We have been getting tons of you asking about any Wild Wine Walks we will be having this fall. Our last one was in August and it was a huuuuge hit! We decided we needed to have another one ASAP! September has come and gone and we have yet to have one and with Halloween soon approaching we thought that it shouldn't just be for the little kiddies! That's why we will be having our 1st anual Wicked Wine Walk, Friday, October 30th! Come out and enjoy a nice fall evening complete with wine, animal artists, auctions, friends, and most importantly.......a huanted trail just for you thrill seekers! I will have more details soon to come.......by the way, what do you guys think about coming in costume? please leave your comments below.....we need your feedback!

Admissions are open 10-3 and grounds close at 4. we will resume our longer hours next spring.

Here is a run down of all of our Fall Education Programs we offer. Please contact Courtney at education@zoomontana.org or call at 652-8100 with any questions. these are great opportunities for your kids to get invloved in something other than xbox on their time off from school!

October 15th
We offer 2 sessions filled with stories, games, crafts, and animal encounters! Choose to attend one session or attend both! Both sessions are appropriate for ages 6-8 years. Please bring a snack and sack lunch if attending both sessions. Remember to dress for the weather!
Session 1: 9:00-12:00 Camouflage Detectives!
Session 2: 1:00-4:00 p.m. Nocturnal Senses!
Pricing: Members: $30/session, $50 for both sessions
Nonmembers: $35/session, $60 for both sessions

October 16th-17th
Nocturnal Night at the Zoo! 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 a.m.
This is a sleepover that is appropriate for ages 9-11 years. At least one parent/guardian must accompany the child. Includes a Nocturnal Night souvenir, evening smores, a nocturnal night hike, Zoo admission for the entire next day, breakfast, up close animal encounters, a behind-the-scenes tour, keeper chat, and discovery activities! Dinner will not be provided. Maximum capacity is 15 children. Please bring all medications and dress for chilly outdoor activities!
Pricing: Members: $30/child, $20/adult
Nonmembers: $40/child, $30/adult

November Workshops:

Don’t spend the early dismissal days at home! Come to the zoo and learn about scat identification, skulls, hibernation, and winter behaviors of 3 types of animals. Choose to attend one workshop or attend them all! Lunch will not be provided. Appropriate for ages 8-11 years. Please dress for the weather!
November 4th: 1:00-4:00 p.m. Herbivores
November 5th: 1:00-4:00 p.m. Carnivores
November 6th: 1:00-4:00 p.m. Omnivores
Pricing: Members: $30/workshop, $75 for all 3
Nonmembers: $35/workshop, $90 for all 3

Winter Brrreak Workshops from Dec. 28th-Jan. 1st
Explore concepts of thermoregulation, tracking, den architecture, and more!
Choose to attend one day or attend them all! Please dress for the weather!
Workshop 1: 9:00-11:30 a.m. each day. Appropriate for ages 6-8 years.
Workshop 2: 12:30-3:00 p.m. each day. Appropriate for ages 9-11 years.
Pricing:
Members: $20/workshop, $85 for all 5
Nonmembers: $25/workshop, $110 for all 5

Cant Wait to hear from you!

It started out as just an everage day for one girl named Sierra. She and her family came to enjoy a day at the zoo and stopped by to take a peak at what we were doing for a Keeper Chat/Animal Enrichment. After I was done introducing Bruno I asked all of the kids listening, a question. Sierra answered correctly so we surprised her and took her into the bear building where she got to meet bruno up close and help zoo keepers Kari and Chanda do enrichment for him! Take a look at the cool pics below! We will be doing more of these "Defining Moments" but they won't be scheduled and you won't know we are doing one until the actual Keeper Chat/Enrichment......who will be the next lucky little one....????


Bruno IS in the background of this pic but due to my camera quality he didn't exactly show up.

Now you see what Bruno looks at all day!


Getting ready to hide some treats!


Check out Chanda's cool boots!!!

At first glance there seemed to be a beautifully full grape vine growing up the side of our builing....then it moved....then it walked! Don't worry, we areen't running any weird experiments out here. We just had the priviledge of being entertained by a stilt performer by the name of Divine. She came all the way from San Diego to perform at ZooFari and it was probably one of the coolest/creepiest things I have ever seen. She seemed to grow right out of the building, or right off the tree! Then she started walking down the path and over the Eagle Bridge! Standing at over 8ft tall this was quite a sight! The pictures below do not do her performance justice because it was that neat!

so here I am sitting in the nature store of the zoo peering out of the admissions window. Why am I doing this at such an indecent hour? well, because there is a wedding reception going on! That's right! So many couples made the zoo their venue of choice for their ceremony AND their reception. They seem to be having a pretty good time out there....me, I am just thankful for diet coke (that's where the caffiene comes into play), fashion blogs, and facebook to keep me awake! Next summer is already filling up pretty quickly so if you are interested or if you have any questions about using the zoo to host your next event just contact Caitlin (me!), guestservices@zoomontana.org.

For this week's contest I want to hear your best memory from here at ZooMontana. Get thinking because the prize is a Family DAY pass!!

I hope you all are having as good of a weekend as Bruno is...



Enjoy!

Isn't he adorable?! Meet our newest addition to the ZooMontana family, Cass, a two year old, male wolverine. If you still have not caught a glimpse of our other wolverine ,Muki, (I was convinced for months that the keepers were lying to me about having a wolverine because I never saw her) make some time to come out and see Cass. He is a busy little man!

Just a few quick updates/reminders....

September 7th (tomorrow) is Grandparents Day, so bring in your grandparent and they will recieve free admission!

September 12th is ZooFari, our largest fundraiser! The zoo will be closing at 12:30. If you have any question about participating in this event please contact Jenny at 652-8100 ext 4.

....and dont forget Boo at the Zoo is October 31st! Keep checking the blog for more info!