Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 28, 1993 TAG: 9310280467
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG LESMERISES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Then the monkeys up the hill start going nuts, banging their cage and screaming, and as you're shaken out of your trance, the cracked, white concrete wall surrounding the pond becomes rather noticeable.
But thanks to the Hunting Hills Garden Club, soon even the yelping Japanese macaques won't be able to convince zoo-goers that they're not out in the wild, watching turtles lounge in their natural habitat.
The garden club has joined the growing list of organizations and individual volunteers the zoo relies on to stay in top shape.
"This place has great potential to be more beautiful, but we don't have the budget," said animal-care supervisor Carolann Curry. "We've had a lot of help with our landscapes, and we're always trying to elicit more skilled help."
Members of the Hunting Hills club have been sending five or six sets of skilled hands to landscape the turtle pond once a month for a year. They've planted impatiens, hostas and pachysandra around the pond. The oriental grass they put in front of the pond didn't do too well, but they would like to add a rock facade next year to cover the retaining wall.
The five turtles who call the pond home have been moved inside for the winter, but the club continues its work.
Though most of the work is done in the spring, when the club replants the area, the gardeners will continue their visits to pick weeds and continually tidy up around the pond.
Club member Karen Warnick was prompted to start the turtle project after visiting the zoo two years ago.
"I thought the turtle pond was a little bit overlooked," Warnick said. "No one would even come over here. It was a pitiful mess."
When Warnick brought the project to the club's board, "We thought it would be a wonderful idea," said club President Polly Del Vero.
The pond has become a popular attraction, and the zoo was more than happy to get the assistance.
"They've done a wonderful job," Curry said. "It gives you the illusion you're walking along a marsh. The kids especially love it, thanks to that [Teenage Mutant] Ninja turtle connection."
The garden club took on the turtles as its second major community project. Members were already in charge of caring for a plot at Hunting Hills Drive and Fox Ridge Road.
The Hunting Hills Garden Club was founded in 1979 and has grown to a membership of 52. Open only to Hunting Hills residents, the all-female club is the third-largest of more than 30 Roanoke-area garden clubs and "is definitely on the upswing," Del Vero said.
"Some of us are just diggers who like to play in the dirt," Warnick said, "while others are meticulous planters."
The zoo has a history of volunteer assistance. Groups and businesses such as Master Gardeners, Mill Mountain Garden Club and English Gardens have lent a hand.
"Clubs come to us looking for volunteer projects, and we try to accommodate them," said Beth Poff, zoo director.
"I don't know what we'd do without the volunteers," said Amy Cooper, the zoo's volunteer/education coordinator. "The zoo wouldn't look as good as it does every day, and the staff would be working through the night."
Cooper has been trying to get more adult volunteers to help with the zoo education program in the schools. She has about five active members and has set a goal of two dozen members.
"You don't have to have any talent, we'll teach you," she said.
The zoo will remain open for the second consecutive winter. Sixty-six percent of the zoo's funds are generated from entrance fees.
"Most of the animals can stay out year-round," Cooper said, "so there's no reason we shouldn't be open."
The zoo's hours before Jan. are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In January and February, the zoo will close at 4:30 p.m. Admission is $3.50 for adults, $2.00 for children under 12.
Any Hunting Hills residents interested in joining the garden club may call Polly Del Vero at 774-7160.
by CNB