Woodland Park Zoological Society

Grounds, facilities and exhibitry: the grounds and maintenance staff is responsible for our 92 acre community asset, including resource sustainability, daily upkeep, major maintenance and repairs, security, construction of new facilities, horticulture and signage. Expenses in this category increased by $15 million over prior year due to $16 million spent on the new forest trailhead exhibit opening in may 2026. Many of the thousands of plants and trees at the zoo provide vitamin-packed food for our herbivores and enrichment for all species. In addition to the zoo, staff maintain a 100-year-old historic carousel, an organic rose garden, a greenhouse complex, a state of the art composting system and two neighborhood parks.

Conservation and education: the zoo advances biodiversity conservation to mitigate climate change through the protection of more than 2.2 million acres of endangered species habitats regionally and globally through 28 wildlife conservation partnerships with indigenous and local communities and ngo's. Partners include the tree kangaroo conservation program in papua new guinea. Integral in the informal science education ecosystem, the zoo provides public programs, camps, community science projects, outreach learning and classes that foster connections with the natural world and support participants' development of empathy for wildlife to advance conservation. School field trips, camps, programs and classes are subsidized for communities and schools that serve a high percentage of students from low-income (continued on schedule o) families by king county levy funds and private fundraising. The zoo also supports peer institutions' development of empathy-focused programs through capacity building grants.

Membership program and visitor services: the zoo's membership program is one of the largest in the state with membership counts in the mid-thirty thousands, allowing unlimited general admissions access to the zoo for one year. Members also enjoy special communications, discounts, presales and an annual celebration. Visitors services encompasses admissions, guest services, the historic carousel, group sales and event support.

Communications, marketing and public relations: the zoo shares its mission with both local and extended audiences via several communications methods. The zoo creates its own signage, maps, etc and is active on various social media platforms. The zoo raises awareness for and engages conservation efforts.