For immediate release
Contact: Gina Stiles, 904-757-4463, ext. 210 or 904-655-3632 (cell); stilesg@jacksonvillezoo.org

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Wins
 Garden Club of America Award

Jacksonville, Florida – April 21, 2008 – Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens was honored with a Garden Club of America Zone VIII Horticulture Commendation Award at its Annual Awards Banquet held on April 9, 2008, in Birmingham, Alabama. Zone VIII is comprised of 15 garden clubs from Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama. The award was given “….in recognition of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ bold and successful addition and integration of botany and horticulture with zoology.”  Dennis Pate, executive director and Bob Chabot, director of horticulture with the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, accepted the award at the event.  The Late Bloomers Garden Club in Jacksonville nominated the Zoo for the award, and several of its members attended the banquet.    

 “This award recognizes the work of all departments within the Zoo for presenting a holistic approach to the interpretation, care, and exhibition of both plants and animals,” Pate stated.

“It’s a special tribute to our horticulture team for the outstanding job they’ve done in landscaping and maintaining the gardens at the Zoo,” he continued.

With additions such as the Savanna Blooms African garden, enhancements to the Zoo’s linear River of Color gardens and the new Gardens of Trout River Plaza, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is now the largest public garden in Jacksonville and one of the largest in Northeast Florida. The Asian Gardens, opening in spring 2009, will be the first of the Zoo’s botanical gardens along the Trout River and will eventually serve as the entry to the Monsoon Asia animal exhibits.  Terra Design Studios, LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the architect for the Zoo’s Botanical Gardens.

For over 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment.  Starting in 1914 with an animal collection that consisted of one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has grown to house more than 1,500 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 plant species. The Zoo is a non-profit organization and is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Located on Jacksonville’s north side two miles off

I-95, the Zoo is open year-round, 7 days a week, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Zoo is now open on weekends and holidays until 6 p.m.  For more information on the Zoo, log on to jacksonvillezoo.org.  

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