Master Plan
This Master Plan Update – 2005 takes the next step in realistically defining not only what the Valley Zoo experience should be in the future, but also how it should be used by visitors, animals and staff alike.
Visitors to the new Zoo will encounter a new Entry that is designed for ease of access to key visitor services, including washrooms, new Education classrooms and administrative offices, refreshing drinks and gifts, and an introductory view into the Otter Pond.
The Otter Pond will be the starting point for the Wander, the Zoo’s central circulation spine that interprets the plants and small animals of Alberta’s Aspen Parklands and Prairies, and provides a locus for additional seasonal food services, shelter, transportation, and rest, relaxation and informal play.
Advances since the 1994 Capital Development Program include:
* Establishing a collection plan and exhibit precincts that creatively deal with the challenges of the northern climate… both in terms of the strategic layout and location of outdoor exhibits, as well as the overall nature of the visitor experience;
* Creating more visitor amenities, indoor program areas and education animal holding closer to the proposed entry and the core visitor services area;
* Developing an entry precinct and central visitor circulation route that accommodates seasonality, including low-day and peak visitation periods, as well as all ages and abilities;
* Insuring sufficient “back of house” space to enable excellent management of both the animals and the physical asset;
* Integrating the Zoo campus better with the surrounding Park and community;
* Establishing an approach to the development of “green” infrastructure.
While this updated Plan continues to advocate for well-designed, naturalistic exhibits that are organized as “exhibit precincts” of biomes , it now has fewer precincts than the previous Master Plan. This is a result of an increasing focus on species that can be displayed year-round, in Edmonton’s climate, with a condensed core of tropical exhibits that will provide a contrast with, and escape from, the cold of the Edmonton winter.
