From the News: From FONZ to Conservation Nation

Beloved Zoo Group FONZ Is Becoming Conservation Nation

Before the COVID 19 pandemic, you could spend an entire day walking the grounds of the Smithsonian National Zoo and not see a single person actually employed by the Zoo.  The Zoo  had the keepers and groundskeepers, but they tended to be behind-the-scenes by the time the gates opened.  The frontline, public-facing staff - gift shop, concessions - as well as volunteers were part of FONZ - the Friends of the National Zoo, the support organization.  FONZ.  Even the education department, a staple of virtually every zoo and aquarium, wasn't a part of the staff per se - they were part of FONZ.

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.