Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Sept. 24, 1979, edition 1 / Page 7
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7 September 24, 1979 7 NATUDE CENTED Area residents who have not visited the Western North Carolina Nature Center at the county's Recreation Parle have missed a real treat. The Center transcends all the old stereotypes usually associated with a small local zoo, and offers the visitor an unusual opportunity for partici patory involvement with some outstanding exhibits. Staffed by progressive, dedicated professionals, the Nature Center is rapidly turning into a show case that is garnering admiring recognition from other regional zoos. Actually, Director Mel Thomason contends, the Center cannot be properly termed a "zoo." "Zoos are very exhibition-oriented. Most animals are separated according to their species. What we have here is what we like to refer to as an 'integrated living environment.' We not only mix the species according to how they normally interact in nature, but also introduce the same flora that is present in the animals' native environments." This philosophy is not limited to just the mammals, but extends to the fish and reptile exhibits as welL The_aquariums, for instance, not only mix species of vertebrates and invertebrates, but also contain the native under water plants. Great care is taken to give the animals as close an approxima tion to their natural setting as possible. The new Nature Center is a far cry from the old Asheville Zoo. The previous facility w^ hopelessly outmoded, housing animals in an en vironment that was unpleasant both for the creatures themselves, and their viewers. Modeled after the "steel bars ahd concrete slab" school of habitat design, a scattered armload of straw on the floor of the pen was often the only gesture made towards any simulation of an animal's nat ural environment. Visitors often left the zoo with the disturbing image of two adult lions housed in a ten by ten foot cage, or the memory of a lone bobcat pacing continuously on the black circle it had worn on the bare floor of its pen. Clearly, there has been a drastic change in turning an old, unpleasant facility into a model of progressive zoo keeping. _ The turnabout began in 1976, when the development of a nature center for the area was chosen as Buncombe County's Bicentennial project. Al though area industries such as Akzona, Inc. played a major role in providing capital for the venture, much of the money came in the form of voluntary contributions from private citizens. Stated one local official, "This is an outstanding example of what a community, even a small one, can do with the help of involved citizens;" The Nature Center opened in May of 1977 with a new director, Mel Thomason, at the helm. The facility has been successful since its inception. During the first year of operation, 110,000 people toured the Center, more than doubling the old attendance averages of 48,000 visitors a year. In 1978, the number dropped to what Thomason feels is a more realistic figure of 87,000 visitors. "You have to take into account factors such as novelty, and opening day attendance figures during that first year," he states. The tremendous success of the new facility has ’ led to a steady series of construction projects. Workers are now putting the finishing touches onia new elephant shelter and are also working on other pens for smaller mammals. An education complex is also planned with a tentative completion date set for sometime in 1980. Nature Center officials plan to use this building as a place where the public can by Bill Porter come and see films and slide presentations. Outside speakers will also be brought in to conduct informal lecture/discussion sessions that will be open to everyone. Although the Center has had generous financial input from the commu nity, it still operates on a severely limited budget. Money not only has to be spent on new construction projects and the acquisition of new animals, it also has to be spent on maintaining the present exhibits. According to staff member David Anderson, all of the animals are, to varying degrees, extremely delicate creatures. "County officials ask us 'Why can't you cut ‘Costs by buying the elephant this cheaper type of hay?' What they don't realize is that the elephant may not the other type of hay, and will re fuse to eat it. This not only isn't good for the elephant, it's financially unsound also, for you have uneaten food going to waste." The Nature Center is expensive to operate, and admission costs do little to offset the expense. Although adults pay seventy-five cents to tour the facility, it costs the state approximately two dollars for every visitor who goes through the gates. With these financial considerations in mind, Nature Center officials made a decision two years ago that radically altered the guiding philosophy and direction of the complex. Because of financial restrictions, staff mem bers felt that the Center had a choice of proceeding in one of two different directions: either proceed with the acquisition of expensive exotic animals, in which habitat quality would have to be sacrificed, or begin a transition tpwards limiting the exhibits to species that could be found within the region. The latter choice would be less expensive, and the money that was saved could be rechanneled into providing the animals with the best living environments available. Ultimately, a decision was made to convert the old zoo into a center where the major emphasis would be on exhibiting animals native to the region. The Nature Center continues to have its share of exotic animals-Henrietta the Elephant still lives there-but most of the animals that are not native to the regidn have been sold to various zoos across the country. The result of this decision is one of the finer local natural history centers to be found in a two-hundred mile-radius of Asheville. The exhibits are enjoyable and informative, and are abviously the work of a conscien tious and progressive staff. One of the more interesting exhibits now open to the public is a "nocturnal room." In this exhibition area, a visitor can see animals that are usually active only at night, such as owls, flying squirrels, and skunks. To accomplish this, Nature Center zoolo gists have pulled a fascinating biological "trick" on the animals. During the normal night hours, the room is kept in "daylight." During the day time, the area is bathed in low intensity red light-the kind found in a photographer's darkroom-thus reversing the animals' normal hours of sleeping and waking. This gives the visitor a rare opportunity to observe the nocturnal habits of these creatures. The ground hog pen is also a work of ingenuity. Set on a hillside, the visitor can watch the ground hogs at the entrance to their dens. However, by stepping through the door built into the slope, one can actually observe the animals at work con structing their burrows. A thin plate glass window is the only thing separating the visitor from the animals. One of the most popular exhibits at the Nature Center is the pair of North American river otters. Sleek and incredibly agile, they are Continued on p.19
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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Sept. 24, 1979, edition 1
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