When the pandemic forced the Zoo to close for several months, there was no need for guest services staff. To the surprise of many people, Smithsonian broke with FONZ, which dissolved. When the Zoo reopened months later, many of us expected the return of FONZ, but that didn't occur. Instead, those jobs are now Smithsonian positions.
I'd wondered what would happen with FONZ, and now we know. They're returning as a much smaller, sleeker organization (less than 5% of the workforce size) totally focused on in situ conservation, rather than supporting day-to-day zoo operations. They're calling themselves "Conservation Nation." What exactly they'll be doing remains to be seen, but they've expressed interest early on towards helping steer members of underrepresented communities to conservation work. They've also left open the door to future collaborations with the Zoo.
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