Area Youth Go Wild for Zoo Camp
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During the 2009 zoo camp, these children enjoyed a wide variety of animal-related activities, arts and crafts and games.
Peering through their enclosures, residents of the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo were curious about the sudden arrival of more than 140 children. As a part of the facilities’ annual Zoo Camp, the children - who ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old - enjoyed the week-long summer program that was held June 22 and 26 and overseen by zoo camp director Lisa Murphy.
Building on last year’s successful t-shirt design contest, camp organizers had a difficult chore of selecting a winner from the numerous submissions of hand drawn artwork. Brendan Henderson of Auburn, Ala., was the first place winner. In addition to his design appearing on the zoo camp’s t-shirts, he also received $175 zoo dollars, which are redeemable for gift shop merchandise, zoo camp admission fee, annual zoo membership or anything else related to the zoo. Other winners included second place Shelby Lockin of Southlake, Texas (who received $75.00 zoo dollars) and third place Abby Phillips of Gulf Shores, Ala., (who won $50.00 zoo dollars). Honorable mention included Brian Li of Alameda, Calif., Peyton Varney of Foley, Ala., and Leah K. Peacock of Silverhill, Ala.
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Taking a break from the fun, these young campers enjoyed numerous age-appropriate games and activities during the 2009 Zoo Camp.
All campers enjoyed learning about the zoo’s inhabitants by moving among stations, each dedicated to a different topic or animal. They made enrichments for the animals, which were fruit kabobs, bird feeders and treat bags for the primates, in addition to making monkey picture frames, grocery bags, turtle rocks, cat visors and tiger masks. The younger campers enjoyed some of the same age appropriate activities but did not migrate to the various stations. The children capped off a great week with an environmentally conscious lunch on Friday. The campers cooked hot dogs in the solar ovens that they had made earlier in the week and drank tea that they had brewed in the sun.
In addition to the educational activities, the campers were treated to presentations from Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alligator Alley, native reptile environmentalist Mike Casper and marine biologist and environmental writer Dr. Skip Lazauski. Campers also enjoyed to a special preview showing of the Tigers of India. This tiger show from the Marcan Tiger Preserve will be at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo through the summer.
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Dedicated to the mission of zoo camp, these teachers volunteered a week of their summer vacations to lend a helping hand.
“With record breaking temps all week, I was proud of how our team of teachers and counselors weathered the heat and sweat to make our campers enjoy the week-long experience at the AL Gulf Coast Zoo,” Murphy said. “We hardly had any complaints about the heat since they were all having so much fun.”
The volunteer teachers were Kathy Self, Rebel Hill, Debra Kilzer, Christa Goodwin, Kelly Sallin, Christine Olsen, Sonya Harris, Rosalie Wolfe, Nancy Crosby and Andreas Anagnostopoulos.
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Earning community service hours, these local high school students assisted throughout the week-long zoo camp at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.
Assisting the teachers were the following zoo camp counselors: Andreu Riebe (head counselor), Melanie Brewer (director assistant), Brianna Greiner, Sierra Greiner, Cursti Johnson, Colt Turner, Justice Dismukes, Logan Whitehead, Duncan Henderson, Lindsay Bishop, Logan Bishop, Kelsey Cooper, Rachel Thompson, Marleigh Julian, Janel Hawkins, Ingram Crosson, Todd Stehr, Makennah Wagner, Evelyn Baxley, Whitney Cosby, Kersten Joyner, Elizabeth Smalley and TR Collins.
“The goal of the zoo camp is to give these children the opportunity for an enriching hands-on experience that will help them develop a deeper understanding and respect for animals,” said Patti Hall, zoo director. “Without the tireless leadership of our zoo camp director Lisa Murphy and all of the volunteers, this camp would not have been possible. These school teachers generously give up a week of their summer vacations to work in the heat. Also, numerous local high school students volunteered as camp counselors and earned community service hours. The entire zoo staffs deeply everyone’s hard work, especially considering the summer temperatures.”
In addition, the following business served as camp sponsors: Happy Shak, De Soto’s Seafood Kitchen, Lower Alabama Parrot Heads, Gulf Shores Woman’s Club, Cain’s Grocery, After Ours, Barr Group Title, Doc’s Seafood Shack, Gulf Shores Rentals, CoCo Island Furniture, Chicago Pizza, The Track and Corporate Marketing.
Murphy added a “special thanks goes out to all of our sponsors who stepped up to the plate for this worthwhile community event. We received more donations this year than during any previous year. Also, I extend a heartfelt thank you to Happy Shak for donating all our t-shirts and covered the cost of the screen printing. I really can't say enough to thank everyone.”
Kim Schumack
Alabama Gulf Coast CVB
Photos: AL Gulf Coast CVB
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is operated by the Zoo Foundation, Inc.,
a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.