As we struggle to clean-up from the winter that doesn’t seem to want to give up, the Roosevelt Park Zoo staff is searching for that light at the end of the tunnel allowing us to look and move forward to those warmer days for the sake of the animals and our guests.

There has been a lot going on throughout the zoo, regardless of what Mother Nature throws at us. We are declaring Spring with our change in hours starting this weekend. Starting on Saturday, 4/30, the zoo will return to 7-day-a-week operations along with new, extended hours. The zoo will begin opening at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. We are experimenting with the 9 a.m. opening to allow guests an opportunity to arrive earlier and beat the heat during the hottest part of the summer as well as providing school groups an opportunity for earlier arrivals and spreading out the admissions process for these large groups. Guests will have the opportunity to see the animals earlier in the day when they are more active or as their keepers are shifting them onto exhibit for the day.

Another change that the community might be interested in is related to the impact that the Souris River flood mitigation project will have on Roosevelt Park and the Roosevelt Park Zoo. The Zoo will be hosting a Community Meeting next Wednesday, May 4, to update our neighbors and citizens of Minot on the progress and proposed changes due to the impact of MI-7 of the flood protection planning. Along with representatives from Ackerman-Estvold, there will be representatives from the Minot Parks District and the Roosevelt Park Zoo to explain the various features and plans for the future. The meeting will be held at the Zoo Auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m. and running through 8:30 p.m. We are looking forward to a large turnout and input from the community members attending.

May is looking to be a warmer month and with that comes preparation for moving animals back outside and enjoying their enclosures. While we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, we want to be ready for it. Some changes you will see as this occurs will include the addition of tarps over various bird enclosures due to the avian flu outbreak across the country. While the eagles, owls and hornbills will all be viewable outdoor exhibits, the chickens will remain off exhibit. The penguins are still off exhibit due to the weather, but once it warms up enough that they could be moved outside, a risk assessment will be updated to determine if there are exhibit modifications that could provide ample protection or if they need to remain inside until conditions are more favorable.

There are new challenges and new opportunities almost every day at the zoo. How we face those challenges or take advantage of those opportunities when they arise will determine our future successes or failures. For this reason, with the collaborative whole of the staff, the leadership of the Parks District, and the support of the community, regardless of how long it takes to reach that light, we will.