Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here!
Did you know that bamboo is not just used to feed pandas, but also to make clothes, flooring, scaffolding, and is even used as an ingredient in beverages? I learned this fact while touring the Zoo with Horticulture Collections Manager Michael Letzring and Senior Horticulturist Judy Bell. A part of the Zoo that the millions of visitors per year never notice is all of the amazing plants that reside there. Many people come to the Zoo to view and learn about the different species of animals on exhibit but don’t even realize how important, useful, and beautiful all of the vegetation is. As horticulturalists, Mr. Letzring and Ms. Bell are directly involved with teaching others about the plant life, and with the Zoo’s horticulture.
Horticulture is a huge part of what makes the Zoo so fascinating, and is very important to help it function. Horticulturists are interested in the science and management of plants, working and conducting research on cultivation, plant production, plant breeding, and more. They work with all types of vegetation, including trees, shrubs, flowers, grass, and fruits. Horticulturists like Mr. Letzring and Ms. Bell are such an important part of the Zoo staff, as they help maintain and improve the plant life by keeping it alive and flourishing. They are involved with many responsibilities that range from designing and developing exhibits, managing plants within these exhibits and in visitor areas, growing plants for the animals’ diets and enrichment, establishing a vast collection of plants for the Zoo, to raising awareness about plants and plant conservation.
Mr. Letzring didn’t always want to work with horticulture. When he was younger, his family had a garden that he worked in, but he was really interested in oceanography. Later, he realized that there was a demand for horticulturists, and after taking classes at a junior college, he fell in love with it and never left. He has been working in the Horticulture Department of the Zoo for 15 years, and before becoming the collections manager, held several positions including lead gardener and horticulture manager. He is interested in plants, especially edible plants. Edible plants are those that are safe to eat and often are vital in the diet of animals. Many are found within the Zoo, including tropical cherries, guavas, Hawaiian apple bananas, and dragon fruit.
A day at the Zoo for Mr. Letzring encompasses many activities. He enjoys getting his hands dirty and working directly with plant life, but he has many other responsibilities. As a manager, he does many things for the immediate need, such as filling in for others, but also spends some of his day doing paper work and managing budgets, or even getting involved in the more exciting aspects like exhibit design. When Mr. Letzring first started, a large part of his time was spent learning a lot about plants, but now he is able to share what he knows with others. He loves helping with conservation by giving information to others through activites like giving tours to interns like us.
Ms. Bell first got her degree at San Diego State University before starting her career at the Zoo in 1977. She then transferred over to the Horticulture Department ten years later, where she has been working ever since. Although she enjoys working with horticulture, there are many challenging aspects of her job. She has to try to make animals as comfortable as possible in their exhibits by utilizing plants to create an environment similar to their natural habitat. Ms. Bell has to try to create a landscape that works well with the exhibits and animals, while also looking at the aesthetic side.
One problem she has encountered was trying to make a functional artificial tree. She was able to come up with an innovative solution by creating a metal base for structure and filling it full of flex tubes. Cuttings of real branches with leaves were then connected off the sides, where they were provided with their own soil and irrigation system. From there, they would grow similarly to how they would on their original trees. It was appealing to viewers but also beneficial to the monkeys that were located in an exhibit next to it, because they had structural support and natural browse to choose from. Horticulturists are faced with many problems like this, and keep the exhibits running by working had to solve them.
It is vital for people to understand the importance of the plant life at the Zoo. Luckily, there are horticulturists like Mr. Letzring and Ms. Bell who are dedicated to getting the information to the public. Horticulture is a remarkable line of work that is very beneficial to our world. There are many ways to get into this field, whether you take the traditional route or you become involved in volunteer work to get experience. Zoo horticulture is much more than just planting and landscaping; it is critical for the well-being of vegetation and for informing people about the importance of the plants at zoos.
Molly, Careers Team (Week 2)
