City 15 Launched

The City of El Paso is proud to offer a new source for government information: City 15.

This new cable TV station has been developed to share information about your local government and its operations. Tune in to cable Channel 15 to catch all of the great programming which includes information like:

• City Department Highlights
• New Programs and Services
• Explanation of Ordinances
• Behind the scenes look at Operations
• City events happening around town
• New Technology being used throughout the City
• Government Public Meetings
• Major Issues that affect you!

Employee Payroll and Compensation: Self-service

The Payroll and Compensation Self-service Module allows every City employee to review their pay and compensation history, update their direct deposit and other deduction or contribution information. Using a City computer logon to:

http://ps-hr-web.elpasotexas.gov/psp/phcoep/?cmd=login
User ID: Employee’s ID
Password: Employee’s SSN
Self-service > payroll and compensation

Five Functions of Self-service

1. View Paycheck: Review current and prior paychecks.
   An employee can easily view any pay advice that was issued to them. Pay advices have general information and payroll information such as earnings, tax data, deductions and benefits itemized for every employee.
2. Voluntary Deductions: Add or update your voluntary deductions.
   Employees are able to edit current voluntary deductions or add new deduction and designate type of deduction, amount and effective dates.
3. Direct Deposit: Add or update your direct deposit information.
   Employees can add up to 5 bank accounts and allocate at least 10 percent of their check to any of the available accounts. Please note that if you close your account at the bank, you need to notify Financial Services as soon as possible at 541-4281. An employee must always have at least one bank account active at all times and that account must be designated as a balance deposit type of account.
4. W-4 Tax Information: Review or change your W-4 information.
   Employees are able to change their federal income tax withholding by changing their marital status and/or their number or exemptions they claim. Please use the IRS Circular E to gauge your withholding amount. Employees also have the ability to claim tax-exempt status if and only if they expect a tax refund for the current tax year and they had no tax liability the previous tax year.
5. W-2 Reissue Request: Request a reissued W-2.
   Employees can request a copy of last year’s W-2 without coming down to City Hall and filling out any forms and have it mailed to their home address or their work address. For copies of prior year’s W-2, please call the IRS customer service at 1-800-829-0922 for a free transcript.

El Paso International Airport Participated at Borderland Tradeshow 2008

El Paso International Airport had the opportunity to showcase its services at the Borderland Tradeshow. The innovative and powerful funding partnership with Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to construct the inner loop, which will connect the Airport’s Air Cargo Center, Butterfield Trail Industrial Park and future commercial and industrial development with Loop 375, was the main focus with the expansion and growing Ft. Bliss/Biggs Army Airfield. Foreign Trade Zone No. 68 promoted its conference taking place on March 20 – 21, 2008, which will bring important global logistic trends and the latest regulatory changes. The conference will include a Golf Tournament on March 20 at the Butterfield Trail Golf Club.

The Borderland Tradeshow offers maquila/manufacturing suppliers the best opportunity in the El Paso / Cd. Juarez region to showcase technology, products, equipment, ideas and innovations. It is an industrial tradeshow and technical conference serving the Maquila/Production Sharing Industry in the state of Chihuahua and Manufacturers in West Texas and New Mexico.

El Paso International Airport Awarded the Regional Excellence in Construction Safety Award

The Federal Aviation Administration awarded El Paso International Airport the Regional Excellence in Construction Safety Award. The award recognizes efforts in 2007 to promote, improve and enhance operational safety on active airfields during periods of construction or repairs. The FAA Southwest region includes the states of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. Teri A. Bruner, FAA Southwest Region administrator, noted that “these airports have contributed significantly to assuring the future growth, safety and efficiency of the national air transportation system.” Bruner drew attention to FAA’s emphasis on airport on-ground movement safety and on growth at the region’s airports reflected in the new award for airport construction safety. The award is a compliment to the entire Airport operations and development staff and well deserved recognition of their efforts in aviation safety.

