Safari- Making the ProMedica Museum of Natural History at the Toledo Zoo

SAFARI

SPECIAL EDITION : MAKING THE PROMEDICA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The Official Magazine of the Toledo Zoo | Volume 28 | Issue 2 | Summer 2019

WELCOME LETTER We are beyond excited for the grand opening of the ProMedica Museum of Natural History at the Toledo Zoo later this spring. A lot of work from a lot of groups has gone into remodeling, redesigning and re-conceptualizing the building that was constructed in the 1930s. This issue of our quarterly member magazine delves into the details of the new space, along with some fun facts about how it was previously used. We hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Museum, including the new exhibits, graphics, animals and experiences. We also invite you to join us for the opening ceremony and be one of the first to explore this bounty of biology and haven of habitats. Stay tuned to Zoo social and website for more details!

Cover photo: Tropical Greenhouse

Sincerely,

Safari is an exclusive benefit to Toledo Zoo members.

Membership also includes free, unlimited, year-round admission and parking during regular Zoo hours; a subscription to the Zoo’s e-newsletter; early access to Summer Concert Series tickets; discounts on Zoo merchandise, classes, programs and more; and discounted admission to 150+ zoos and aquariums nationwide. toledozoo.org/membership

CONTACT INFORMATION

2 Hippo Way • P.O. Box 140130 Toledo, Ohio 43614-0130 419-385-5721 • fax 419-389-8670

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?

Contact the editor at 419-385-5721, ext. 2145 or kim.haddix@toledozoo.org

CONNECT WITH US!

An accredited member of World Association of Zoos and Aquariums | W A Z A United for Conservation

®

EDITORS: JEFF SAILER & SHAYLA MORIARTY WRITER: KIM HADDIX DESIGNER: ANN KINSMAN PHOTOGRAPHY: COREY WYCKOFF PRINTER: HOT GRAPHICS

Safari is published quarterly by the Toledo Zoo, P.O. Box 140130, Toledo, OH 43614-0130.

Second-class postage paid at Toledo, Ohio and at additional mailing offices.

TOLEDO ZOO CARES

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JEFF SAILER President & CEO, Toledo Zoo & Aquarium

EVENT SPACE

The Great Hall

with Michelle Doyle, director of group sales and catering

The former Indoor Theatre in the back of the Museum building has been transformed into a state of the art event space, with a nod to the nostalgic. Director of group sales and catering, Michelle Doyle, describes the space, now called The Great Hall, as beautiful and perfect for a variety of events!

Doyle thinks visitors will be impressed by the updates, but will still recognize the space. “It has a similar look to the Indoor Theatre. We kept the ceiling beams, chandeliers and the dark wood. The theatre style seats were removed, the floor was actually lowered to make the new seating area in-set and new terrazzo flooring installed. Where the concrete box seats were located along the walls, this space now houses refurbished historic display cases that used to showcase artifacts in the previous Museum. We also went back to the original stage, with concrete pillars on the front, as built during the Works Progress Administration era. It is a bit smaller but absolutely beautiful.”

The Great Hall also received some brand new additions.

“By dropping the floor down, we were able to create a balcony that looks over the entire event space. It will be perfect for quiet mingling, more private conversations and photo opportunities. The floor re-design also allowed easy access to the basement of the building where restrooms are located and where a new, state of the art catering kitchen was installed. It will be wonderful for both the

The Great Hall can seat 200 for a sit-down dinner, reception or cocktail party style event. According to Doyle, her staff can now do all kinds of events in the renovated Museum.

“We are prepared to do weddings, proms, private or corporate gatherings, parties and even meetings for up to 150 or almost anything our guests can dream up. The entire Museum (two stories of participatory, naturecentric exhibits) is even available to rent for after-hours events!”

“WE ARE PREPARED TO DO WEDDINGS, PROMS, PRIVATE OR CORPORATE GATHERINGS, PARTIES AND EVEN MEETINGS FOR UP TO 150 OR ALMOST ANYTHING OUR GUESTS CAN D R E A M U P.”

