Horticulture Volunteer at the ZOO

Horticultural Volunteer Opportunity


Purpose:
To provide hands-on experience and learning opportunities to students Horticulture programs.

General Description:
The Woodland Park Zoo’s horticulture program follows the tenets of Integrated Pest Management and Plant Health Care while meeting aesthetic and exhibit specific goals. Hands-on horticultural experiences and opportunities will be provided through three educational venues at the Woodland Park Zoo; the Rose Garden, the interior exhibits, and general Zoo grounds. Equal time and weight will be given to each venue as the student progresses through this program.

Venue specifics:
Rose Garden-The Rose Garden has been managed naturally since 2007 and is maintained to a high visual aesthetic standard. Students will learn natural landscape management techniques actively caring for this 2.5 acre garden comprised of over 5,000 roses; perennial, shrub, and tree beds; turf; two water features; two landscape structures; and several Natural Yard Care demonstration gardens.
Interior exhibits-The Zoo’s interior exhibits include the entire Tropical Rain Forest building and several other interior animal spaces and are supported out of 4,000 square feet of greenhouse space. The orchid collection and Silverspot butterfly programs are also primary programs. Students will learn greenhouse and interior plantscape management techniques actively caring for the plants both in the greenhouses and in the exhibits.
General Zoo grounds-The Zoo grounds occupy 92 acres comprised of 5 specific biomes and the surrounding general landscape. Management of the existing landscapes and installation of landscape improvements are the primary tasks. Students will learn landscape management and installation techniques actively participating in landscape maintenance and installation projects.

Process:
-Each student will be required to meet with Zoo staff to develop their volunteer opportunity including educational goals and time commitment subject to Zoo and educational institution approval.
-Each student will be required to take the ½ day Woodland Park Zoo orientation program before beginning the program.
-Each student will be required to fill out Woodland Park Zoo volunteer paperwork including the background check form.
-Each student will be required to track volunteer hours.
-Each student will be required to fill out a volunteer program evaluation sheet specific to the Woodland Park Zoo.

Pre-requisites:
Edmonds
-HORT 102 Hort Plant Science
-HORT 109 Soils and Plant Nutrition
-HORT 110 Pest Management Principles
-HORT 117 Pruning
*variations to pre-requisites may be considered subject to advisors review and approval.

SSCC
-LHO 140 Intro into Arboriculture
-LHO 155 Pruning
-LHO 210 Plant Problem Diagnostics
*variations to pre-requisites may be considered subject to advisors review and approval.

LWTC
-HORT 111 Botany
-HORT 121 Soils
-HORT 122 Pruning
-HORT 123 Pest Management
*variations to pre-requisites may be considered subject to advisors review and approval.

http://www.zoo.org/involved/volunteer/volunteer.html

We welcome your inquiries about our programs and hope you consider applying for a volunteer position! For questions not answered here, please call the Volunteer Department at 206.548.2450.