Shawver Aquatic Facility Temporary Closure

The City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department has temporarily closed the Shawver Aquatic Facility at 8100 Independence and will re-open on April 27, 2008. The closure is due to installing a new HVAC system. “The system cost $180,000 and should provide a much more comfortable environment for our patrons in the summer and winter months,” said Wright Stanton, Aquatics Manager. The aquatic facility is 22 years old and has been a popular location for many years for swim enthusiasts.

Other facilities that can be used by customers in the area include:

Armijo	911 Ochoa	Downtown
Delta	4451 Delta	Central
Hawkins	1500 Hawkins	East
Marty Robbins	11600 Vista Del Sol	Far East

For more information, please call 544-3556.

Announcing Six Exhibitions Featuring Glass and Textiles at El Paso City Museums and the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, UTEP

Wrapped in Tradition: The Chihuly Collection of American Indian Trade Blankets
at the El Paso Museum of Art
March 9, 2008 – May 18, 2008

Dale Chihuly was inspired early in his career by the color and design of 19th century, Native American trade-blankets as the basis for his “Navajo Blanket Cylinders.” Exhibited together, Chihuly’s 15 exquisite hand-blown glass vessels and 80 historic Navajo blankets are a tribute to the artistic accomplishments of earlier Native American artists and an artist who has changed glass from a craft medium to a world-class fine art. This exhibition is organized by the Dale Chihuly Studio in cooperation with the Oregon Historical Society.

Biography

Diné: People of the Navajo Nation
at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology
March 8, 2008 – May 17, 2008

This exhibit includes Navajo blankets, pottery, artifacts from the museum’s permanent collections, and photographs of historic and modern Navajo people.

Bottled in the Past
at the El Paso Museum of History
March 7th, 2008 (closing date to be announced)

The superiority of glass over other containers – wood, skins, and pottery – was readily apparent to prehistoric and historic consumers. Glass is chemically stable and does not transfer smell or taste from one set of contents to another. It became the ideal container for wines, perfumes and other expensive substances. As bottle making moved from individual craftsmen to the production line its use became more common.
Glass bottles are important finds at any archaeological site. A little bit of history is frozen in each piece: a shape used for a particular product, dateable changes in manufacturing techniques, and sometimes the embossed name of the business. The El Paso Museum of History is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon until 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is free.

UnKnitting: Challenging Textile Traditions
at the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts in the Rubin Gallery, the University of Texas at El Paso
April 10 – August 2, 2008

UnKnitting: Challenging Textile Traditions focuses on performative knitting practice in the creation of avant-garde, contemporary sculpture. This invitational exhibition highlights artists who are advancing and questioning established textile traditions. The artists address stereotypes of gender, ethnicity and the ideas and materials appropriate for art making. Their work upends tradition through challenges to the domestic-based, utilitarian and female-made objects that are typical of the knitted crafts.

UnKnitting artists: Adrian Esparza, United States; Rachel Gomme, United Kingdom; Mark Newport, United States; and Sandra Valenzuela, Mexico/United States. The exhibition is curated by Kate Bonansinga, Director of the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts and Dr. Stephanie Taylor, Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History at New Mexico State University. Funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Loomed Dress: Bhutanese Textiles from the Peabody Essex Museum and Other Collections at the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts in the “L” Gallery, the University of Texas at El Paso
April 10 – August 2, 2008

Loomed Dress presents traditional, village-based weavings from the remote Kingdom of Bhutan. These intricate textiles showcase the artistry of traditional craftspeople from one of the most isolated countries in the world. The majority of pieces in the show have been lent to the University of Texas at El Paso from the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum, which was founded in 1799 and currently houses more than 2.4 million works of art and culture. The exhibition is being held in conjunction with UTEP’s annual Bhutan Days celebration. This year’s celebration takes on special significance because the Smithsonian Museum’s Annual Folk life Festival, the largest annual cultural event in the U.S. capital, has chosen to honor the cultures of both the country of Bhutan and the State of Texas. Funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

The Third Lie: Chromatic Deflections, Installation by Mónica Bengoa at the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, Project Space, the University of Texas at El Paso
April 10 – August 2, 2008

Chilean artist Mónica Bengoa will create a site-specific, wall-sized installation that combines text, drawing and her detailed, handcrafted embroideries. Bengoa’s meticulous and theoretically complex installations have been featured internationally, including at the 52nd Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, CA and the 2006 ARCO International Fair of Contemporary Art in Madrid, Spain.

