The Greening of the Denver Zoo and their Toyota Elephant Passage

Sneak peak: Two Asian Elephants @ Toyota Elephant Passage

Picture this…It is somewhere in Southeast Asia, perhaps Thailand or Sri Lanka.  Lying among the grasses is an enormous gray mass. An Asian Elephant has been killed; an elderly woman stands near the animal sobbing into a handkerchief.  It is a sad day and there are conflicting emotions. The elephant was encroaching on a human settlement by crop-raiding, because the animal was a threat to human safety, she was shot.  Yet, who doesn’t love an elephant? Ever since indulging in the childhood stories of Babar, the Disney movie Dumbo, or more recently, the movie Water for Elephants, and loving Ganesh (the elephant-headed man and remover of obstacles) from Hindi philosophy, elephants trample deeply into our hearts.

Ganesh - remover of obstacles

 
Asian elephants were once highly revered in Southeast Asian cultures; they were often domesticated and used as workers in the logging industry and they had a close bond to their trainer/caretakers (called mahouts). But the ever-expanding human populations and their demands for resources throughout the world have continuously reduced the natural habitat areas for wild animals. And this is true for the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus).  Conflicts arise when a hungry elephant raids the croplands grown for human consumption.  Many countries of the Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia (and elsewhere around the globe) are trying to find solutions to preserving and protecting the indigenous animals that once roamed freely. Now many indigenous free-roaming animals are forced to go hungry. What is a solution that would protect and preserve animals that do not have enough natural habitat areas to forage for food and are thus forced into human-populated regions? Enter the wildlife preserves and committed zoos that work to keep endangered animals and humans safe from such conflicts.

Our own local Denver Zoo reaches out to other countries throughout the world to preserve and protect wild animals. The zoo has spent over $1 million to support animal conservation, and since 1996 has participated in 568 projects in 57 countries. With the new Asian Tropics exhibit, called the Toyota Elephant Passage, it is concentrating on the animals of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim. Not only is the new Toyota Elephant Passage the largest elephant facility in the country, able to house 8 bull elephants and several females within the 10-acre range, it also will provide a home for other Asian species such as Greater one-horned Rhinoceros, Malayan tapirs, Sarus cranes, Clouded leopards, White-cheeked gibbons, and Asian Small-clawed Otters. The new area will offer just what the title implies, “a passage” for the animals to wander safely throughout the area within cabled corridors. These fenced pathways will provide exercise and encourage more natural behaviors for the larger species.

Inside exhibit showing great use of natural light

Furthermore, The Denver Zoo accomplishes this feat of caretaking and conservation of endangered species by being extremely “green” – eat your heart out, Kermit. The state-of-the-art innovations implemented at the Toyota Elephant Passage have made the Denver Zoo the greenest zoo in the country.  The Denver Zoo is set to receive Gold (or Platinum) LEED’s Certification and the ISO 14001 certification for incorporating the highest environmental standards for their operation. These achievements have been accomplished by utilizing several resourceful methods:  incorporating a Biomass Gasification system which recycles 1.5 million pounds of animal and human waste created annually into energy, a water filtration system that will recycle the 1.1 million gallons of water used in the man-made ponds, sustainable architectural design and construction choices that use natural light (skylights, Solatubes, and reflection systems,) and ventilation systems that improve air quality.

A Gibbon playground

This 10-acre zoo addition is divided into three main sections: Chang Pa Wildlife Preserve, which mimics a wildlife reserve in an Asian country; Scholzel Family Village, complete with prayer flags blowing in the wind and Buddhist prayer wheels, and the Village Outpost, which exhibits some of the travails of wild animals having to deal with human settlements.

All this is made possible with a little help from their friends. The Denver  Zoo worked with the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) during the early phases of development to explore viable energy options.  Other financial supporters were Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., The Boettcher Foundation, Anabel C. and Jerome P. McHugh, The Governor’s Energy Office (Colorado), Pioneer Resources, Mesa Energy Partners, LLC and Western Energy Alliance.  However, we must sing praises to the namesake of the elephant passage, the group that continues to support the exhibition—Denver Toyota Dealers Association.  Their funds and support are making this animal and Asian cultural adventure deliver. This is no small feat. When a highly-visible organization such as the Denver Zoo sets the bar as the best of all the rest in environmental practices, it paves the way for others to follow (such as our local Toyota dealers) and make being green a beautiful thing. Thank you all!

Thanks to:

Groove Toyota in Englewood, Mountain States Toyota

in Denver, Stapp Interstate Toyota in Frederick, Stevinson Toyota East in Aurora, Stevinson

Toyota West in Lakewood, Larry H. Miller Toyota in Boulder and Go Toyota in Centennial.

References
http://www.denverzoo.org/toyota_elephant_passage/about_the_project/animals/index.html#Elephant

May – mothers, moons and memorials

Supermoon - photo courtesy of Sky-watcher and Google Images

Gemstone: Emerald
Astrology: Gemini and Taurus
Flower: Lily of the Valley and Hawthorne

 








Selected Poem:
Song on May Morning (1632-33)
“Now the bright morning star, day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her
The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.
Hail, bounteous May, that doth inspire
Mirth, and youth, and warm desire;
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing,
Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.” - John Milton

There is a rule of thumb in Denver, CO:  plant your tomatoes or any non-cold-hardy vegetables right around Mother’s Day. May is our month for planting safely without a frost (well, most years anyway). Alas, after gardening my fingers into dirty brown digits – preparing the yard for planting, building up the beds with more eco-compost, purchasing vegetable and marigold starts, and finding a moment to gently plant them in the ground, all the while weeding and watering – I have found a moment for a quick post.  

My Austrian Copper Rose (Rose foetida) - incredibly hardy yet ephemeral

Ah, May.  It is the fifth month of our calendar year which features the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.  May derived its name from the Greek word Maia (the Goddess of Fertility) and in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere it is indeed a very fertile month. Flowers burst their buds, trees leaf out, grasses turn green, birds incubate their eggs, and the icy grip of winter is a mere memory.  It’s a month with many events.

During the month of May, the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored by Catholics throughout the world, as well as mothers and nurses who have been given their own special day to appreciate them for all they do for those they care for. Happy Mother's Day to Lee (my mom in heaven) who taught me that preparing good healthy food is a language of love. The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Indy 500 are raced in the U.S., and soldiers who lost their lives serving in the U.S. military are remembered on Memorial Day, while those serving in the armed forces are recognized on Armed Forces Day.  Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates Mexico’s victory in 1862 over French forces in Puebla, is widely celebrated in Mexico and the U.S., as is Asian Pacific Heritage Month; and cycling enthusiasts celebrate the second week of May with National Bike Week.  This month we were blessed with a “Supermoon” – a full moon on May 6th appeared 14% bigger and 30% brighter due to a closer orbit around Earth during its perigee (221,802 miles).  Because of clouds and rain, the show was not to be had for me in Denver. However, later this month the moon will continue to draw attention to herself on May 20-21 with an annular eclipse; the moon will pass in front of the sun for about 5 minutes.  To finish off month we have the Monday, May 28th (Memorial Day) holiday to enjoy a 3-day weekend.  Memorial Day sets off opening day for many local swimming pools, so one can begin to practice and prepare for soon-to-be summer. Oh, busy and bounteous May.

References:
http://www.bartleby.com/4/204.html
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar-eclipse-may-2012.html
http://ca.skywatcher.com/