Perhaps The Great Hall’s greatest feature though, is its simple beauty. While it can be decorated to achieve almost any theme, it really doesn’t need a lot to be fabulously functional and fantastic!

guests and our staff to have the kitchen on-site and easily accessible. Additionally, we also added state of the art audio-visual equipment to help set the ambiance and increase the functionality of the area.”

To learn more about or reserve this amazing space, please contact the Zoo’s Group Sales department at groupsales@ toledozoo.org or 419-385-5721 ext 6001. 2019 dates are filling up fast!

Click here to see more of our event spaces!

Printed on recycled paper. ©2019 by Toledo Zoo.

Safari Magazine • Spring 2019

Safari Magazine • Spring 2019

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ROOM BY ROOM

Ohio: After the Ice in progress

OAK FOREST

ARTHROPODS

See life from an ant’s perspective on the forest floor in this 24x larger than reality exhibit.

Learn all about the largest group in the animal kingdom, invertebrates or animals lacking a backbone!

PRAIRIE GREENHOUSE

NATURE IN HAND

Enjoy all the beneficial and beautiful native prairie plants and wildlife this living laboratory has to offer.

Study a unique collection of specimens, fossils, pelts, bones and more interactive artifacts that bring science to life in this exhibit, supported by Dorothy MacKenzie Price.

Nature in Hand

Wetlands & Lakes

CAFE AT THE MUSEUM Grab a snack, coffee, appetizer or adult beverage and be on your way.

Rivers & Streams

TROPICAL GREENHOUSE

Click here to view more images of the new ProMedica Museum of Natural History!

Discover a two-story tropical oasis, complete with 30+ foot tall trees, bushes, orchids and much more.

OHIO: AFTER THE ICE Walk back in history through wild Ohio to when American Lions, Mastodons and other giants roamed the land.

WETLANDS & LAKES

Tropical Greenhouse

THE GREAT HALL

Take an interactive nature walk through the variety of ecosystems that surround the Great Lakes.

Dance with one foot in the past and one in the present in our new event space.

RIVERS & STREAMS

VENOM

Explore our local waterways as you flip rocks and happen upon live animals that live in our own backyard.

Venture into the world of venom, including snakes from around the globe, Komodo dragons and more.

Oak Forest

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Safari Magazine • Spring 2019

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Douglas Kampfer

GRAPHITE DESIGN + BUILD

BRINGING IDEAS TO LIFE It has been said that design is thinking made visual. The employees at Graphite Design + Build located in a 19th century warehouse on North Huron Street in Toledo could not agree more and it is evident in their biggest project to date, the ProMedica Museum of Natural History at the Toledo Zoo. To learn all about the processes that went into this project, we interviewed owners/designers/ builders, Douglas Kampfer & Jeremy Link.

Jeremy Link

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How did Graphite Design + Build working on this Museum project come to be?

L I N K : We started working with the Zoo nine years ago when we made the animal masks that hung outside of Nature’s Neighborhood. After getting our foot in the door with that small project, we created the larger, more impressive Aquarium Adventure Trail. The Zoo’s management liked our angle, saw we could handle whole spaces and larger projects and asked us to bid on the Museum renovation. We worked well with management and facilities for almost three years to figure out what they really wanted and here we are. This has been a dream project but also terrifying at the same time. It went really well but it has also helped to be local, just down the road, when we needed to move stuff in or check on the progress.

K A M P F E R : We realize the Zoo really took a risk on us with the Museum. This has been a life-changing project for us and our small local company. We had a similar vision of the potential of the WPA space as Jeff Sailer, the Zoo’s President & CEO. We then set out to design the space like it was originally laid out this way. We wanted to have a new feel in an old way so we visited lots of the newest and greatest Museums, fell in love with the diorama dome and it all fell into place.

What was your idea or goal for the new space?

L I N K : We were all fans of the historic arc and preserving the building so it made for a good business marriage. We

saw how amazing the space really was and once we opened it up, it felt even bigger. We really wanted to enhance, not cover up the history. Our collective goal was to turn a forgotten space into a cultural institution Toledo needs.