SAVE THE DATE
Please join us for an opening reception for all 3 exhibitions on Thursday, April 10, 2008 from 5-8 pm. Artists will be present with performances by Mark Newport throughout the evening. For more information or to RSVP please call (915) 747-6151 or visit our WEB at http://www.utep.edu/artsculture/

Gallery Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday 12 noon – 5 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday. All events are free and open to the public.

City, OMB Recognized for Budget

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) recently announced that the City of El Paso, Texas has received the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.

The award represents a significant achievement by the City. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the City had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as:

• A policy document
• A financial plan
• An operations guide
• A communications device

Patrick T. Abeln, Director of Aviation, Named Best Director of the Year by Airport Revenue News

Airport Revenue News (ARN) has named El Paso International’s (ELP) Patrick T. Abeln as its Best Director of the Year in the Small Airports division and officially presented the award at the annual ARN Conference in Dallas, acknowledging the efforts of the team working together. For the purposes of this competition, a small airport is defined as having less than five million total passengers. The ARN editorial staff chose Mr. Abeln for this prestigious award due to his successes in the areas of leadership, innovation, revenue generation, marketing, customer service and charity.

“This isn’t about me. It’s about all of us working together,” said Mr. Abeln. “It starts with our custodians, with our field maintenance people who take great pride in their work in airfield safety. I have the opportunity to work with a great group of people.” The Airport’s accomplishments were featured in the 2007 November issue with the leadership and guidance of Mr. Abeln. The airport’s non-aeronautical revenues now account for more than half of the total operating revenues, including significant growth in the areas of parking, hotels and car rental. CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL ARTICLE

February 2008 Basic Supervisory Academy

Featured here are the recent graduates of the February Supervisory Academy. The Academy took place from February 18th – 22nd. The list of graduates pictured is as follows:

Ruben Felix	Airport
Jose Mateo	Airport
Juan Valdez	Airport
Enrique Leyva	Environmental Services
David Morales	Environmental Services
Jesus Yamaguchi	Environmental Services
Sylvia Zanella	Environmental Services
Carlos Perales	EPWU
Rodolfo (Rudy) Alba	General Services
Daniel Rivera	General Services
David St. Leon	General Services
Francisco Luna	Parks & Rec
David Ochoa	Parks & Rec
Alberto Ramos	Sun Metro
Ruben Aguilar	Zoo
Jorge Garcia	Zoo

Also pictured is Linda Thomas, Human Resources Director and Armando Pena, Human Resources Manager.

Parks & Recreation Welcomes New Employee

Leila Del Rosario was hired on February 15th as the new Senior Office Assistant for Aquatics in the Parks & Recreation Department.

Welcome!

Sun Metro Hosts Transit Supervisory Skills Training

Sun Metro recently hosted an enhanced supervisory skills training course, conducted through First Transit University, focused on honing transit supervisors current communication, leadership and conflict resolution skills. Over 50 front-line supervisors, including 31 Sun Metro employees were in attendance of the intensive three-day course, representing ten transit agencies ranging from California, Arkansas to New York.

Sun Metro Director Tim Omick says, “It’s important that we encourage and facilitate opportunities for our supervisors to share best work and safety practices amongst fellow leading transit agency employees.”

Sun Metro continues to further employee training courses in an effort to ensure excellence in customer service and passenger satisfaction. The training focused on furthering the development of key management skills including: customer relations, communication, workplace safety and accident investigation.

