Minnesota Zoo Media Contact

If you need additional information or wish to request an interview with any Minnesota Zoo staff member, please contact:

Kelly Lessard
Public Relations
Minnesota Zoo
13000 Zoo Boulevard
Apple Valley, MN 55124
952.431.9217 direct
952.431.9300 fax
kelly.lessard@state.mn.us

 

 

Press Releases

Governor Pawlenty to Break Ground for Heart of the Zoo Project at the Minnesota Zoo
Groundbreaking Ceremony Monday, June 21, 11:00 A.M.

Apple Valley, MINN – June 18, 2010 – On Monday, June 21, Governor Tim Pawlenty will visit the Minnesota Zoo for the groundbreaking of “Heart of the Zoo”, a multi-phase project that will build the new Target Learning Center, the Cargill Environmental Education Center, and the much-anticipated Penguins of the African Coast exhibit.

The first phase of Heart of the Zoo is a $20 million project that combines support from the State of Minnesota and the private sector. Governor Pawlenty and the State Legislature recently allocated $15 million for Phase One, while the Minnesota Zoo Foundation secured $5 million in gifts from corporations and individuals. This unique public/private partnership has been instrumental in recent years in creating new Zoo exhibits and improved guest amenities including Russia’s Grizzly Coast, Woodland Adventure, the Central Plaza and its Splash Zone, and the Medtronic Minnesota Trail.

"I'm proud of the excellent work the Minnesota Zoo has done in recent years ensuring this continues to be a world-class zoo," said Governor Pawlenty. "This is one of the most innovative zoos in the country and the Heart of the Zoo project is going to help take the zoo to the next level."

Adds Minnesota Zoo Director/CEO Lee Ehmke: “The entire Heart of the Zoo project is designed to promote sustainability and to demonstrate the Minnesota Zoo's strong focus on the conservation of natural resources.  The project also reaffirms our commitment to offer our guests experiences that are at once comfortable, eye-opening and magical.” 

The Heart of the Zoo project will set the tone for the entire Minnesota Zoo visit with welcoming landscapes, innovative architecture, exciting animal environments, and cutting-edge sustainable design and operation. The Zoo is committed to operating in ways that minimize negative impacts to
the environment. Heart of the Zoo is a re-use of what’s already at the Zoo, as opposed to building from scratch.

Heart of the Zoo–Phase One includes a penguin exhibit, a welcoming and “green” Cargill Environmental Education Center, and the new Target Learning Center which will be home to the KAYTEE World of Birds Show and to provide a great new venue for other educational events.  

Penguins of the African Coast – opening in 2011
Penguins of the African Coast is the first of three exhibits for active, social species (penguins, snow monkeys and meerkats) to be featured in Heart of the Zoo. For the first time, guests will be able to experience these amazing aquatic birds eye-to-eye, above and below water, in a replica of their spectacular, wild habitat on South Africa’s famed Boulder’s Beach.

Cargill Environmental Education Center – opening in 2011
The Cargill Environmental Education Center includes a classroom that looks into the new penguin exhibit. Designed for the thousands of teachers and students that visit the Zoo each year, the green center will offer great spaces, including the Zoo’s increasingly-popular Zoo Camp and a new program focused on early childhood learning.

Target Learning Center – opening in 2011
Located strategically near the lobby that connects to the Tropics Trail and Medtronic Minnesota Trail, the new indoor theater will occupy the footprint of the Zoo’s long-vacant whale pool. The new space will provide an efficient venue for educational and community events as well as serving as a winter home for the Zoo’s popular KAYTEE World of Birds Show.

Heart of the Zoo–Phase One is scheduled to be completed in summer 2011.

The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org. The Minnesota Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).