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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world: indeed it's the only thing that ever has!"
Margaret Meade
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Hours and Information
Buttonwood Park Zoo is open every day (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day) from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (gates close at 4:30 pm).
Admission Fees:
Adult: $6
Senior: $4.50
Teen: $4.50
Child 3-12 yrs: $3.00
Child under 3: Free
Group rates are available for groups of 10 or more with advance registration. Call (508) 991-6178 for more information.
Free parking.
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Summer is nearly over, but there's still time for a visit to Buttonwood Park Zoo before the kids go back to school! Take part in a special evening event, or visit during the day to get a good look at this month's featured creature, the Bald Eagle.
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 Member's Night
As our small way of saying thank you for your support, we would like to invite all zoo members to celebrate the end of summer with an evening at the zoo on Saturday, August 25th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Enjoy free train rides, free popcorn and a free raffle for zoo-related programs and items. Membership card and a photo ID will be required for entrance.
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Don't Miss the Wildest Party of the Year!
Saturday, August 11 7 -11 pm
Go wild at the annual zoo gala! Great food, open bar, live music, and a live and silent auction to support a great cause-programming at the zoo. Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased at the door or by calling (508) 991-4556 ext. 10.
Sponsored by:
Cardoza's Wine & Spirits
JS Data Forms
David Haskell Horticulturalist
New Bedford Medical Associates
Eye Health Associates
Hawthorn Medical Associates
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Reminder!
The zoo will be closed on Saturday, August 11th for Rock n' Roar preparations. We apologize for any inconvenience, and appreciate your understanding as our gala grows and requires more time and space. The zoo will reopen at 10:00 am on Sunday, August 12th.
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 Elephant Tracks 2007
Registration materials are now available for Elephant Tracks 2007 here and at the zoo. Sign-up now to "Walk in the Footsteps of Giants" and do your part for worldwide elephant conservation!
More information
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A Magical Night
On Friday, July 20th, hundreds of eager readers from Baker Books celebrated the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows at the zoo. After entering through Platform 9 3/4, participants were greeted by eerie fog, gargoyles, the Whomping Willow, and the Hogwarts Express. Many took part in the activities that included a costume contest, fortune telling, dissecting owl pellets and a spelling bee until the book's availability was announced by a scroll delivered by an owl from Hogwarts. We hope you were able to join us for this magical event!
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Bald Eagles are Back!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the bald eagle is no longer in need of the protection of the Endangered Species Act, and has removed the bird from the list of threatened and endangered species. One of the greatest conservation success stories of our time, bald eagle populations have recovered from an all-time low of 417 nesting pairs in 1963 to an estimated high of 9,789 breeding pairs today. There are currently 25 breeding pairs in the state of Massachusetts, and one in Rhode Island. See a full map of the U.S. here.
 The bald eagle first gained federal protection from illegal hunting in 1940, but the birds were soon exposed to the invisible threat of DDT. A pesticide widely used after World War II to control mosquitoes and agricultural pests, DDT was washed into watersheds and absorbed by aquatic plants and animals. Eagles caught and ate contaminated fish and were poisoned, the DDT inhibiting females from producing strong eggshells. The fragile eggshells cracked when adult birds tried to incubate them, and consequently fewer and fewer eaglets were hatched. A drastic decline in bald eagle populations ensued until Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" alerted the government and public to the link between DDT and the eagle's decline. As a result, the bald eagle was protected in 1967 under the precursor to the Endangered Species Act, and general use of DDT was banned by the EPA in 1972. The eagle continued to be protected when the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was enacted.
The legal protections given the species by these actions allowed for the accelerated recovery of bald eagle populations through concentrated conservation efforts. The bald eagle will continue to be protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with state wildlife agencies to monitor eagles for at least five years. If it appears that bald eagles again need the protection of the Endangered Species Act, the Service can propose to re-list the species.
Read the U.S. Department of the Interior's press release
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Creature Feature: Bald Eagle
 The Bald Eagle is an easily recognized bird as it is the national bird and one of the primary symbols of the
United States. Its national significance dates back to June 20, 1782, when the Continental Congress officially replaced the phoenix and adopted the current design for the Great Seal of the United States. Benjamin Franklin preffered the Wild Turkey for the national bird, as he considered the Bald Eagle to be of bad moral character,
but he was obviously overruled.
