History of the "Friends"
How did the Friends come to be?
On Sunday, June 25, 1988, three bald eagles from the zoo were found massacred
on the North Shore of Big Bear Lake. This disturbing act precipitated the formation
of the Friends of the Moonridge Zoo. Four individuals headed by Carol Dingley
inquired about security at the zoo, which was run by San Bernardino County
Recreation and Parks District. The county's lean budget could not provide funds
for adding security. Carol, Melinda Hope, Phyllis Siegel and Louise Dand started
a 501(c)(3), non-profit corporation "Friends of the Moonridge Zoo" in
order to solicit monies for a security system (March 21, 1989). The small group
attracted about 10 more members in the next few months.
Donation cans for the zoo were placed throughout the Valley,
and the first Zooccasion was held August 1989 at Bear Mountain ski resort as a fundraising event.
The small group became interested in learning more about the
zoo. Joe Duret, the zoo keeper at that time, informed the volunteers about
the current wildlife at the zoo, enabling them to help out with docent guided tours.
What has the Friends accomplished?
In 1990, Paul Hope became president of the Friends. During his three years,
an adoption program was started, and a membership program was started in 1992.
Also around this time the Park began charging a visitor's admission fee.
In June 1992, we opened our first Information Center. It was
a table with a canopy top. We even offered t-shirts and postcards for sale.
In 1995, Paul Hope built a shed to house our expanding merchandise, but our Information
Center remained an outdoor table affair. Still, our volunteer
Information Center docents were delighted with the upgrade!
In 1993, Paddy Speyers became president. We continuely upgraded
our information about the zoo's wildlife in our Docent Manual (by the way,
Melinda Hope put together our first docent manual).
Our funds to help the zoo increased yearly, enabling us to build
the ringtail enclosure, help with the red fox, black bear, bison and coyote
enclosures; plus continue to pay for and upgrade the security system with an All
Protection Alarm.
A big challenge faced us early in 1996 when our curator, Don
Richardson, spoke of a Grizzly Family in need - could we help?
We definitely wanted to. With the community's support and help with
great public relations from Ann Bailey, we managed to raise over $150,000 to build
the Grizzly Family a home. This effort helped put Big Bear and the Moonridge Animal Park
on the map. It also gave us connections to other zoos and friends from all
over the United States and the world.
In November 1996, we accepted another challenge - building a
Wildlife Educational Center. The center was finished in the spring of 1997.
The education center now serves multiple purposes: visitors enter and exit the Park
through the center. We have our gift shop there. Also the zoo curator has his
administrative office located in the center. Plus some exhibits are in the center too.
Where are the Friends going?
Our challenge now is to raise several million dollars that is needed to relocate the
animal park to a proposed site on the north shore of Big Bear Lake, adjacent
to the Discovery Center. The new site location will be known as the Living Forest
WildLife Center. The Moonridge Animal Park's lease expires February, 2009 and will not be renewed. Infact,
the property has been sold to a developer with no plans of allowing the park to
stay on their land when the lease expires.
Would you like to become a Friend and receive volunteer training?
Each new volunteer receives eight hours of classroom study and 20 hours
hands-on apprentice training. Your apprentice training can be completed from among
a variety of interesting activites. For example, during your apprentice training period
you could work in the gift shop, assist in conducting tours, do construction, gardening,
art work, out-reach programs, and/or work with our animal rehabilitation helpers.
In the spring the zoo staff is over-burdened with orphaned and/or
injured wildlife. Helping little critters take a lot of time, and we can always use
some newly trained volunteers to help. The main requirement, to be an animal helper,
is to volunteer a minimum of two days per week, four hours each day. As your dedication
and care of animals is demonstrated further training is provided.
Working in the gift shot is fun. All our gift shop workers are volunteers.
All profits from the gift shop support the many needs of the
zoo, including developing our reference library and upgrading medical equipment
in the medical trailer and the "baby" shed.
We have come a very long way since four concerned women set out
to make the Moonridge Animal Park a safe haven for its wildlife in 1988, and there are still
many exciting, new things we hope to be able to accomplish in the future with
the help and input of all of our volunteers.
The following is a list of our presidents:
1988 - 1989 Carol Dingley
1990 - 1993 Paul Hope
1994 - 1997 Paddy Speyers
1998 - 2000 Lucy Camacho
2001 - 2001 Ron Birkle
2002 - 2002 Nancy Naftel
2002 - 2005 Paddy Speyers
2006
- Current President Betsy Henke
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