The Zoo is filled with WPA-era buildings and now the Museum is back to being the crown jewel of the area it was at the time it was built. It will be a new, exciting place to go.

K A M P F E R : To me there are two parts of the project that were super exciting- the WPA history and the ecology of Ohio. We are both from here and are nature nerds that have learned a lot while working on this project. It is a dream project for us and we are loving it. We want to make flat Ohio really cool so that people can celebrate it and takeaway pride in our area. I don’t think many people think of the history of the Great Lakes and how our region is one of a kind because of the glaciers that reset the landscape and animals here.

How would you suggest visitors experience the new Museum?

K A M P F E R : The first thing visitors will notice is the new entry way. Once inside you will immediately see a Tree of Life donor wall and as you turn into the entry plaza (where the old offices used to be) the space really opens up and you can see across the whole Museum. From there, move into Ohio: After the Ice, the largest exhibit whose focal point is the woolly mammoth model. We knew that it would be one of the most photographed exhibits for

Left: Sculpture created by Graphite Design + Build for the Oak Forest exhibit

the next 20+ years at the Zoo and we kept that in mind as we were building to make sure we got good angles. Then keep walking into the Oak Forest and on to the Rivers & Streams and then the Wetlands & Lakes exhibit. It is meant to be almost a bike tour from the Oak Openings to the Lake. Once you finish downstairs, go up to the second floor and you will enter a more modern museum, with exceptional live animals. Our idea here was to take a square of earth from a faraway land and let you really explore it. Be sure to stand on the balcony and look over, now that you are eye-level with the 18 foot wingspan of a bird you may have barely noticed when below. Finally,

end your visit in Nature in Hand, that features a unique collection of artifacts from the old museum.

What are your favorite parts of the new facility?

L I N K : I think the larger than life Oak Forest will really blow people’s minds. I have always enjoyed the “Honey I Shrunk the Kids idea” and think people will finally appreciate and be fascinated by the animals that they don’t even usually notice at 24x larger scale.

K A M P F E R : The waterways dioramas and dome scenes.

Most museums don’t do or make exhibits without a main character anymore, but I really enjoy it. I have described

the exhibit as taking a one hour drive along the lake coast and seeing all those habitats in a new light in one room.

Click here to learn more about Graphite Design + Build and their current projects.

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HISTORY & ARCHITECTURE THROWBACK

Here is a slice of Museum history put together by Peter J. Tolson, Ph.D., director emeritusconservation and research, and presented to the public at Night in the Museum a few years back.

Above: Employees working in the prep room, located in the basement of the Museum.

The Museum of Science was intended to be much more than a display hall for dusty curiosities. Costing nearly $600,000, it was a complex of buildings incorporating an outdoor amphitheater, an auditorium, a library and a restaurant. Tunnels and barrel-vaulted catacomb-like passageways connect the various elements.

Museum is surrounded by two-tier arcades (succession of arches) that are flanked by the first- and second-floor exhibit rooms. Cushion capitals (square at the top and rounded at the bottom columns) and Gibbs surrounds (type of architectural doorway) frame the arcaded balconies of the upper galleries.

As in the Reptile House that preceded it, the Museum of Science was built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style using reclaimed materials assembled by Frank Skeldon.

Although the cornerstone was laid in September, 1934, a series of mishaps -- including a workers’ strike, a shortage of funds and materials, and administrative holdups (as the Federal Emergency Relief Administration was replaced by the Works Progress Administration) -- delayed completion until 1938.

The Museum of Science’s exterior details are just as impressive as those that it contains. The façade incorporates stone corbel tables (block of stone projecting from a wall & supporting a heavy feature) and a beautiful balance of cut stone, brickwork and limestone rip-rap (collection or layer of interlocking stones). The west entrance has a group of three round paterae (a saucer-shaped decorative element) above the doorway. The south entrance hosts a series of arched windows above an unadorned stone cartouche (An oval shape, shield or scroll ornamental design element usually containing an inscription or date). Hand-forged grillwork protects the windows, and beautiful hand-hammered copper gutters and drain spouts remove water from the roof. Spanish tiles, characteristic of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, cap off this magnificent structure.

