Green Tales Green Infrastructure Good for the environment, good for our visitors and good for our animals

By Ted Fox As our mailing address—1 Conservation Place—shows, the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, N.Y., takes its conservation mission seriously. Since 2009, Onondaga County, which governs the Zoo, has undertaken numerous projects in Central New York

designed to divert water from the sewage Burnet Park. at Zoo Gifford © Rosamond and storm systems and recapture rain water for reuse. Five “Save the Rain” projects were • Elephant Exhibit– green roof, bio- Zoo engages beyond the field of animal completed at the Zoo by 2013. The focus retention - 200,000 gallons care. The Zoo is also routinely visited by of this effort has been to prevent sewage • Zoo Entrance– bio-retention areas and classes from regional higher education overflow into the tributaries of Onondaga porous pavement - 686,000 gallons institutions and environmental engineering Lake and the lake itself. Onondaga Lake is • Zoo Parking Lots– porous pavement and and landscape architectural firms as a considered sacred to the Haudenosaunee bio-retention - 3,772,000 gallons showplace for forward- thinking, innovative Nation and was, at one time, a recreational • Storm-water Wetland and Cistern– water and responsible green infrastructure. The jewel in Central New York. After decades of reuse - 1,153,000 gallons newly-created gardens, wetlands and green sludge dumping by chemical companies, it • Total annual capture = 5,901,000 gallons roof have been carefully planted with native eventually earned the label of dirtiest lake in Additionally, these projects have added plant species, which draws native wildlife, the country by environmental groups and was beauty to the grounds, created habitats for primarily birds, amphibians and insects declared a Superfund site by the EPA. Zoo inhabitants as well as native wildlife. back to these areas. The wetland has added The projects centered at the Zoo had Maintenance costs and utilities have constant enrichment for the birds making multiple goals: reduce the amount of water decreased as the bio-retention areas and rain them more active throughout the day. The used as fill and waste in animal exhibits; gardens have reduced the need for mowing. whole Zoo has become more aesthetically collect rainwater from roofing systems and The elephant barn’s green roof has kept pleasing as well as environmentally sound divert to gardens; collect and recycle pond the temperature within the elephant living and the response of our guests has been water to create wetlands for use as bio- space more stable, thus saving electricity and overwhelmingly positive. Now, visitors are filtration plains and bird habitats; and filter natural gas. Storm water catchment basins almost as likely to take photos of gardens as water from the asphalt in the courtyard and and recirculation of waterfowl pond systems they are of animals. parking lots by the use of porous pavement have significantly reduced fresh water use, The most recent project was completed and structural soil which is then redirected saving both water and money. last year. The new 50,000 gallon elephant to bio-retention gardens. Once installed, the majority of the pool, which uses recycled water and does This effort has been very successful. Here systems are passive, requiring little not add any water to the municipal storm is a comprehensive list of our projects and maintenance or attention. With the or sewer systems, will be presented during the water each has diverted annually from exception of the waterfowl wetland a session at the Annual Conference in the sewage/storm systems: area, few mechanical systems are used. Indianapolis. We hope to see you there. • Courtyard/Primate Exhibit– porous Interpretive graphics highlight each system pavement, structural soil, rain gardens - so that our visitors become more aware Ted Fox is the zoo director at Rosamond 270,000 gallons of conservation endeavors in which the Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park. For more information on the Save the Rain initiative, please visit: www.ongov.net/sustainability/water/str.html

September 2017 | www.aza.org 11