One of the things I love about camp is that it’s a human story.

Impact can be hard to describe. You can talk about programs and outcomes, but it doesn’t always feel tangible. Camp is different. You can walk through the zoo and actually see it — kids in their burgundy hats, laughing, learning, asking questions. In 2025, more than 1,400 kids took part in camp programs across the zoo.

You’re seeing young people who care about the natural world, who are curious, who are hungry to learn, but who are also just having a great time at the zoo. That’s the immediate impact. But what’s just as important is what happens later.

Camp is an investment. You’re planting a seed. Years from now, that connection to nature stays with them. They become people who care, who advocate, who make choices that support wildlife and wild places. That’s the long-term impact.

The impact is immediate, and it stays with them long after camp ends, made possible by the support behind programs like this.

What makes our programs unique is how immersive they are. Over a full week, kids aren’t just visiting the zoo — they’re part of a shared experience. They build relationships with staff, volunteers, and each other. They follow a story, explore ideas, and see how everything connects.

And in some cases, they leave something behind.

This year, one of our teen groups worked with the Horticulture team to plant native species on zoo grounds. Some of those participants have been coming here since they were very young, and now they’re contributing to something lasting.

This kind of experience matters. It builds confidence and shows them their actions can shape the spaces around them. The next time they visit, they won’t just see a garden, they’ll see something they helped create.

We also see it in the way people come back. Staff who were once campers. Parents who attended camp now bringing their own kids. It becomes a lifelong relationship, not just with the zoo, but with the natural world.

Time spent in nature, learning together, and being part of a community matters. It builds confidence and helps young people see themselves as someone who can make a difference.

And the conversations that start here don’t stay here. They continue at home, at school, and with friends.

That’s where real change begins.

You can see it in the kids walking through the zoo today, and you can trust that it will continue