Seneca Park Zoo - Volunteering

[puter]

Several people have expressed interest in helping out with the zoo tank and we're now ready to begin gratefully accepting those offers. We're planning weekly visits to the zoo, usually early on Saturday or Sunday morning, to perform the routine maintenance the tank requires.

We're looking for one or two volunteers to join the team leaders who are scheduled on a rotating basis to head up the weekly visits and oversee the work.

The two remaining visits for this month are scheduled for:

1) Saturday, March 18th at 8:30am; and
2) Saturday, March 25th early (probably between 8-9am)

If you're interested in helping out on one of those days, please post a response to this thread. We need to limit the number of volunteers to two per week so, depending upon the number of responses received I may need to employ a more formal scheduling system as we go forward. But, we'll see how this works out for now.

Since we're limiting the number of participants, please be sure that you are able to make any dates you sign up for and strive to be on time. The team will be heading into the zoo together, so if you're more than a few minutes late, you may not be able to get in.

- Mark

 

[Tingy99]

I would love to help out. I could be available either day. I also could be available on a regular schedule. If you can use me just let me know and I'll send you my contact info.

Thanks,

Terry

 

[ReeferMac]

Hi Terry,

Thanks for volunteering! The dates and times posted are what's available right now. There is a regular weekly maintenance schedule divided between team leaders, but it's up to the team leaders to decide if they want an individual to be a regular 'helper'. For the time being, simply commit to a date/time, and be there! You'll meet the team leader in charge for that day, and see what's involved in making the tank function. What we don't need, is 14 people volunteering for one date, and nobody showing up on the other.
We're hoping to accomplish a couple of things by setting it up this way... Number one is, we want involvement from the group. As everyone has a varied schedule, it's hard to lock things down within a large group. However, this is a public display aquarium we're talking about - the show must go on! We can however, manage things more easily, w/ a committed circle of volunteers, and that's one of the reason's we've chosen certain people to be team leaders. The URS at large can choose to participate at the rate, frequency, and level each person chooses, while we can be assured the basic maintenance tasks are being properly carried out, and not falling to the responsibility of one/few individuals.
How the maintenance tasks are carried out, are just as important as the frequency, and ensuring all participants have a minimum level of knowledge was a difficult task. Mark and I chose individuals we felt demonstrated not only committment to the group/project, but also are accomplished in their abilities as an aquarist. Success over the long term, is something we weighed more heavily than specific accomplishments, as we must forever be conscious of the fact that this tank is on display at a public facility, and not sitting in our basements for our own personal amusement.

- Mac

 

[Tingy99]

Count me in for March 25th then! I'll just need to know a time and who I'll be working with!

 

[filly469075]

i'll be there the 18th
filly

 

[_ShotgunShrimp_]

mac or puter

mac or puter

will there be any evening times ever? just wondering... hopefully in the near future ill be able to help now that im back to work...

 

[ReeferMac]

That's up to the team leader, but it's possible, Tim. It's best if maintenance is done outside visiting hours, but they're funny about folks roaming around all hours of the night (only have a couple security staff...). Makes it a little challenging as to when you can do things.

- Mac

 

[Tingy99]

What time Saturday?

 

[puter]

8:30am. You should be getting a PM coordination where/how you'll meet up.

- Mark