The Museum is an imposing beauty. Hand-hewn trusses span the vaulted ceilings. Slate slabs (quarried from the bed of the Maumee River and polished to a lovely sheen) compose the floors. Hand-wrought sconces and chandeliers supplement the natural light from circular windows on the second story. The largest gallery in the

Left: Visitors enjoying the former Indoor Theatre.

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Safari Magazine • Spring 2019

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CRAZY COOL

ANIMALS COMING TO THE ZOO

Cone Snail

According to Chief Mission Officer and Senior Vice President, Kent Bekker, these are some of the most interesting creatures that will be showcased in the new Museum.

KOMODO DRAGON

CONE SNAIL

Komodo dragons are the largest and heaviest lizards in the world. They are carnivores with serrated dagger-like, fleshtearing teeth that can grow to be 10 feet long, weigh 150 to 360 pounds and possess a potent venom!

Don’t let the cone snail’s bright and beautiful color patterns fool you, they are the most venomous animal on earth! Besides, being predatory and aggressive, they utilize a harpoon-like tooth to inject venom into their kills and there is no known anti-venin.

MANG VIPER Mang vipers are one of Asia’s largest snakes growing to more than six feet in length and up to 11 pounds. They have gorgeous coloring, green eyes and the ability to spit and inject venom!

STONEFISH Stonefish are named for their ability to camouflage with their reef surroundings and sit perfectly still until they ambush prey and swallow it whole! They are considered the world’s most venomous fish, as their sting can kill an adult human in less than one hour!

COCONUT CRAB Coconut crabs are the world’s largest terrestrial arthropod at approximately nine pounds and a leg span of more than three feet. They are named for their ability to crack open coconuts with their front claws; one of which is scissor-like, while the other is used more for crushing.

Mang Viper

SEA KRAIT Sea kraits are amphibious sea snakes with paddle-like tails. They can grow to be 30-50 inches long, have 2065 bands on their bodies and are 10x more toxic than rattlesnakes!

Coconut Crab

B I R D W I N G B U T T E R F LY Bird-wing butterflies are the largest butterfly in the world with a wingspan of nearly 10 inches! They are found in the rainforest canopies of Papua New Guinea and females are brown and white with rounder wings, while males are iridescent blue green and black.

Come check out these animals and more that now call the ProMedica Museum of Natural History home!

“THIS MUSEUM IS A TANGIBLE LINK OF HOW O U R A N I M A L S A N D C O N S E R V A T I O N E F F O R T S A R E I N T E R C O N N E C T E D T H R O U G H O U T T H E WO R L D A N D S PA N S O F T I M E .”

- Jeff Sailer, CEO/President, Toledo Zoo

Click here to say hello to our Cone Snail!

Komodo Dragon

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Safari Magazine • Spring 2019

Safari Magazine • Spring 2019

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VOLUNTEER

MAZZA GALLERY AT THE TOLEDO ZOO

SPOTLIGHT

The former Executive Director’s office/library is now a mini museum within the Museum. The University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum is excited to make a mini-version of their Findlay-based exhibits on the Zoo campus to help visitors appreciate themed art, stated the Museum’s director, Benjamin Sapp. “The sky is the limit on what we can do and the resources we can provide to help people experience the art of picture books that coincide with the themes of the new Museum of Natural History and the Zoo as a whole.”

Our Department Volunteer of the Year began volunteering at the Zoo in January of 2015. She was looking for an opportunity to help out in an office doing clerical work and expressed an interest in the library, thinking it would be a fun place to spend some time.

Illustration: Jacob Grant

In addition to original illustrations on display in historic book cases that will change a few times a year, Sapp says Museum guests can look forward to talks and signings

by children’s book authors and illustrators, as well as purchasing copies of the books on display (even some signed by the creators) in the Museum’s Curio Shop.

“We also have a free app that we are making available to the Zoo’s Museum visitors that will provide additional insights, videos and interactive activities as they walk through our new exhibit.”

The Mazza Museum and Toledo Zoo are both very excited to paint with all the colors of possibility this new partnership offers and look forward to illustrating a unique future for visual art at the Zoo together!

