More Than A Zoo: Highlighting the personal connections and the broader impact of the WNC Nature Center in its 100th year
Each month during our centennial year, we’ll be interviewing people who have had an impact on the Nature Center. This month’s Q&A is with Amy Cocanour. Amy is a current board member of the Friends of the WNC Nature Center and a long time volunteer.
Meet Amy Cocanour
What is your role at the Nature Center?
I’m a volunteer in the barnyard and have supported other assorted volunteer opportunities like Brews & Bears and special events, work days for habitats, and docenting, since 2018. Currently, I’m on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the WNC Nature Center, and have served as Secretary, chair of the Fund Development Committee, and now Vice President.
Personal Connection
How did your journey with the WNC Nature Center begin, and what keeps you coming back?
I retired from the Coast Guard in 2017 and moved to Asheville. I knew that I wanted to volunteer with animals and had visited the Nature Center in the past. My husband thought it was a great idea because I couldn’t take the animals home!
Can you share a favorite memory or experience at the Nature Center that stands out to you?
I love all the animals, but several years ago I got the opportunity to feed Missy, our former bobcat, with tongs through the fence. It was just thrilling for me and is probably the reason our newest bobcats, Tufts and Kohana, might be my favorite!
What has been the greatest reward of your involvement with the Nature Center?
Since I can’t take the animals home (see answer to the second question above), I enjoy helping to create a safe and enriching environment where the animals can thrive. I also enjoy helping people make a connection to them and care about nature.
Mission & Impact
In your view, how does the Nature Center go beyond being a zoo?
These are (or in some cases were) animals, sometimes literally, in our backyard. Our focus on education and outreach, and the ability to bring ambassador animals and educators to the surrounding communities, really makes it different to me than a traditional zoo.
How has the Nature Center contributed to conservation efforts in WNC? When I think of “conservation” directly, I consider our Red Wolf program, which hopes to increase the numbers of the critically endangered Red Wolf population. But I also think of conservation more broadly, hopefully the Nature Center experience encourages people to care for and conserve the environment and wildlife here in Western North Carolina.
What do you think the Nature Center’s 100 year legacy means to the community?
The community should be proud that we were able to adapt from a focus on our own amusement at the expense of the animals to a focus on the well-being of the animals and a better understanding of them and their environment.
What hopes do you have for the next 100 years of the Nature Center?
I hope that the Nature Center doesn’t become the only place where you might actually encounter most of these animals. I’d love to see us expand and improve our facilities and grounds so that we can share even more animals from Western North Carolina with our visitors.
Looking to the Future
How can the community support the Nature Center’s mission moving forward?
Become a member! Come to our special events. Adopt an animal! Support our fundraising campaigns to improve the Nature Center. Many people come with their children. I don’t have children, and I love coming to see the animals! I learn something new every time I visit.
What role do you see education playing in the future of wildlife conservation? What does this mean locally?
Seeing animals up close and learning about them will hopefully make people care. The community needs to care about wildlife and understand the roles that they play in maintaining a healthy environment and ecosystem. If people don’t care, the future for the animals, the environment, and even us, is bleak.
Fun Reflection
If you could be any animal at the Nature Center, which one would you be and why?
Well, honestly ANY animal at the Nature Center has a pretty good thing going! But I’d be an otter. They always look like they are having fun, especially when they are swimming!
What’s one surprising fact about the Nature Center that most people don’t know?
The Nature Center is small but mighty! A very small team, only 11 Animal Care staff, take care of 150 animals at the Nature Center.
Describe the Nature Center in 3 words
Always something new
Are you interested in learning more about becoming a board member of the Friends of the WNC Nature Center? Email Kate at [email protected]. Want to learn more about how to become a volunteer? Visit dev.wildwnc.org/volunteer.