Earlier this year the Fresno Chaffee Zoo welcomed two new baby colobus monkeys to its colobus troop. A master plan for the zoo’s next 15 years will include even more new features and exhibits. Photo via Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Jon Dohlin, CEO of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, has been making the rounds sharing the zoo’s conceptual master plan for operational upgrades and new exhibits.

Notably, the biggest upgrade will be the construction of two 3-story parking structures. The structures will be built to accommodate the growing influx of guests, which is currently at approximately 875,000 visitors annually and is expected to increase to 1.3 or 1.4 million. According to Dohlin, the zoo has the attendance but faces limitations due to limited parking capacity.

“In our master plan, as a concept and intention, what is proposed is to consolidate parking and add the capacity that people want by putting it close to the zoo and stacking it in a parking structure,” said Dohlin.

There are also plans to renovate the entrance to better represent the natural beauty of California and set the stage for the overall experience of the rest of the zoo.

“We are the gateway to some of the most beautiful areas in the world, and we have a long and beautiful history and an incredibly bio-diverse, culturally diverse state that we can tell amazing stories about,” said Dohlin. “We would like for that entryway to start the story of not just your experience at the zoo, but your first exhibit experience.”

New exhibits and habitats are also noted in the master plan, some of which will be categorized by regions of California including the California coast, coastal mountains, the San Joaquin Valley, and the Sierra Foothills, and host species native to those areas. The hope for these exhibits is to bring a new educational opportunity to the community on California’s native wildlife and ecosystems.

Another exhibit, Valley Farm and Nature Play, will give children the chance to learn about the Valley’s natural habitats and wildlife, and recognize the agricultural roots of the region. The goal is to give children hands-on experience and help make the connection between farm-to-table consumption and where their food comes from.

“Data shows that is how they [the children] learn empathy for nature, through unmediated nature play. That’s how they learn to care for the natural world and the animals in it,” said Dohlin.

A long-awaited aquarium is another project mapped out in the master plan. Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s Pacific Rim Aquarium will include a jellyfish exhibit, a stingray feeding area with a beach-style wading pool, viewing rooms for the stingrays, a kelp forest, and an Indo Pacific Coral Reef.

Funding for these upgrades and new exhibits comes from Measure Z, which has generated $135 million for capital improvement projects, including $5 million to improve the infrastructure that supports all of the zoo’s habitats.