately 780,000 attendees per year.

With help from our courageous co-chairs, Ann and Tom Naughton and Carol and John Kleiner, the Zoo has raised $9.9 million from individuals and foundations. Of that amount, $1.5 million was generously donated by El Pomar Foundation, through the Anna Keesling Ackerman Fund and the Freda Hambrick Fund.

“The Trustees have supported Cheyenne Mountain Zoo since 1939. Today, the Zoo attracts well over 750,000 visitors a year and is a national leader in innovative exhibits. The Trustees are proud to continue their support,” said El Pomar Foundation Chairman and CEO William J. Hybl.

Other leadership gifts include contributions from the Harold W. and Mary Louise Shaw Foundation and the Lane Family Foundation.

“We truly can’t thank these donors enough for their major support of this campaign,” said Chastain. “Without these leadership gifts, our new exhibits would not be possible.”

To learn about the Making Waves campaign and how to contribute, please visit: cmzoo.org/makingwaves.

A Dropbox link to Making Waves images and exhibit renderings can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e8k2i7fdpgp498s/AADP6jfkhjTJHoB38I0Bwrv9a?dl=0

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s ONLY mountain zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s hope that guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 230 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just nine operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues and donations for funding.

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