Potter Park Zoo, located at 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Lansing, MI. Photo by: Vikram Mandelia
Potter Park Zoo received the Angela Peterson Excellence in Diversity Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums at their conference in New Orleans, Louisiana this week.
Potter Park's credentials for the award include their Zoo In Your Neighborhood program, which works with 35 local partners to provide education in the Lansing area and allows community members to check out zoo passes to bring their family to Potter Park for free.
“One of our top priorities is to be more accessible and inclusive to all and we will continue to work tirelessly to make the zoo a place truly all can enjoy,” said Mariah Martinez, Community Engagement Coordinator.
Despite the recognition for the program, Potter Park is still looking to expand the program.
“More community partners will be added to our Zoo In Your Neighborhood program so that we can reach more communities and provide more zoo passes,” said Potter Park Zoological Society Executive Director Amy Morris-Hall.
Martinez said the announcement of these new partners will come in January 2020.
Similarly, in 2019, Potter Park was named the first zoo to be sensory inclusive by KultureCity.
Potter Park has a program called FALCONERS where the zoo permits free admission to people with special needs or developmental disabilities and their families.
“Our goal is to make sure we are accessible not only to those in our community, but also to those traveling long distances,” Martinez said. "We want to remove any challenges that may arise when guests visit the zoo.”
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
