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“Fostering the well-being of our community’s people and places”

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has been a proud member of the Cincinnati community since 1875. We are working to build and invest in a safe, equitable, resilient, and healthy community that coexists with wildlife through passionate collaborative connections with our neighbors and local organizations.

children using shovels to scoop out dirt at rockdale gardens
Resilience and Climate AdaptationCreating ConservationistsEmpowering FuturesCollaborative PartnershipsCoexistence Champions

Resilience and Climate Adaptation:

In our changing climate we face an upswing in unpredictable and extreme weather events. Increasing our community’s capacity to adapt to environmental changes and strengthening our ability to respond to disasters is a top priority of the City of Cincinnati and the Zoo.

Solar Energy for Communities:

For the past several years, the Zoo has successfully installed solar PV systems at community centers, schools, and churches in Avondale and other neighboring communities. We will formalize this program and leverage our partnerships in order to ensure these community outreach solar projects are completed on an annual basis. Learn about 2022 installation.

Solar Resiliency Program

Coexistence Impact Fellowship

Our fellows are fully focused on their select projects, which deepens our involvement and efficiency when implementing action plans.The conservation impact fellow program specifically prioritizes candidates who are native to the country where the field conservation projects are located, with the goal of further engaging local communities, and investing in local researchers – providing professional development opportunities as they begin their careers.

To reach the next level beyond the team’s capacity onsite, in 2022 we created the Coexistence Impact Fellowship Program at CZBG. Our Fellows across many projects and partnerships deepen our involvement and efficiency when implementing action plans. Further, we want to increase the accessibility of conservation careers to those currently less represented in our field.

In April 2023, we hosted our first Fellowship training week in Cincinnati, with activities focused on developing impactful Theories of Change, leadership and communications exercises, and relationship-building with other CZBG departments. This fellowship program is our deep investment in the professional development of people of color from the communities where we hope to foster conservation expertise.

Isadora Aguirra

Steiner Sempeta

T’Noya Thompson

 

kai davis on a ladder doing research with in a forest of trees

Kai Davis

The Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) is a one-of-a-kind, online master’s degree program from Miami University (Oxford, OH) and Project Dragonfly, in partnership with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Created for working professionals, the AIP immerses students in collaborative inquiry and action as they champion change for the environment and their local community. With professional and academic mentoring and self-designed Master Plans, students adapt their degree path to fit their interests in fields such as community-engaged conservation, inquiry-driven education, environmental justice, learning across K-12 and informal settings, animal care and welfare, green business innovation, climate change, urban ecology, human-nature relationships, environmental restoration, and public engagement in science.

AIP students join a network of local and national leaders, working together to improve their professions, institutions, neighborhoods, and environments.  Students can enroll in either a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in the biological sciences or a Master of Arts (M.A.) in biology. Through web-based coursework from Miami and face-to-face experiential learning and field study at the Zoo, you will connect with classmates, Miami University faculty, Zoo experts, and community leaders locally, nationally, and globally.

Internships

We are committed to creating more equitable workforce strategies and expanding access to early career experiences in the zoo field. We recognize that there is a lack of diversity in our workforce, due in part to less accessible career pathways, and have worked to increase interest and opportunity for all. We offer a stipend to help offset expenses while interns participate in our program, expanding the opportunity to work in this unique, fun, and rewarding field.

ZooTeens

Our ZooTeen program is committed to whole-person youth development. Whether collecting data on pollinators, providing interpretive messaging at different habitats, or supporting our Education programs, ZooTeens make an enormous impact on Zoo staff and visitors alike. ZooTeens are able to build knowledge, gain leadership experience, and develop professional skills as they learn more about CZBG’s conservation efforts and share those stories with a wider audience.

Local and Global Partners

Our vision is to facilitate a brighter future for wildlife and people. Coexistence requires listening to the voices and needs on all sides – animals, plants, and people. Through an empowering alliance promoting benefits for all, we can collaborate, reduce conflicts, and sustain healthy landscapes and resources for wildlife and people. Coexistence is the thread tying all our conservation stories together, with interactive strategies, community engagement, and proactive Zoo leadership.

Our goal is to activate our staff, visitors, stakeholders, and audiences to be inspired by wildlife to participate in conservation. In 2022, we sent a group of Zoo staff to Kenya in order to advance projects around wildlife ranger support, architectural designs, and education interpretive planning. Each year, the Cincinnati Zoo will be sending a contingent of staff to Kenya to provide expertise and skills for our close partners in SORALO. The Coexistence Champion(s) will help activate staff back here in Cincinnati by sharing stories and their connection to the work in SORALO.