For immediate release
Contact: Gina Stiles, 904-757-4463, ext. 210

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Wins Statewide Award for Its Botanical Gardens Master Plan

Jacksonville, Florida – July 7, 2007 – The officials at Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens announced they have won an Award of Merit from the Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (FLASLA) for their Botanical Gardens Master Plan. The Zoo was chosen among 83 entries statewide. Awards will be formally presented at FLASLA’s Annual Design Awards Gala on July 27 in Miami, Florida.    

Jacksonville Zoo’s Executive Director Dennis Pate stated, “The FLASLA recognizes the very best work of the landscape architecture profession in Florida. We are very proud to have been selected for an award in the planning and analysis category. For decades, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has given our community a place to love animals.  This award signifies our commitment to expanding our mission to give our visitors a public place to love plants,” Pate continued.

With additions such as the Savanna Blooms African garden and enhancements to the Zoo’s linear and shade gardens, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is now the largest public garden in Jacksonville and one of the largest in Northeast Florida.  The new Gardens at Trout River Plaza will be opening in late August 2007, followed by the Asian Gardens, opening in 2008.  The Asian Gardens will be the first of the botanical gardens along the Trout River and will serve as the entry to the Monsoon Asia exhibit.  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 1,400 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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