News and Stories

CINCINNATI, OH (June 8, 2020) –  Serving community is a pillar of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s mission, and that is what it did in Avondale on Friday.  The Zoo, which has been closed since March 15 and has been working without volunteers and seasonal staff, did not have the workforce necessary to plant the usual number of annuals around the park but did share some beautiful blooms and trees with its neighbors.

“A handful of folks from the zoo got together with about 20 volunteers from the Avondale neighborhood and went about the business of beautification,” said Cincinnati Zoo’s vice president of facilities and sustainability Mark Fisher.  “We planted 3 massive red maple trees at the Avondale Community Council’s facility, along with sprucing up their overgrown, rough looking landscaping along the most visible section of the building. Sandra [Jones Mitchell] from ACC asked the zoo for some help. So that is what she got.”

Another crew spent the day across the street at Gabriel’s Place to clean up their landscaping. It hadn’t been touched since last fall and was so overgrown that the horticulture team was able to grab multiple truckloads of browse to take back to the zoo to feed the animals. 

“A win win if I have ever seen one,” said Fisher. “The zoo did the original landscape work at Gabriel’s Place in partnership with the Reds and P&G in 2013. It was kept up for several years, but staffing and the COVID crisis made it impossible for the ministry members to maintain.  We will continue to be a good neighbor and come back when we’re needed.”