Cape May Court House, NJ – With much excitement and enthusiasm, the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners is proud to announce the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the Cape May County Zoo Education Wing, scheduled for Friday, May 10th, 1:00 p.m. at Atlantic Cape’s, Cape May County Campus.
Date: Friday, May 10th, 1:00 p.m.
Location: Atlantic Cape Community College, Cape May County Campus
341 Court House South Dennis Rd.
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
Servicing thousands of school aged children and families annually, the Cape May County Zoo Education Program has a new and improved state of the art Zoo Education Wing at Atlantic Cape to facilitate the various and popular Zoo education programs administered by the Cape May County Zoo. With over 800 registered for this year’s Zoo Camp, set to begin on June 17th – August 15th, 2024, those serviced by the Zoo Education program this year and future years to come will have the ideal learning environment for zoo concentrated enrichment. The County is also currently exploring options to provide free Zoo education services to the local schools of Cape May County and additional information in this regard will be provided at a later date.
With total project costs of approximately $1.2 million, the Zoo Education Wing includes three animal holdings areas: one (1) for Small Mammals, one (1) for Reptiles, and (1) for Aviary/Birds; two (2) classrooms; offices, and a conference room for Zoo Education Staff. Designed by BKP Architects, contractors for the project included R. Maxwell Inc., and artwork by Wallcrawls Inc.
On the 10th, the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners will also be dedicating the Wing after the late, Dr. Alexander J. Ernst, Assistant Director and Veterinarian of the County’s Zoo, serving as tribute to his passion and dedication for animal welfare and the Zoo’s education program.
“A testament to our Board’s commitment to expand educational opportunities throughout our local communities, we are thrilled to unveil the new Alex J Ernst Zoo Education Wing at Atlantic Cape’s Cape May County Campus. Dr. Ernst was an asset to not just our Zoo, but our County as a whole, and I am proud to be able to memorialize his memory in a sincere and meaningful way,” said Director Desiderio.
“The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Alex J Ernst Zoo Education Wing marks a significant milestone in our efforts to promote education in our County. Dr. Ernst has done so much for our County and our County Zoo, and we know that his legacy and memory will live on through the hall and rooms of this Wing. It’s projects and partnerships like this why our Board created ad hoc committees in the first place, to better serve the citizens of our County,” said Vice Director and Liaison the County Park and Zoo, Andrew Bulakowski.
