About Us
Relocation of
Moonridge Animal Park
Introduction
"The Living Forest Wildlife Center" is a
holding name used to describe the relocated Moonridge Animal Park. The
actual name of the new park remains to be determined.
The Moonridge Animal Park's 50 year
lease expires February 2010, and it is not renewable.
The purpose of this writing is to provide an overview of the
proposed relocation of the Moonridge Animal Park (also marketed as Big Bear's Zoo), which is
proposed to be built on 25 acres of National Forest Service land located on the
North shore of Big Bear Lake next door to the Big Bear Discovery
Center.
Big Bear Valley located in Southern California
Big Bear valley is located in the San Bernardino Mountains at
an elevation of 6500 feet - alpine country. The communities
of Big Bear Lake and Big Bear City are nestled in the valley, surrounded
by USDA Forest Service lands. The permanent population is 16,000, and during
weekends and holidays the number of people in the valley mushrooms to 100,000.
Big Bear Valley is within a maximum 3 hour drive of 25 million
people living in the greater southern California area ranging from Los Angeles, Ventura
and Kern counties to Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, and San Diego
counties. This population is expected to expand to 32 million by the year
2020.
Moonridge Animal Park
The Moonridge Animal Park has been a wildlife
rehabilitation center for injured, orphaned, and endangered alpine species since 1959. The Moonridge
Animal Park is the only alpine zoo in the United States that specializes in animals living
in alpine and sub-alpine eco-systems. Animals housed at the Moonridge Animal
Park are primarily native to the San Bernardino Mountains or would normally
live in an alpine setting, including several endangered species such as
grizzly bears, timber wolves, fishers, and bald eagles. The Moonridge
Animal Park provides educational programs, both on-site and off-site, to
the local and surrounding areas.
The transformation of the Moonridge
Animal Park when it moves on to the North Shore
The relocation of the Moonridge Animal Park to the North Side of Big
Bear Lake adjacent to Big Bear Discovery Center will have an expected annual visitation
of 150,000 guests. The new animal park will be contained within an
estimated 25 acres and designed as an ecologically green alpine zoological and
botanical gardens park, using renewable resourses and alternative
energy.
The new animal park's master plan
calls for the design, construction, and management of high-quality facilities,
consistent with public expectation in regards to natural habitat enclosures
and state-of-the-art exhibit and interpretation of native species.
The new park will interpret the historical development of the Big Bear
Valley by tracking changes in the alpine-wildlife populations in
correspondence with historic human events. The park's maximim holding capacity is estimated to handle 1,000 visitors at one time on the site.
The Primary Directive
The new park will keep true to its
founding roots, wherein it will tend and care for injured wild animals and release
them back into the wilderness. If after rehabiltation an animal is unreleaseable, then they
will be given a "HOME FOR LIFE" in our park. This primary role defines
the animal park's purpose in attending to wild animals in need of assistance.
From this simple directive the new park evolves its' basic tenets
-- one being build one upon the other -- wild animals, health care, zoological
home, and human learning opportunities.
Animals
The animals come for rehabilitation
for one of two reasons: either the animal has bonded to humans and will
not survive in the alpine wilderness on its' own, or the animal comes from
the alpine wildlife because of a recent injury.
Health Care
The primary goal is to help (heal)
wild animals and return them to their wilderness. If upon healing, the
animal cannot be released, then it is provided a "HOME FOR LIFE" in the park.
Zoological Home
The zoo evolves as a
result of accumulating wild animals that cannot be returned to their
native habitat. Therefore, the park will require habitats to allow the animals
to live in a protected environment.
Learning Opportunities
The zoo provides
an excellent backdrop for exposing children as well as adults and
teenagers to nature. The park will inherently be educational for visitors.
A multitude of learning experiences can be provided using docent tours
among people with varying chronicle ages and thematic orientations.
In particular, an extenuated
effort will be placed upon children tours. We are a people whose minds
are formed by learning through experiences and social interactions.
Young minds are indeed impressionable. Children who have
opportunities to directly experience wildlife habitats will grow in appreciation for wildlife
and gain a healthy distinction between domestic and wild
animals. This educational experience will include an emphasis on the importance and
need of eco-systems for all types of life to co-exist. First hand
impressions are superior to vicarious learning experiences. Therefore, it
is imperative to organize ways for children to visit the park and
to participate in tours that are educationally designed for age-appropriate
groups.
Building for the 21st Century
Since the Moonridge Animal Park is moving
to a soon-to-be developed location, a fantastic opportunity exists
for constructing the park with the best that technology can offer.
The metamorphism is in the direction of a first class educational zoological
and botanical site supported with renewable energy resources within a living
alpine eco-system.
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