In case you haven’t heard, the Philadelphia Zoo is about much more than simply marveling at captive wild animals. With its emphasis on endangered species conservation, reaching out to local underserved communities, and mentoring young women for leadership in the natural sciences, our nation’s first zoo takes a very modern approach to its mission to advance discovery, understanding and stewardship of the natural world through compelling exhibition and interpretation of living animals and plants.
The Institute teamed up with the Philadelphia Zoo more than five years ago to offer students of the Junior Zoo Apprentice program a nature immersion experience in the Poconos one weekend each year. This annual group of 14-18 urban youth get the full PICE natural history experience — including nature exploration in the rain, forest night hikes, and lots of laughter by the campfire. By the end of the weekend, no one wants to leave — especially us. You can view pictures from the 2011 trip on the PICE Facebook page.
The Philadelphia Zoo is part of an important collaborative called the Philadelphia/Camden Informal Science Education Collaborative (PISEC), a partner of Pennsylvania Master Naturalist. The PA Master Naturalist program is providing training for Apprentices of the Communities of Learning for Urban Environments program of PISEC.
To learn more about these programs, click on links below: BACK TO HOME PAGE
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