Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Movie set co-op
Working at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (CZBG) was nothing short of a dream! The closest thing I can relate it to would be working on a movie set: inside the park, guests are moving about with excitement, while behind the scenes, personnel are buzzing around with passion. I cannot recall one employee that did not enjoy their job! I was always surrounded by specialized professionals, which was quite inspiring and educational. Every day was an unique experience.
My involvement at the CZBG began as an intern and was prolonged as a seasonal horticultural employee for a little over a year. Everything accomplished by the zoo’s horticultural team is rarely a single-person task; everyone shares responsibilities while some employees have general areas of focus. One of my main focuses was to tend to a total of 10 greenhouses (on- and off-site) with an average circulation of 20K plants/year. I also took care of indoor conservatories, which oftentimes included live animal exhibits (my favorite was the crocodile house). Outdoors, I assisted with garden display tasks, including bed prep, planting, watering, and chemical applications. These responsibilities also extended to the 2-acre, mini-botanical garden on the campus of Rockdale Academy, a K-6 elementary school two blocks from the CZBG. I also helped prepare the park for special events, such as Festival of Lights, Tunes & Blooms, and Zootanical, which attracted visitors and donors alike.
One of the largest horticultural tasks takes place in the fall, when ~100K tulip bulbs are strategically planted (then dug up in the spring for bed replacement). This effort can only be accomplished with the generosity of volunteer groups ranging between 2-30 individuals, several days of the week, which I would occasionally lead and direct. My favorite part of working at the Cincinnati Zoo was teaching the Zoo Academy students (ages 14-18) about horticulture, pest management, and greenhouse practices. It was here that I discovered the immense fulfillment of not only witnessing, but facilitating, the “AH-HA” moment when one learns something new about a topic they’re inspired by. It was such a pleasure to educate others and inspire environmentalism. I can only hope to one day experience this again.
The CZBG is one of the oldest zoos in the United States (1875). During my time of employment, it gained recognition as the only zoo in the world to become Arbnet Level IV-certified! While only occupying 75-acres, it attracts 1.7 million visitors a year, with over 450K people participating in educational programs. It is an award-winning partner in community redevelopment and economic growth, generating $169 million for the tri-state area in 2023 alone. The CZBG is also represented by the Center for the Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW), which is globally respected for its conservation work with endangered plant species, much of it through cryogenic preservation of seeds and other plant tissue. Lastly, CZBG is a conservation and sustainability champion earning the title of “Greenest Zoo in America”, with emphasis placed on renewable energy, water reclamation, zero waste initiatives, sustainable construction, compost and hydroponic programs.
