Conservation

Our Mission Statement

The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo’s conservation program advances wildlife and habitat conservation by engaging children, families, and the community in age-appropriate education, local stewardship, and meaningful action. Through partnerships, citizen science, sustainability practices, and support for species and ecosystems, the program fosters a shared responsibility to protect biodiversity in the Bay Area and beyond.

Conservation at the JMZ

The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo has a long history of conservation messaging in our science outreach programs to schools, summer camps, in three interpretive centers in Palo Alto’s open space preserves, and in our family programs in the zoo and the museum. 

As we continue to grow as an institution, we recognize the important role we play as a zoo in the broader global conservation effort. Whether large or small, zoos often provide one of the public’s closest connections to wildlife, habitats, and the information needed to better understand and protect the natural world.

Conservation efforts matter at every level. They help preserve habitats, protect endangered species, support research and scientific advancement, and inspire education and awareness. Just as importantly, they help foster a sense of responsibility for the living world around us.

We share the Earth with remarkable animals of every kind—animals that inspire wonder, shape the environment around us, and help keep ecosystems healthy and balanced. At the JMZ, we are proud to continue our conservation journey and to invite our community to be part of it. 

City of Palo Alto's Conservation Initiatives

The City of Palo Alto's 2030 Comprehensive Plan is the primary tool for guiding preservation and development in Palo Alto.

The Natural Environment Element addresses the management of open land and natural resources in Palo Alto, as well as responding to environmental risks such as air pollution and climate change. Goals, policies, and programs have been established to support and protect Palo Alto's open space, urban forest and understory, creeks and riparian areas, water resources, air quality, energy, and climate. 

Wildlife Confiscation Network

The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo was recently accepted as a Participating Facility in the Wildlife Confiscations Network (“Network”). The Network was established through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to ensure care and placement of wildlife confiscated from the illegal trade. It is the first-of-its-kind, designed as a pilot initiative in 2023 in Southern California to support law enforcement efforts against wildlife trafficking by providing a coordinated system to ensure the proper care and welfare of confiscated live wildlife. The Network is managed through Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Wildlife Trafficking Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 partners dedicated to ending wildlife trafficking worldwide. When live wildlife is seized at U.S. ports of entry or exit, time is of the essence; it is essential that animals receive the highest standard of care without delay. The Network brings together vetted zoos, aquariums, non-governmental organizations, universities, botanical gardens, and certified facilities of the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries as partners to ensure the highest standards of care and management for confiscated wildlife. All participating facilities undergo a rigorous vetting process to ensure they can meet the health and welfare needs of the animals, as well as the standards set by USFWS and other wildlife law enforcement agencies. Since the AZA’s Wildlife Confiscation’s Network launched in 2023, the Network has assisted law enforcement with the placement of thousands of individual confiscated animals. Continue reading below to learn more about wildlife trafficking and what you can do to help.

Wildlife Trafficking

Wildlife trafficking is a conservation crisis, with countless animals and plants being pushed toward extinction from the illegal harvest of and trade in live plants and animals, and products made from them. When wildlife is removed from their natural habitats in large numbers, populations cannot recover. 

Wildlife trafficking not only drives species towards extinction, but also poses risks to human health and welfare, creates conditions that enable disease spillovers and pandemics, damages the global economy, and fuels transnational criminal networks, government instability and corruption. 

How You Can Help 

Be an informed consumer and think twice before you purchase an exotic pet. Visit NotAPet.Net to learn more. 

Report wildlife crime: If you suspect that someone is trafficking wildlife, contact the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Tips line or call 1-844-FWS-TIPS (1-844-397- 8477). 

Conservation Education

The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ) is dedicated to enriching the lives of young children and their adults through hands-on exploration of the natural world in an effort to cultivate curious and scientifically literate citizens with a conservation mindset. Specifically, our mission is to engage a child’s curiosity for science and nature, and we further this mission through a variety of science exhibits, a diverse community of live animals, and educational programs for children, families, and schools.    

Through our Life Sciences programming, we seek to cultivate in students an understanding of the following messages: 

  1. The natural world is precious and beautiful and should be protected and preserved.
  2. Animals are interesting and amazing. 
  3. I can learn about animals in the wild by getting to know animals in zoos. 
  4. There are some similarities between animals and me.
  5. I like to be happy, safe, and comfortable.  Animals must like that too. 
  6. Diversity of living plants and animals is beneficial to all living things, including humans. 
  7. Some plants and animals no longer exist, or are extinct, because of what humans have done. 
  8. Some plants and animals are in danger of extinction due to human action. 
  9. Everybody, including kids, can help protect and preserve plants, animals and the natural world. 
  10. Understanding science and how the world works can help us protect and preserve the natural world, for ourselves as well as other animals.

Through our Physical and Earth Sciences programs, we seek to cultivate in students an understanding of the following messages:

  1. Physical forces (gravity, friction, magnetism, applied force, states of matter) and chemical forces (the nature, behavior and interactions of molecules and atoms) effect, and are acted upon by, all living things and their natural environments all of the time. 
  2. Earth systems (atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, and geosphere) are all connected and the health of one system can impact the health of the other systems. 
  3. Light and sound effect, and are acted upon by, all living things and their natural environments all of the time. 
  4. Living things need energy to survive and do work. 
  5. All energy ultimately comes from the sun. 
  6. There are many different types of energy.  Some forms are stored and limited, while other are not stored, but predictable and renewable. 
  7. Stored energy can sometimes impact the health of earth systems. 
  8. Renewable sources of energy, in and of itself, do not negatively impact the health of earth systems. 

In support of school partners, learning goals and messaging for all in-school programs also align with those set forth in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Grades K-5. 

Learn more about our education programs. 

Sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive updates on our ongoing conservation efforts or check back here for future news and opportunities to get involved. 

We encourage the community to fill out the form below for any ideas on how the JMZ can continue to grow our conservation program. 

Click here to view form.

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