ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050058
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEVEN L. HIGGS
I READ with interest Joe Kennedy's column (Jan. 22, ``Let's not tarnish our shining star: Mill Mountain'') condemning change on Mill Mountain, as well as the Jan. 26 editorial (``Mill Mountain's purpose'').
While I agree that Mill Mountain is the "best thing the zoo has going for it," I take exception to Kennedy's judgment that "the zoo adds little to the mountain." More importantly, thousands of visitors each year would, I think, also disagree with him.
Mill Mountain Zoo educates and entertains nearly 80,000 visitors and students each year, including nearly 75,000 paying visitors. Its education department last year conducted more than 100 outreach programs, serving more than 12,000 students in 28 school districts. The zoo also served nearly 10,000 students through its on-site programs, including "Zoo Camp," a hands-on experience provided each summer for children of various ages.
Almost half of the zoo's visitors (more than 31,000 tourists) come from outside the Roanoke Valley, making the zoo an important part of the region's tourism mix. According to a recent survey, about half of those tourists came to our valley primarily to visit the zoo.
The economic impact of the zoo on the Roanoke region, can be measured in millions of dollars. Using economic-impact figures for tourism that were generated by the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, the zoo's total economic impact on our valley is estimated to be more than $5.3 million annually.
Although the zoo is supported by every local government and more than 70 businesses, more than 50 percent of its budget is supplied by paying visitors. Only about 10 percent of the budget comes from governmental support. This makes the zoo one of our region's most self-supporting attractions.
Since its beginnings in 1952, Mill Mountain Zoo has matured and developed into a nationally accredited, well-reputed zoological park that serves as a recreational, educational and economic resource for the entire region. Its improvements have been accomplished without increasing its boundaries and with little or no adverse impact to the mountain.
The zoo currently exhibits nearly 50 species and nearly 150 animals on its beautiful site on top of Mill Mountain. The Blue Ridge Zoological Society of Virginia Inc., a nonprofit organization that operates the zoo, has adopted a comprehensive master plan for polishing the zoo into a genuine showplace.
The plan is sensitive to the zoo's mission to ``promote an appreciation and understanding of animal and habitat conservation,'' including the zoo's own habitat, Mill Mountain. In carrying out the plan, the zoo has worked and will continue to work very hard to conserve and protect the mountain.
Last year, for example, volunteers completed an extensive landscaping project throughout the zoo grounds, and a Brownie Girl Scout troop from Roanoke installed a butterfly garden as part of a conservation project.
As the zoo continues its efforts to provide more natural exhibits, it works with and around the natural assets provided by the mountain. Witness Ruby's exhibit area or the planned exhibit area for snow leopards as two examples.
Mill Mountain Zoo is one of only two zoos in Virginia accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
For more than 11 years, "Species Survival Plan" breeding projects conducted at the zoo (in cooperation with AZA) have successfully resulted in the breeding of 16 endangered animals representing four species. Ruby's Tiger Rescue project is the most recent addition to this spectacular conservation effort.
A visit to the zoo can be a very pleasant return to nature, an entertaining afternoon or a serious lesson in conservation. The staff and its supporters work hard to make this possible. The zoo is a genuine jewel in the crown of Mill Mountain.
Steven L. Higgs of Roanoke is president of the Blue Ridge Zoological Society of Virginia Inc.
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