success! - Rolling Hills Zoo

Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit #177
Salina, KS 67401
Return Service Requested
625 N. Hedville Road • Salina, KS 67401
ANNUAL CORPORATE SPONSOR
Our Mission
April 7
Toddler Tuesday
April 18 -
Masters of the Night:
September 7 The True Story of Bats
April 18
Party for the Planet
Toddler Tuesday
May 5
Batty About Moms!
May 10
Armed Forces Day
May 16
May 23
May 29
June 2
June 2 - 3
June 5
June 21
Summer Hours Begin
Dream Night at the Zoo
Toddler Tuesday
Teacher SAFARI
ZooLaLa: Masters of
the Night
Father's Day Car Show
Rolling Hills Zoo is
dedicated to the
preservation of wildlife
through participation in
conservation programs
and by providing
fun and interactive
educational experiences.
MATCH MADNESS
SUCCESS!
On Tuesday, March 10th, Rolling Hills Zoo participated in Greater Salina
Community Foundation’s Match Madness, a special day where supporters
made gifts to Rolling Hills Zoo’s endowment fund, and GSCF matched a
portion of those donations to make those gifts go even farther!
G
ina Community Foun
r Sal
da
Match
ate
re
M
ti o
adness
Sandy Walker, President
Clark Renfro, Vice President
Morrie Soderberg, Sec. / Tres.
Michael Berkley
Helen L. Graves
Gary L. Harbin, M.D.
Julie Sager Miller
Ryan Payne, M.D.
Tom Pestinger
Sidney A. Reitz
Carolyn L. Walker
Trace Walker
Founder:
Charles W. Walker
1932-2012
n
Rolling Hills Zoo
staff
In total, 31 donors made gifts to Rolling Hills Zoo’s
endowment fund (ranging from $10 to $2,000),
totaling $10,180! With the match provided by
GSCF (and a drawing bonus), the total benefit
to Rolling Hills was $14,350! Thank you to
all of you who helped make this year’s match
madness such a success, and especially to the
staff at Greater Salina Community Foundation
for giving Salina area charitable organizations a
great way to build our endowments – and help
secure our future.
board of directors
Rolling Hills Zoo
Robert Jenkins, Exec. Director
Kathy Tolbert, Asst. Director
Peter Burvenich, General Curator
Jeff Parker, Director of Operations
Amy Barnhill, Director of Education
Vickee Spicer, Director of Marketing
Danelle Okeson, DVM
Debra Dolan, Exec. Assistant
Tracy Green, Sales and Events Mgr.
Gail Vance, Conference Center Mgr.
Gerrett Morris, Horticulture Super.
Rodger Bokma, Maintenance Super.
SPRING 2015
The inside scoop from your favorite zoo!
The True Story of Bats
April 18 - September 7, 2015
“For as the eyes of bats are to the blaze of day, so is the
reason in our soul to the things which are by nature
most evident of all.”
-Aristotle
Blind, blood-sucking, squeaky creatures - who wants
to see an exhibit on BATS? Everyone! Masters of the
Night: The True Story of Bats dispels many myths
about these flying mammals that have held fast for
many years. With lifelike models and interactives, the
ecological importance of bats is revealed, and visitors
can better understand and truly appreciate the
wonders of the bat world, and more importantly, the
crucial role they play in the world they share with us.
Up Close and Personal
Included in the experience are three live bat species:
the Indian flying fox (giant fruit bat), Seba’s shorttailed bat, and the common vampire bat, so visitors can
get a close-up look at these amazing flying mammals.
Compare first-hand how these species are different
and in other ways similar to each other, and develop
your own connection to these wondrous creatures of
the night.
Hands-On Interactives
The Grand Opening takes place Saturday, April 18,
How about trying on a pair of bat ears to experience
2015 during Party for the Planet. Once open, the
the sensitivity of bat hearing? Or if food is more
exhibit will be accessible seven days a week, from 9:00
appealing, try to match
a.m. to 5:00 p.m., until
the bats up with their
Memorial Day weekend,
Come See the Bats as Often as You Like –
favorite foods and look
when
public
hours
Get
Your
Membership
Today!
for bats masked in a
expand to 8:00 a.m. to
Don’t miss out on unlimited visits to see these amazing
variety of habitats. Other
5:00 p.m. Exhibited in
creatures! A membership pays for itself in less than two-andinteractives help visitors
the Earl Bane Gallery,
a-half visits - and also allows you discounts at most AZA Zoos
learn echo-location, find
Masters of the Night:
and
Aquariums
across
the
country.
where bats are located
The True Story of
worldwide, and discover
Bats, is included in your
Go online to rollinghillszoo.org and click on
and
how mother bats easily
admission to Rolling
become part of the wildest group in town!
find their babies.
Hills Zoo.
