City Council approves $43 million for Edmonton’s Valley Zoo
Upgrades to include new home for seals and sea lions and new classrooms for education programs
Edmonton City Council has approved $43 million in funding for major upgrades at the Valley Zoo. The investment will help the Zoo become a centre of learning, enhance the quality of life for animals in its care and improve the experience of visitors.
Work on the upgrades will begin (next spring) with a new home for the seals and sea lions on open land west of the current entrance. Eight million dollars of the $43 million approved October 14, 2009 will go to this project.
The remaining $35 million will be used to construct a new education centre, new entry area and a trail system (The Wander) that will guide visitors through their zoo experience. The entry area will include visitor services (café, washrooms, children’s play area and information centre), the otter exhibit and will become the gateway to The Wander, a central pathway for the zoo that will showcase interpretive displays of plants and animals native to Alberta.
Backgrounder
Edmonton’s Valley Zoo Improvements
$43 million in City Council-approved funding will provide for the following projects over three years 2010-2012:
Seals and Sea Lions
$8 million to construct the indoor holding facility, isolation tanks, exhibit interpretation, and keeper/veterinary facilities for the care of the animals. Construction is anticipated to start in (Spring 2010) in conjunction with the new outdoor facility for these animals.
View the plan.
New Entry Plaza, Visitor Facilities and The Wander trail system
$35 million will be used to construct the entry plaza and corridor that consists of:
Education Centre which includes Interpretive classrooms and multipurpose spaces
Visitor services which includes Information services, washrooms, ticket purchase, café, gift shop, interpretive play elements, gathering spaces, administrative offices and the otter exhibit
The Wander is the Zoo’s central circulation corridor that interprets the plants and small animals of Alberta’s North Saskatchewan River while providing opportunities for public education, shelter, transportation and relaxation.
Improvements currently underway or recently completed
- Lemurs exhibit
- Gibbons exhibit
- Enhancements to all animal habitats in the Nocturnal Wing to include appropriate lighting, humidity control and animal enrichments
- Upgrades to Big Horn Sheep habitat
- Vet clinic
- A new fence around the perimeter of the Zoo, work expected to start in 2010.
- Outdoor seal and sea lion pools, life support/filtration systems building for the pools and interpretive elements. Construction is anticipated to start in Spring 2010, in conjunction with the new indoor facility for these animals.
Join us in fundraising for the next projects by visiting www.buildingthevalleyzoo.com.
Education facilities are a must for the Zoo. The attendance at the Zoo continues to grow each year and the demand for our educational programs far exceeds our available space. We're looking forward to developing excellent learning spaces for all ages.
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