Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Thank you Zoo supporters...


Thank you Zoo supporters…

Thanks to all who voted in support of 1a. We are incredibly grateful and, despite the outcome, know that together we will continue to ensure that Pueblo has a world-class zoo to visit with friends and family. While I was hoping to use this blog to share words of celebration and visions for the future, I know that celebrations of exciting things lie just around the corner. That being said, this was a tough morning for me, personally, to get moving and inspired to come to the office. After a couple of heavy sighs, I reminded myself that my “office” is the Pueblo Zoo…and I got myself outside and just spent the past two hours walking around with a smile on my face as I talked with staff and checked-in on some of my favorite colleagues…our animals.

I was reminded of what I often take for granted…THIS IS A FABULOUS ZOO! And I further reminded myself that the outcome of this election is in no way a reflection of what we contribute to our community. I reflected on the many ways that this community shows us how much they appreciate us and all that we do…it’s more than the outcome of an election. It’s in the many stories we hear from parents and teachers of how our programs and our animals have enriched their lives and education. We see it in the record-breaking attendance over the past year despite not having a new exhibit. We see it in our wildly successful “Check Out the Zoo” partnership with the Pueblo City-County Library District and in the smiling faces at ElectriCritters.

The outcome of this election, by no means, changes our commitment to doing all we can to provide the very best in animal care and the very best in guest experience and educational programs. If nothing else, this outcome willdouble our commitment to ensuring that the public sees and experiences our direct impacts to our community. 

While I don’t know the timing of the City’s budget decisions, nor do I have a reliable sense of what they will do, I do know this…tough decisions lie ahead and it will take all of us to pull together to find just the right solutions that allow us to ensure we continue to provide the quality experience that Puebloans have come to expect without compromising the quality of our animal care.  It will be a balancing act…but we can do it.


Onward and upward…the future remains bright for us.
Thank you for your support.


-Stephanie