Masters of the Night is brought to you by these generous sponsors and donors:
Earl Bane Foundation
Carolyn L. Walker
Bennington State Bank
Joscelyn Foundation
KAKE TV
KWCH TV
Salina Journal
Salina Media Group
Arrow Printing
Stiefel Foundation
Anonymous
The Bank of Tescott
Bennett Buick GMC
Crown Distributors
First Bank Kansas
Frisbie Construction
Salina Women’s Clinic/SRHC
Salina Blueprint
Hassman Termite & Pest
Control
Triangle Trucking
Carrico Implement
Clubine & Rettele
Country Inn & Suites
Landscape Consultants
La Quinta Inn & Suites
Research Products Co
Solomon State Bank
Be wa
r y o f f l y i n g c r e at u r e
s t h at
come alive afte
s..
'
t
i
,
k
r dar
.
Spring is in the air and that means we are hard at work
preparing for the party of the year, ZooLaLa: Masters of
the Night! The giant fruit bats, common vampire bats, and
Seba’s short-tailed bats will be on their best behavior for
party-goers to visit in addition to the great food, drinks, and
some incredible auction packages to bid on at this year’s
event! Funds raised this year will continue to go toward the
feeding needs of the animals at Rolling Hills Zoo.
MASTERS
OF
THE
NIGHT
Join Us!
Your support begins as soon as you purchase a ticket. The
rest of the night depends on how successful you are at
“taking on the night”! As you walk amongst the creatures of
the night, you can purchase a necklace for just $50 that will
allow you to take part in the Heads & Tails game! Make the
right choices to be the last one standing and win big!
A “Taste” of Some Live Auction Packages and Zootique Items:
• Austin Bat Cruise for Four - Four guests will enjoy a trip to see Austin’s bridge bats, the world’s largest
urban bat colony. Package includes overnight accommodations.
• Independence Day in Estes Park - Six people will celebrate the Fourth of July in Estes Park!
• Bacon and Beer - An amazing dining experience for 12 at Fly Boys in Sylvan Grove.
• Children’s Dinosaur Party - Dinosaur-themed party to coincide with Dinosaur Revolution coming
this fall.
• Mystery Dinner - The Mystery Dinner returns! You won’t know where you are going until you get there,
but it is sure to be an unforgettable evening for you and seven friends.
P lus: We'll have some charming bat houses that you can bid on and take home!
Don't Miss These Other Great Opportunities:
• Zootique (silent auction) - one-of-a-kind artful zoo and bat-themed items to bid on or buy-it-now!
• Holidays at The Market Shop Sign-up Party - 30% off at an exclusive holiday shopping event at the
Market Shop!
• Blind Date! - Though bats aren't really blind, a new expansion
project to further the mission of the zoo will be revealed as the
“Challenge” auction item at the end of the evening. Much like
a blind date, we hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised when we
disclose the project!
Come master the night and join us for an evening
with plenty of "Battitude" and support YOUR
Zoo on June 5th!
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EVENT DETAILS:
WHAT: ZooLaLa! Masters of
the Night
WHEN: Friday, June 5, 2015
WHERE: Rolling Hills Zoo
(Wildlife Museum)
TICKETS: $75 per person by 5-29,
$80 after
From the Executive Director:
In the
Springtime...
A young zoo’s fancy turns to thoughts of, well,
accreditation. Now, I realize that is hardly the thing
that most folks think of when they think of spring,
but that is exactly what our Zoo is focusing on at
the present time. Rolling Hills Zoo is a member of
the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, usually
known as the AZA, and
as such, is subject to
an inspection every five
years to ensure that we
deserve this distinction. It
is a little known fact that,
of the nearly 3,500 licensed animal exhibitors
in the United States, less than eight percent are
capable of earning membership in AZA. This is an
achievement of which everyone in Salina and the
surrounding area can be very proud.
Rolling Hills Zoo
has been a member
of AZA since shortly
after its opening,
and
has
been
accredited
every
five years since that
time.
Application
for membership is
a rigorous process
that opens the
institution to the examination of every aspect of the
operation from finances to the content of education
programs to the diets that are fed to the animals.
Following the same accreditation practices that
universities and hospitals go through, all of our
policies, procedures, and protocols are submitted
to a Visiting Committee for thorough review. We
will then be physically inspected sometime this
summer by a team of three experienced zoological
professionals, each an expert in their respective
field. They will look in every back area, taste the
food in our restaurant, interview staff and generally
“curry comb” the zoo for at least three days. Once
done, they will issue a report outlining any concerns
they identify while noting the Zoo’s particular
achievements.
These documents
then go to the
AZA Accreditation
Commission who
will review the
reports. When the
Commission meets
in September, the
Zoo will have to appear before the Commission
for a hearing. There they will decide if the Zoo is to
be accredited for another five years.