Four years later, she is still having fun routing journals and other periodicals, assisting with student school projects, digitizing and cataloguing historic Zoo photos, and supporting the education department with miscellaneous needs, including the brutal chore of socializing with the two cats that roam through the building.

One of the most challenging tasks that she has supported is helping the education department move not once, but twice, in the past two years. She pitched in with determination in her eyes and a smile on her face, even lugging heavy books.

We are honored to shine a spotlight on our Department Volunteer of the Year, Pat Jackson, for her dedication and passion. Thank you, ma’am!

Illustration: Lizzy Rockwell

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Illustration: Marcia Brown

Illustration: Beth Krommes

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Glacier model

NEW EXPERIENCES

with Kent Bekker, Chief Mission Officer and Senior Vice President Short-faced bear model Lake sturgeon touch tank in Rivers & Streams exhibit

Taxidermy featured in the Nature in Hand exhibit

Spider model in Oak Forest exhibit

To do the new Museum correctly, take the advice of those who conceptualized and created it and don’t miss these new experiences:

LIFE-SIZE MODELS

HELLBENDER CRAWL SPACE

While it would be hard to miss thanks to its sheer size, do not miss the chance to walk among life-size models of the mega-vertebrates, including lions, beavers and bears, (oh my!) that roamed Ohio during the Ice Age!

Kids can crawl under the hellbender stream to get a totally unique view of the freshwater homes of these rock-dwelling amphibians.

THE GLACIER

When many think of a natural history museum, they think of boring, mounted animal heads and pinned dead bugs, but that is not the way we ZOO things. Be sure to stop in this hands-on, exploratory learning lab for the curious, complete with touchable artifacts, bones, pelts and more!

Be sure to touch the giant block of ice to really get a feel for the force that helped create our current landscape as you walk through the Ohio: After the Ice exhibit.

LAKE STURGEON TOUCH TANK As was evident by the success of our first-ever Lake sturgeon release, these long-lived fish are extremely popular. We predict their popularity will only continue to grow now that guests can touch and see them up close!

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NATURE IN HAND

This is just a sampling of all that the new Museum has to offer, come experience it all for yourself this summer at the Must-do Zoo!

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January through April Memorial Day to Labor Day Monday-Friday • May & September Weekends • May & September October 1 - November 21

Lights Before Christmas Hours: November 22 - December 31 10 a.m. - 2:59 p.m. | Zoo Daytime hours

Sun -Thu 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. | Lights Before Christmas activities Fri & Sat 3 p.m. - 9 p.m. | Lights Before Christmas activities All Lucas County residents receive free Zoo admission every non-holiday Monday 10 a.m. - noon. (Must show valid proof of residency.)

The Zoo remains open for one additional hour after gates close to allow visitors to complete their visit. However, many animals may be off exhibit during the last hour.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS MAY 5 Cinco De Mayo Celebration toledozoo.org/cinco 12 Mother’s Day Celebration toledozoo.org/mothersday 17 Wine Tasting (Malawi) toledozoo.org/wine

18 Medical Mutual Dart Frog Dash toledozoo.org/dartfrog 23 President’s Circle Dinner toledozoo.org/membership 25/26 Summer Season Opening Weekend

JUNE 1 3 7

Saturdays: Member Mornings toledozoo.org/membership Lucas’ 8th Birthday Celebration toledozoo.org/lucas Summer Safari Camps Begin toledozoo.org/camps Wine Tasting (Museum) toledozoo.org/wine

16 18 21

Father’s Day Celebration toledozoo.org/fathersday Garden Tour toledozoo.org/gardens PNC ZOOtoDO presented by Skylight Financial Group toledozoo.org/zootodo

21 22 26

Sundae Funday presented by Shipt toledozoo.org/sundae ADA Day ZooBrew toledozoo.org/zoobrew

J U LY OPENING LATE SPRING 2019

7, 14, 21, 28 Music Under the Stars toledozoo.org/music 16 Garden Tour toledozoo.org/gardens 20 YPAC Wild Games toledozoo.org/ypac

For more information about these and other events, visit toledozoo.org/events