On the Cover Inspired to Live Well

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In 2011, when the executive director position at the Red River Zoo opened up, Lisa Tate was intrigued. She knew of the Red River Zoo's reputation as a strong conservation organization focusing on cold climate species, but didn’t know much about Fargo. "I flew in and was so impressed with the city," Tate said. "Fargo took me by surprise. There's a strong art component here and that is important to me. When I visited the zoo, I fell in love with it. The exhibits, especially new ones, told me the staff knew what they were doing. I'm passionate about the zoo business, knew my skill set would be a good fit, and accepted the position."

What surprised Tate about Fargo was how little the community knew about the zoo. "The Red River Zoo is a treasure right in our own backyard!" Tate said. "Over one quarter of all the Chinese Red Pandas, born and bred in U.S., have been born here at the Red River Zoo," she said. "We've been successful with many other species as well: Bactrian Camels, Pallas Cats, and Sichuan Takin. This past year The Red River Zoo won the FM Chamber of Commerce Best Small Non-profit Award." Tate continued listing off honors and impressive stats of the Red River Zoo. She is clearly a woman who loves her job.

"I feel very fortunate to have been exposed to so many wonderful experiences," Tate said. "My parents are my heroes; they encouraged me to try new things and not be afraid of failure."

Tate grew up in Missoula, Montana and spent much of her time outdoors. She loved riding her horses in the woods and also enjoyed rock climbing. "The mountains and forests played a big part in shaping my character," Tate said. While riding in the mountains, Tate came across a group of people hang-gliding. Soon she was reading everything about the sport and participating in it. Later, Tate began organizing hang-gliding competitions and became an avid glider pilot herself. She served on the United States Hang Gliding Association Board for twenty years and was president of the group for eight years. "Hang-gliding isn’t the thrill sport that you might think it is," Tate said. "It's very cerebral. When you catch a draft, and are up in the air, you can be there for hours. It’s very quiet and peaceful." Besides these outdoor activities, Tate also enjoyed working with glass and glass engraving.

Tate says she's been able to do so many interesting things in her life for many reasons. "I don’t have children or a family of my own," she said. "It’s not good or bad, just the way it turned out. I'm okay with that. My parents always said, 'Do whatever you like, but do it well. If you try something and don’t like it that’s okay; do something else. Find what is enjoyable.'"

Tate moved to Boise, Idaho in the 1980s. She worked eighteen years at Zoo Boise, cared for a five-acre farm where she raised Arabian horses, received her Master's degree in nonprofit management, and continued working with glass. She has studied glass blowing and engraving at the Bay Area Glass Institute in San Francisco, the Pratt Fine Art Center in Seattle, and the Corning Studio in Corning, New York. She specializes in blowing glass using multiple layers of color, then cutting through each layer to reveal a design. Her work is collected throughout the United States and the Middle East, and is currently in two permanent museum collections. This rare form of glass combines three major disciplines: glass blowing, designing, and engraving.

One of Tate's pieces was purchased from a gallery in Los Angeles and given as a wedding gift to the royal couple, William and Kate.

While working at Zoo Boise, Tate became actively involved in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. "I worked with the West African Crown Cranes and wrote and published The Stud Book for the W.A.C.C. Each endangered species has a survival plan, or population management plan," Tate said. "The stud book is all the information on the captive population, including genetics and breeding recommendations to maintain genetic diversity." Tate was also elected to work on the Andean Condor Steering Committee.

"I got involved in the Zoo business because I am a conservationist," Tate said. "For me the zoo business is not an amusement or entertainment based attraction. It's true that a zoo is a wonderful, enjoyable space for families, but our mission has a conservation base. We care for animals in order to educate people about wildlife, and wild places. This is increasingly important especially when you see how activities are becoming more indoors and more sedentary." Tate said she wants the zoo to give children a glimpse of another world and to inspire them to preserve and appreciate natural areas. "The zoo is not just for the animals. But for ourselves as well. It is a place to explore. For me the importance of wild areas is really clear, growing up the way I did."

Are you interested in Lisa's exquisite glasswork? More of her pieces can be seen at lisatateglass.com.

"There are species that are going extinct," Tate continued. "We cannot breed and maintain the genetic diversity of all of them. Animals are losing their wild spaces, and zoos have to make choices about which species they will care for. Zoos are, therefore, increasingly being asked to have off-exhibit areas to house breeding animals. RRZ has been doing this for some time. We have Chinese Red Panda, Russian Red Tree Squirrels, and Pallas Cat breeding areas."

Did you know that the Red River Zoo is currently 20 acres and growing! It is home to more than 600 animals consistening of 89 difference species?