Accreditation is important for our Zoo as
possessing this distinction opens doors in federal
and state regulations, streamlines permitting
activities, and promotes the exchange of animals
in our conservation and breeding programs. But
most importantly, being an accredited member of
AZA is quite literally the “good zoo-keeping” seal
of approval, showing that your Zoo is one of the
very best.
Robert Jenkins
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BATS
Indian Flying Fox
Pteropus giganteus
Found throughout S. and SE Asia and China, the Indian flying fox likes to
roost on trees in tropical forests and swamps along coasts and bodies of
water. They exist in large numbers within an expansive range that includes
protected areas. Although their population is steadily decreasing, the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists their status as
Least Concern.
This flying mammal has large eyes, simple ears, and no facial ornaments.
They are dark brown, grey, and/or black with a contrasting yellowish
mantle. Males are typically larger than females with a wingspan ranging from 3.9 to 4.9 feet and body length of
about nine inches.
As frugivorous (fruit eating) bats, they eat mainly figs, but also a variety of fruit including mango, guava, and
papaya, as well as nectar. These bats will squeeze out the fruit juices by pushing the food to the top of their mouth,
then spitting out the dry material. This species finds their food by using their great senses of smell and eyesight,
and do not use echolocation.
Since the flying fox is polygynandrous (they don’t develop pair bonds), females are defended from intruding males
by the males that live in their roosting tree. They breed yearly, giving birth to usually one baby at a time.
Like most bats, they are nocturnal, leaving their trees at sunset to feed. They spend the day hanging upside down
sleeping with wings wrapped around their body and will fan themselves with their wings to help in thermoregulation.
Males sometimes will maintain a dominance hierarchy of resting spots throughout their roosting tree.
Most threats are from human activity - roosting trees being cut down for road expansions and other purposes, and
hunting for their meat and use in medicine. Predators include some raptors and snakes.
Common Vampire Bat
Desmodus rotundus
The common vampire bat is native to Central and South America and
Mexico, found in large colonies, roosting in low lit caves with deep fissures,
and in tree hollows. This species is listed as Least Concern in view of its wide
distribution, presumed large population tolerance of a degree of habitat
modification, and because its rate of decline is quite low.
The vampire bat resembles a pig with fangs and large pointy ears. Only
weighing two ounces (it can double that in one feeding), it is about 3-1/2
inches long and has a wingspan of seven inches. Its coat is dark graybrown. It walks by lifting itself up on its hind legs and wrists. A thumb claw
sticks out from the front of its wings that it uses for climbing on its prey.
Vampire bats are hematophagous, meaning they feed on the blood of
birds and mammals like cattle and horses, their roosts often smell strongly of ammonia due to the digested blood
that collects in the crevices and on the floors of the roosts.
The Vampire bat mates year round, with the female giving birth to one baby at a time. When the pup is born its
eyes are open. The mother nurses the pup for the first two months. The mother feeds the pup on blood, which she
throws up after she drinks a good amount.
Common vampire bats are active only during the darkest hours of the night. In the darkness, they use echolocation
to find food and to avoid collisions when flying. Bats produce ultrasonic (high frequency) sounds that are not
audible to humans.
4
The vampire bat is both predator and prey. Its predators are eagles and hawks. Farmers are killing them
because they can carry rabies and other diseases, which affect both humans and cattle.
Seba’s Short-Tailed Bat
Carollia perspicillata
Seba’s short-tailed bats live in moist evergreen and dry deciduous forests
from northern Argentina to southern Mexico. While Seba’s are listed by IUCN
as Least Concern, protection of roosting sites and education programs to
allay misguided fear of bats are important measures for the conservation of
this and all bat species.
Weighing barely more than half an ounce, Seba’s short-tailed bats are small,
gregarious, social leaf-nosed bats. Their dense fur is usually dark brown to dark gray in older animals, although
quite rare, some are rusty orange in color. Adults can be up to 2-1/2 inches long with a wingspan of nine inches.
As frugivores, they feed on more than 50 types of fruit, much of which grows on low-lying shrubs. They supplement
their diet with pollen and insects. They rely on an excellent sense of smell to locate food, and usually travel within
a mile of their roost to find it.
Seba’s have two breeding seasons annually: one that coincides with peak fruit production and one at the end of
the dry season when flowers come into bloom. Females give birth to single offspring and usually have two offspring
per year. At birth, each baby bat is tiny, weighing less than 1/5 of an ounce.
These little bats are most active just after sunset. They make a variety of sounds, both audible and ultrasonic. The
audible sounds are used to communicate between mothers and their young, between roost mates, to attract mates
and as alarm cries.
Although they are common throughout their native geographic range, they still face the same threats as other bats
around the world, including hunting, habitat destruction, pesticide poisoning, and persecution by humans, and are
vulnerable to predation by snakes, raptors, and nocturnal arboreal mammals.
