Posted on:Thursday, March 30, 2006
BY DYLAN MULICK
On a recent Saturday morning, eight volunteers gathered at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange to begin their journey as zoo docents.
What's a docent? They are responsible for giving tours, educating visitors and sharing their passions for the zoo with others.
"The work you will be doing here is very important to us and our zoo," said Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. The county owns and operates the zoo.
The Turtle Back Zoo docent program began in 1984 and currently has 80 registered participants, some of whom have volunteered for more than 15 years. While most docents are from Essex County, others come from such surrounding locales as Kearny, Summit and Morris Township. Nonetheless, DiVincenzo was quick to offer a gentle reminder: "Our slogan is Essex County first."
The docents share a love of animals. Robert Desch, president of the Docent Board of Directors, said he became a docent six years ago because he has "always loved animals and always wanted to give back."
Docents are required to complete a training program and serve 70 hours per year. The training is held at the zoo Saturday mornings at 9 and typically runs six weeks.
Veteran docents and zoo employees teach the material, which ranges from the zoo's history and ecology to animal behavior. Each week, students study a chapter from their workbooks and are required to remember five facts of interest. There is a quiz at the end of each training session.
Desch said they recently have restructured the training to make it more practical for what docents encounter on a day-to-day basis.
"It's a basic zoological education," said the West Orange resident. "We also teach how we as humans can learn from animals. Like in California, how animals can detect earthquakes."
But the training is not all academic. Desch said one of the most important things they do is "teach people to respect animals."
With the recent expansion of Turtle Back, the zoo needs more volunteers. Last year saw the edition of Jelly and Jam, two black bear cubs that have added excitement to the premises. Desch said the bear exhibit is the zoo's most popular.
In addition, a year-round barnyard exhibit has attracted many people. DiVincenzo said these at tractions helped the zoo reach a 20-year attendance high in 2005.
And there's more in store for Turtle Back. DiVincenzo is planning to construct an outdoor dining pavilion and Reptile Education Center to complement the state-of-the-art Animal Hospital built last year.
"The reptile exhibit will only help bring people to the zoo," he said.
DiVincenzo and the staff at Turtle Back have their hands full as they eagerly await the zoo's pending additions. Although standards are high, a future goal for Turtle Back is to gain accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which would enable the facility to apply for federal funding.
The zoo has undergone many changes since 1995, when it was threatened with being shut down. Desch believes DiVincenzo has played a crucial role in rescuing it.
"Joe D. and the freeholders have been phenomenal," Desch said. "He has the vision. The quality of the exhibits and training has really turned around."
And with improved exhibits and upcoming expansions -- DiVincenzo announced the start of a $1.2 million construction project that includes an open-air pavilion and playground -- the role of docents will become even more important. The upgrades are part of DiVincenzo's plan to transform Turtle Back Zoo into a year-round attraction.
"The docents teach the public," DiVincenzo said. "We could not run the zoo without them. They are our ambassadors."
