Riverbanks Zoo teaches conservation, appreciation at Party for the Planet

It seemed like a good day to talk about water conservation and protecting other natural resources at Riverbanks Zoo, as morning rain dampened the zoo’s Party for the Planet on Saturday.

Clutching his copy of a laminated bird guide, 5-year-old Chaz Munn, with his sister, 7-year-old Ella, checked items off a bird-watching scavenger hunt as they wandered through the aviary exhibit.

The scavenger hunt, designed to encourage kids and their families to spend time observing and enjoying nature around their own homes, was one of several activities promoting conservation and appreciation of the environment.

The yearly event is held in honor of Earth Day, which was Wednesday.

“Recycle, reuse – everyone hears that over and over,” said Syndi Castelluccio, a coordinator for the zoo’s teen and scout programs. “(This year) we’re focusing on how important these resources are and why we would need to recycle, reduce, conserve – things of that sort – and just getting kids to appreciate nature.”

One activity station on Saturday taught kids and parents about the ease of reducing their water use at home.

Another taught them about the role of bees in pollination and that they’re not dangerous animals, but they just want to protect their hives. Learning the “bee dance” – the pattern bees fly in to lead fellow bees from the hive to the plants – made the critters seem “a little” less scary to Ella Munn.

The Munns, of Charlotte, were visiting the zoo with their mother, Jennifer, as part of a Girl Scouts activity day.

Ella and Chaz said they were learning a number of things they hadn’t known before, such as how litter can harm animals, what a drone bee does and that their chewing gum is made from tree products.

Seeing kids such as Ella and Chaz come away from the zoo knowing something new is exactly what 16-year-old zoo volunteer Samantha Day had hoped for the event.

“It’s very fun to see their eyes light up whenever you teach them new things,” Day said.

This story was originally published April 25, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Riverbanks Zoo teaches conservation, appreciation at Party for the Planet."