New Faces at the Zoo!
AMY BARNHILL, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
A native of Salina, Amy comes to Rolling Hills Zoo most recently from the Houston, TX area
where she was the Manager/Director of The Little Gym in Houston and as the Education
Coordinator for the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Prior to that, she spent over
three years at the Houston Zoo as their Education Specialist. Amy earned her Bachelor of
Sciences degree in Interdisciplinary Studies – Environmental Education from Emporia State.
With her experience in both traditional and non-traditional educational settings, Amy is sure
to bring a treasure trove of great ideas to build the education program at the Zoo.
TRACY GREEN, SALES AND EVENTS MANAGER
Many of you will recognize Tracy, who joined the Zoo team on March 30th. Tracy was the
Assistant General Manager and Event Manger at the Salina Country Club – for 28 years!
Tracy has worked closely with many Salina area businesses and organizations and we know
she will put those skills and connections to good use sharing the unique attributes of the Zoo
for group visits, special events, and conferences. Tracy’s great reputation in the community
and unparalleled history of providing excellent customer service makes her a great fit for
the Zoo.
DARRIN WRIGHT, HORTICULTURE TECHNICIAN
Darrin’s skills as a landscaper, horticulturist, and arborist are sure to help take the Zoo to
new heights in beautifying the park! Most recently, Darrin was a Park Technician with the
City of Salina, where, amongst other things, he created the landscape design for the East
Magnolia Road landscape medians with sustainable and Xeriscape design. Prior to that, he
worked as the landscape and irrigation foreman as well as the garden store yard foreman
for Earthcare. Darrin is a Kansas Certified Arborist and a Kansas Nursery and Landscape
Certified Nurseryman. We can’t wait to see his green thumb at work in the Zoo!
Help us in giving a warm Zoo welcome to amy, tracy, and darrin!
5
Father’s
It's a PARTY
for the
Day 2015
ROLLING
Featuring cars,
trucks, HILLS
and ZOO
motorcycles in all
makes and models from all over the region!
Register for Car Show Online,
OR Call 785-827-9488 ext. 114
Entry fee is $25 (by June 4th) $35 after June 4th,
and $20 each for two or more vehicles owned by
one exhibitor
REGISTER YOUR VEHICLE TODAY!
Show Mom just
how much you
care with a visit
to the Zoo and
Wildlife Museum!
The first 100 Moms
will receive
a special gift!
BATTY
ABOUT
MOMS!
MAY 10th
9 am - 5 pm
We'll see you
and Mom at
Rolling Hills Zoo!
PLANET!
Celebrate
Earth Day at
Rolling Hills Zoo!
The fun starts at 9:00 a.m. with keeper encounters
scheduled throughout the day:
• Get your face painted ($)
• Make a fun craft or play games
• Get your picture taken with George the Giraffe
• Treat yourself to a lunch special at the Overlook
Restaurant
Regular admission applies
ARMED FORCES DAY
Saturday, May 16th
Rolling Hills Zoo
honors all military!
HALF-PRICE ADMISSION
for all active and retired military and
their immediate families.
(Military ID required)
WE THANK
YOU FOR YOUR
SERVICE!
Inflatable
Slide and
Bounce Hou
se
for the Kids!
For more information and details on these and
other upcoming events, visit us online at:
www.rollinghillszoo.org
g
llin
Enro
N
OW!
SUMMER CAMPS
at
Rolling Hills Zoo
A NEW Theme Each Week!
Wildlife Adventure Camp
Ages 4-7
Live animals, games, crafts, and snack time come together for summer fun in these unforgettable
camps. These two-and-a-half hour programs are designed especially for campers ages four to seven.
All sessions are from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Members: $13.50/child • Non-members:$15.00/child
Wildlife Explorer Camp
Ages 8-11
Perfect for the animal lover in your household, this summer camp is full of animal interactions, behindthe-scenes explorations, and an all-around wild time! These six-hour day camps are designed especially
for campers ages eight to eleven.
All sessions are Wednesdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Members: $27.00/child • Non-members:$30.00/child
Junior Zoo Keepers
Completing 6th-8th Grade
Participants will engage in actual zookeeper chores that are performed every day to keep the animal
residents healthy. They will work in the Reptile Building and Kid’s Country along with many other behindthe-scenes areas at Rolling Hills.
All sessions are Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Members: $67.50/child • Non-members:$75.00/child
CAMPS START JUNE 1ST
®
Chili’s Slumber Safari
Kids 8 - 12, bring a friend for an overnight adventure!
BOYS ONLY
April 24th & July 31st
GIRLS ONLY
April 25th & July 31st
WILD BIRTHDAY
PARTY PACKAGES!
Ask
about our
Register online at rollinghillszoo.org or call us at 785-827-9488
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