Zoo Closure Alert

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo will be closed to the public (including members and day admission) on Thursday, September 19th, 2024, while we host the final event of the 2024 AZA Annual Conference.

Early Zone/Building Closures

ENMAX Conservatory, August 24: The ENMAX Conservatory will close at 3:00 p.m. to accommodate set up for a private event.

Destination Africa, August 25: Destination Africa will close at 5:00 p.m. to accommodate set up for the FOCUSED: Destination Africa event.

Thank you for your understanding!

Animal Viewing Impact: African Savannah Yard

Our Hartmann’s mountain zebras and ostriches will be off-view until the end of the year while we complete exciting upgrades in the African Savannah Yard, including the construction of a new Savannah Barn for the animals. Our giraffe tower will continue to be viewable throughout the project. Thank you for your understanding.

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Conservation Champions Club

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Conservation Champions Club

Please fill out this application form to apply for the 2024-2025 Conservation Champions Club

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo's Conservation Champions Club invites youth to join us in our mission to sustain wildlife and wild places. Incorporating aspects of field study, inquiry and service-learning, this program gives young people the opportunity to explore their passion and take action for the natural world around them.  

The Conservation Champions Club is a program for youth, ages 14 to 17 years old. This is a year-long hybrid program that runs from September to June where we have access to a virtual classroom on Canvas complete with conservation resources, videos from experts, and different opportunities for discussions via discussion board postings and in-person meetings on field trip days. Each month is guided by a ‘big question’ related to conservation. The Conservation Champions go on a field trip each month to develop their skills in conservation and scientific literacy, engage in fieldwork, and at the end of the program, they will participate in two service-learning projects at conservation sites.

Event Details:
Dates: September 2024 - June 2025
Price: Free

Students will be chosen based on their application and confirmation that they will commit to the program. Application deadline is July 26, 2024.

Successful applicants will be conditionally accepted and notified the week of August 5, 2024. The parent(s)/ guardian(s) of the successful applicant will need to complete a registration form on the applicant's behalf. Following submission of the registration form, the applicant will be accepted into the program and will be invited to a team builder at the end of August.


Please enter the following information to apply:

Note: All fields are required to be completed

Students who are interested in joining the Conservation Champions Club will engage in year-long learning opportunities where they can advance their knowledge of the natural world and learn about what they can do to conserve wildlife and wild places. Students will have the opportunity to engage in virtual sessions with experts, service-learning opportunities in an urban community, as well as fun outings like rafting and snowshoeing where they can develop their scientific observation skills. 

This program is completely subsidized (no cost) and is meant to inspire the cohort of students to become Conservation Champions and take these learnings and skills back to their school communities to inspire change.

The Conservation Champions Club will begin with a Program Overview and Teambuilder Session at the end of August from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The program will run from September to June and requires the following time commitments:

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1) Virtual: Canvas Conservation Learning (Resources) 
- Students will explore the resources each month at their own time
- Set aside 1 hour or less per month to explore resources (September to June)

2) Group-Led Conservation Project
- Students will work in groups to contribute to a conservation project on a topic of their choice.

3) In-Person Activity/Service-Learning Opportunity
- Once a month (depending on the activity or service-learning project, the day will either be a morning session or a full day session)
- Dates: August 24, September 21, October 19, November 16, December 7, January 18, February 8, March 8, April 5, May 3, & June Date: TBD (Weather-dependent) 
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Are you willing to commit your time to the Conservation Champions Club?

Application Questions

We kindly request that you provide answers to the questions below, as your application will be assessed based on the information provided.

Thank you for applying to the Conservation Champions Club! You will be notified in early August if your application is successful. 

Dress for the weather! The zoo is open year round with plenty of areas to explore both outdoors and indoors. Day admission, events, experiences happen rain, snow or shine. Purchases/tickets are non-refundable. Explore our website Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo for more details.