The Bald Eagle is a large bird of prey with a range extending throughout the United States, Canada, and northern Mexico. An adult can weigh between 7 and 15 pounds with a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet making them one of the largest birds in North America. Males and females are identical in outward appearance, but females are 25% larger than males. In the wild, Bald Eagles typically live 20-30 years, but can live up to 60 years in captivity. The eagles prefer roosts, nests, and perches in tall trees near seacoasts, rivers, large lakes, or other large bodies of open water with an abundance of warm-water fishes.
A Bald Eagle's diet is opportunistic and varied, but most feed primarily on fish and the occassional carrion, mammals, or other birds. To hunt fish, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish with its powerful talons. A Bald Eagle can typically carry up to half its own weight in food, but in one case an eagle was able to fly off with a 15 pound carcass of a mule deer fawn, the greatest weight-carrying capacity ever shown by a flying bird. If dragged into the water by a particularly heavy fish, the eagle may swim to safety using an overhand movement of the wings similar to the butterfly stroke, but some drown or succumb to hypothermia.
Bald Eagles are monogomous; mating for life and only choosing another companion should their mate die. In courtship they perform a "cartwheel" display in which they fly high in the sky, lock talons, and free fall. They separate just before hitting the ground. After courtship, the eagles build huge nests called eyries that are used and added to year after year, eventually reaching as much as ten feet wide and weighing several tons. Males and females take turns sitting on the one to three eggs produced each year, and share in the duties after hatching. The eaglets are typically full size and strong enough to fly by 12 weeks of age.
Buttonwood Park Zoo is home to two adult Bald Eagles, Kody and Taz. Both are rehabilitated birds from the Bird Treatment and Learning Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Taz can often be found perched high on a branch in their exhibit, while Kody prefers to hop around lower to the ground.
Did you know?
« Bald Eagles normally squeak and have a shrill cry, punctuated by grunts. They do not make the scream that is found in films; this is usually the call of a Red-tailed Hawk, dubbed into films for dramatic effect. Hear a bald eagle here.
« The Bald Eagle is a sacred bird in some North American cultures, and its feathers are central to many religious and spiritual customs among Native Americans. Eagle feathers are often used in traditional ceremonies. Current eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain Bald or Golden Eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use.
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 Eco-Tip: How Does Your Garden Grow?
Your lawn can do more than help you keep up with the Jones's. When properly maintained, lawns absorb and hold water, reducing storm runoff and improving water quality. They also have a significant cooling effect, produce oxygen, trap dust and dirt, and prevent erosion. Unfortunately, the care of your lawn can do damage to the environment and the health of you and yours. According to the U.S. National Wildlife Federation:
« 30% of water consumed on the East Coast goes to water lawns; 60% on the West Coast.
« 18% of land fill waste is yard waste
« The average suburban lawn receives 10 times as much chemical pesticide per acre as farmland
« Over 70 million tons of fertilizers and pesticides are applied to residential lawns and gardens annually.
« Per hour of operation, a gas lawn mower emits 10-12 times as much hydrocarbon as a typical auto. A weed-eater emits 21 times more and a leaf blower 34 times more.
« Where pesticides are used, 60-90% of earthworms are killed. Earthworms are important for soil health.
To make the most of your lawn's benefits and avoid much of the environmental costs, consider the following suggestions for making your lawn earth-friendly:
« Apply fertilizers in the spring and fall, when there's less rain and less of a chance for runoff.
« Mow high -- leaving 1.5 to 3.5 inches of grass. Longer grass discourages weeds and insect pests, while shorter grass is more vulnerable to stress from heat and drought.
« Leave the clippings where they fall; this provides nutrients equivalent to one application of fertilizer.
« Water deeply and early in the day to prevent evaporation.
« Pick up after your pet--If not disposed of properly, thousands of pounds of untreated pet waste flows into streams and lakes every time it rains posing a danger to human health and aquatic life.
« Choose native grasses (or drought and disease tolerant species) that require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides than non-native species.
« Consider an electric lawn mower
« Use a fertilizer with time-released, water insoluble nitrogen.
« Keep pesticide/herbicide use to a minimum. Pesticides kill the soil organisms which contribute to a healthy lawn.
« Control lawn weeds with corn gluten. A nontoxic byproduct of corn processing, corn gluten kills weed seedlings within days of application. It also adds nitrogen to your soil.
« 'Spot-treat' weeds with vinegar to minimize herbicide use. (Vinegar can burn grass and garden plants, so be sure to spot treat weeds only.)
« For earth friendly options for controlling moles, aphids, slugs, and other pests, visit National Wildlife Federation's organic gardening page.
« Consider plants that naturally repel unwanted insects
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