The Red River Zoo is accredited by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums showcasing the fact that they meet or exceed the industry’s highest standards of excellence. This past year they were awarded the AZA Edward H. Bean Significant Achievement Award for conservation work with the Chinese Red Panda. With a focus on cold climate species (primarily from Northern China, Tibet, Northern Europe and North America) the Red River Zoo encompasses thirty-four acres, twenty of which are currently developed.

While most zoos in America are funded by a governmental entity such as a city or state, the Red River Zoo is not supported financially by the City of Fargo, the Fargo Parks District, the State of North Dakota, or any governmental entity. "We are self-supporting," Tate said, "which means we must fund all operations and capital improvements with earned revenue and charitable contributions."

If you haven't been to the Red River Zoo in the last five years, you may be surprised at how significantly it has changed, with several high caliber exhibits being added as well as new public art pieces. "The RRZ is a cultural institution in our community," Tate said. "We have commissioned local mural artist Paul Ide to create a bamboo forest mural, and mosaic artist Magda Szeitz recently finished a stunning glass mosaic."

According to Tate, the zoo is successful due in large part to the amazing staff. "The staff is passionate and dedicated. It’s not a job. It’s a vocation. We have a strong, dynamic board of directors and good opportunities for volunteers who would like to be involved in shaping and growing the Red River Zoo." Volunteers do a wide variety of tasks from ground work, gardening, and office work to cutting up diets for the animals or cleaning. The zoo currently employs sixteen full-time and several part-time staff: a general curator who oversees the animal department, a director of education, a facilities manager, a business and events manager, and an amazing veterinarian, Dr. Tom Colville, who donates all of his time.

In 2013, the Red River Zoo had approx. 97,000 visitors and 1,850 Red River Zoological Society members. "Membership in the Red River Zoological Society is a wonderful way to support the zoo," Tate said. A family membership is $65 per year and allows unlimited visits to the zoo, as well as a members' dinner, special opportunities, discounts on classes and free or reduced admission to over 150 AZA Accredited zoos across the U.S.

"The RRZ has beautiful grounds and is available for weddings and corporate parties, client events, and children’s birthday parties," Tate said. It is also home to the Diederich Family Carousel, a fully restored antique carousel―made in the rare "stir fry" style of making horses with metal legs and handcarved wooden bodies―by famed 1920s carousel maker Allan Herschell. Warren and Irene Diederich purchased the carousel, refurbished it, and donated it to the zoo.

"This past fall, the RRZ opened its North American River Otter Exhibit. It is a world class exhibit with waterfalls, river and large pool," Tate said. Otter Rapids can be viewed from the outside or people can go into the otters den and watch the otters swimming underwater. It is a true immersion exhibit: You feel like you are stepping right into the animal's habitat.

Attendance at the zoo increases approximately 10,000 people per year. “There are so many wonderful things about the RRZ," Tate said. "We focus on cold climate species and some of them are rather obscure such as the Sichuan Takin, a big hoofed animal from northern china. The Brown Eared Pheasant is exhibited at only four other zoos in America. Winter is a great time to come to the zoo because that is when many of the animals are most active. There are also heated barns and indoor viewing components to view outdoor animals."

Several things are in the works for the zoo in the coming year including building Fargo's fi rst nature playground. "A nature playground is a new kind of playground," Tate said. "It will be made up of natural things with the intent to spur kids' imagination and creativity. We're looking at creating a living willow sculpture, moving the old perimeter fence, and making good use of the old parking lot. Statistically, children in nature playgrounds play twice as long as they do in ordinary playgrounds. We'd like to be part of helping with childhood obesity and sedentary children, and create an area of play, imagination, and enjoyment of items natural to our world."

A new Children's Zoo Farm is being planned alongside the nature playground. It will focus on where food comes from and how plants, which end up on a kitchen table, are grown. The zoo farm hopes to inspire children to understand the importance and fun of healthy eating.

The Red River Zoo was recently honored when the Amur Species Survival Plan asked it to be a breeding facility for the Amur Leopards and Amur Tiger, both large cats which come from Russia. "Along with the Nature Playground, we'd like to make this our next big project," Tate said.

"People always ask me what I love best about my job," Tate said. "It’s so hard to say. I love walking around the zoo and seeing all the animals. I like listening to the kids when they come in and see the armadillo display near the entrance. They squeal and are so happy. It's delightful and just so cute. They give me hope. Those are the kinds of kids that will grow up and love the things they see in their world."

The 2014 summer season at the Red River Zoo will kick-start with its 'Party for the Planet' on April 26. For more information visit redriverzoo.org. [AWM]