For many who work in the zoo field, there is a drive and passion to be involved in conservation field work.  Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ), a non-profit facility and great supporter of conservation, hasn’t been able to fund all the causes that the staff believe in.  In 2008, that changed. A program called Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) was implemented at CMZ which added an additional twenty-five cents to every zoo admission (as well as additional fees to memberships) and the money was earmarked specifically for conservation initiatives.  A portion of the money raised was   allocated to the on-going conservation projects that CMZ funds. The remainder of the funds was divided between the additional projects that were chosen by staff.  As zoo guests enter the zoo, they receive a token and use it to “vote” for the project they like best.  These “votes” ultimately decide how the money is divided between the projects.  The exciting part was that CMZ staff was asked to submit the projects that they are most passionate about.  That is where this partnership with Snow Leopard Trust began.

As a long time keeper of snow leopards, Snow Leopard Trust (SLT) had always been an organization that was important to me.  CMZ had worked with SLT making donations through our AAZK chapter.  But, the thought of being able to do something significant and really be a part of it wasn’t a reality in the beginning.  I proposed Snow Leopard Trust as a Q4C project and felt lucky to be selected as one of the six inaugural projects.  As a part of the project I worked with our gift shop to increase the inventory of SLE merchandise, assisted in the interpretation and decoration of a yurt on zoo grounds and helped to coordinate activities when our resident snow leopards moved into their new exhibit, and I hoped we would raise $2000 for SLT.  By the end of Q4C’s inaugural year, all those single quarters had raised over $100,000, with the snow leopard project being the overwhelming top choice from our guests.  The votes totaled $14,200 to go directly towards snow leopard conservation.

Work began with SLT to decide where the money would be best spent.  Through many chats with Jennifer, the Conservation Program      Director, we decided that one area where we could really make a   difference was to fund a meeting of Snow Leopard Enterprise (SLE) community leaders and coordinators in Mongolia.  The SLE program has been running in that country for the past ten years and in that time the SLE Community Leaders had never met as a whole.  I was able to travel to Mongolia as part of my project, to see the meeting come to fruition and also see first hand the work that SLT is    doing in the country.  It will sound cliché, but that trip was a dream come true for me.  Jennifer kept telling me how amazing and meaningful this meeting would be and while I believed her, to be there and observe how moved and motivated the attendees were to be a part of the program and to be able to move “their” conservation initiative forward - it was obvious that this was definitely money well allocated.  The people I met and the experiences I had have deepened my respect and appreciation for SLT and the people who share the snow leopards’ habitat. 

My trip and experience in the field has had impact on the zoo as well.  I was able to share my trip with zoo staff and the board.  It has helped me to start fulfilling another goal of the Q4C program, which is to get staff out into the field doing what they are passionate about.  There is nothing quite like being involved in in-situ work.  It gives a feeling of validation and determination to make sure that the animals under your care in the captive setting are able to do the important job of making people fall in love with that species so that their wild counterparts can continue to survive.

Written by Megan Sanders, Animal Behavior Programs Manager, CMZ