Arctic Ambassador Centers Win Awards

/ Post by Polar Bears International

Members of our Arctic Ambassador Center network continue to work on the front lines of polar bear conservation, reaching millions of people every year with a call to action on climate change.

We’re proud to congratulate two of these leaders for recent awards:

• Utah’s Hogle Zoo was honored by the Utah Society of Environmental Educationfor its educational and outreach efforts on global warming through its Rocky Shores exhibit, earning the Environmental Education Program of the Year.
• The Louisville Zoo received Top Honors for its Glacier Run exhibit from theAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), taking home the AZA 2012 Award for Exhibit Design. The zoo earned the award in part for its climate messaging.

The Hogle Zoo’s efforts include signage and other static interpretive elements onglobal warming in its Rocky Shores exhibit, strong interpretation by its volunteers and Eco-Explorers on how we each can help, a Polar Bear Challengecarbon-footprint reduction program for schools, and Climate Care Kits.

The Louisville Zoo’s Glacier Run exhibit is modeled after Churchill, Canada, a town on the edge of the arctic wilderness where residents have learned to live in balance with nature. The exhibit features seals and sea lions, a rescued grizzly bear family, and three polar bears including Qannik, the wild-born orphaned polar bear cub that made national headlines when she was rescued on Alaska’s North Slope in 2011

One of the design’s goals was to provide scientific information on climate changeand inspire visitors to increase their personal conservation efforts.