Women of the Wild: A model for conservation awareness
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Women of the Wild: A model for conservation awareness

Women of the Wild: A model for conservation awareness

Wendy Barnes

In only its fourth year of existence, Women of the Wild (WOW) is still in the spring of ‘her’ years. The incredible growth of this women-based conservation awareness group rooted at Brevard Zoo is a testament to the passion and excitement in our community to help our paradise remain a paradise. With about 600 women having joined in Brevard County since inception in 2014, we have been able to spread environmentally friendly messaging beyond the expected and usual networks.

My role as program coordinator has been one of the most fulfilling of my career. When I first moved here and started with WOW in spring of 2015, my personal goal was to bring wildlife conservation out from under the stereotypical layers of “crunchy granola” interests and to have this reach into every lifestyle and demographic. My supervisor and mentor, Karen Davis, who also is the director of development for Brevard Zoo, founded Women of the Wild in fall 2014 with a similar fervor and I was lucky enough to carry her vision, with some of my own added, into reality.

Our main focus in the first few years was to support local wildlife conservation, including the importance of pollinators and supporting our local sea turtle population. The Brevard Zoo Conservation Department is an integral part of our not-for-profit zoo, and sharing their incredible mission directives with WOW has been my absolute pleasure. Annual membership donations for WOW start at $100 and help to fund conservation, sustainability and animal wellness efforts at the zoo.

As a gift and all-important reminder of the impact of their support, members receive a sterling silver bracelet and a new charm each year they renew. If you were a member from the beginning, you’re wearing a honeybee, oyster with a pearl, sea turtle and flamingo. Additional gratitude gifts are available for members who support WOW at higher levels.

Looking at the larger picture, our 2018 focus is to encourage and promote behaviors in our community to sustain a healthy ecosystem. With the launch of the Sustainability Survival Kit, which includes items necessary to refuse single-use plastics and styrofoam while dining out, we aim to learn together and lead by example, creating a win-win attitude in support of these necessary adjustments to our lifestyle. By eliminating the need for local businesses to supply these items by bringing our own, we allow them to reduce their usage of worst-offender items and ultimately adopt greener practices at a better bottom-line.

The growth of WOW in Brevard has been awe-inspiring. If we are able to continue our expansion, we will be able to affect truly remarkable change to keep our community thriving and beautiful. This will have tremendous economic, health and wellness benefits for all who live and visit here. Looking to the future of the program, we see Women of the Wild affiliates extending nationwide and we hope you will follow the excitement along with us!

WOW has provided education and funding for a variety of local and statewide wildlife conservation efforts, including:

  • Florida panther video cameras to allow experts to track movement (and births!) of species
  • Inwater Research Group's health analysis of green sea turtles in Indian River Lagoon
  • Brevard Zoo's Conservation Department's pollinator and sea turtle programs

For more information about WOW, visit www.brevardzoo.org/wow

Wendy Barnes is Women of the Wild Program Coordinator, as well as a local artist and designer committed to creating a wildlife conservation-conscious world. For more information about WOW, visit www.brevardzoo.org/wow or email her at wbarnes@brevardzoo.org. Follow her on Instagram @wendybarnesdesign and visit www.wendybarnesdesign.com.

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