Police Bomb Squad Federally Deputized

The El Paso Police Department’s Bomb Squad unit members were federally deputized March 4, 2008 by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Supervisory Special Agent Hector Gonzalez presented the certified technicians with their federal credentials in a small ceremony. The Police Department’s Bomb Squad is only the fourth municipal bomb squad federally deputized in the nation. This is extremely important given El Paso’s geographical location. In a major incident, the Department’s Bomb Squad Techs now have jurisdiction anywhere in the U.S. should the need arise, and it should assist in obtaining more training funded by the Federal Government. This is another great example of the working relationship the El Paso Police Department has with its federal counterparts.

TAKE ADVANTAGE

The El Paso International Airport and Foreign Trade Zone No. 68 invite you to be part of the U.S.-Mexico Trade and Logistics Conference March 20 & 21, 2008.

This conference will provide the opportunity to learn more about trade and the rapidly emerging commerce between the United States and Mexico. As part of the conference, the premiere Butterfield Trail Golf Club designed by Tom Fazio will host a golf tournament on March 20, 2008. For more information please visit www.elpasotexas.gov/ftz .

Click here to view the Conference Announcement.

Parks and Recreation Events

• On March 21st, the Wellington Chew Senior Center, located at 4430 Maxwell in Northeast El Paso, will have an Easter Hat Contest at 10:30 a.m. The event is free of charge and will offer a display of various hats by the participants. “This has been a great way for seniors to show their creativity,” said Antonio Campa, Center Director.
• Several of the City’s Parks and Recreation Centers will be hosting Easter fun activities for the children Easter weekend on Saturday, March 22nd. Each of the Easter activities are free and open to the public and will feature an Easter Egg Hunt. Events are open to ages 12 and under. For more information call any of the individual centers. The centers hosting the activities are listed below:
  
  

  Westside Recreation Center	7400 High Ridge	587-1623
  Gary Del Palacio Recreation Center	3001 Parkwood	629-7312
  Galatzan Recreation Center	650 Wallenberg	581-5182
  Marty Robbins Recreation Center	11600 Vista Del Sol St.	855-4147
  Nolan Richardson Center	4435 Maxwell St.	755-7566
  Chihuahuita Recreation Center	417 Charles St.	533-6909
  (March 21 only)

  
  
  
• The Armijo Recreation Center (700 E. 7th Street) will play host a Spring Bash on March 26th, to function as a safe haven for children out of school for Spring Break. Community agencies in the area will support the all day event. The event is being headed up by the City of El Paso Parks & Recreation Department and will also include other entities including the El Paso Public Library, Boys and Girls Club, La Fe Preparatory and Latch Key. Organizers are still looking for supporters. For more information, call Hiriam Samaniego at 544-5436.
• On March 29th, the Leona Ford Washington Senior Center, 3400 E. Missouri will be having a Scholastic Chess Tournament for elementary and middle school children. The event is $4 in advance and $5 on the day of the competition. The festivities will start at 9:00 a.m. This is the second year of the chess competition at the centrally located facility. For more information, call George Paizano at 562-7071. The competition is open to beginners or advanced chess players.
• Carolina Center Skate Park, 563 N. Carolina St., has a one-of-a-kind Skate Park Celebration upcoming. The festivities will be on March 22nd at noon with a Spring Break Conference, street competition for beginners, intermediate and advanced, 90-second runs on the skateboard with the top three finishers getting prizes. The competition will be sponsored by Love Thy Neighbor, a non-profit skate enthusiast group. For more information, call Carolina Center at 594-8934.

We Celebrate our Heritage – Spain! Announces Programming for March and April

In 2008, We Celebrate our Heritage – Spain! This three-month long celebration will take place from March to May 2008 throughout the City of El Paso featuring some of the best contributions of Spain to the El Paso region, from its art, dance, music, theatre and literature to its exquisite cuisine, viniculture and religious traditions.

About We Celebrate our Heritage:
The We Celebrate our Heritage Series has been created to heighten awareness on El Paso’s ancestry and to honor and celebrate its cultural diversity by featuring the traditions, folklore, art and other significant contributions its ancestors left as legacy to this community. Annually, the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department – Cultural Tourism Program – showcases a district heritage and culture through a three-month long celebration that takes place in collaboration with the community partners from the El Paso region and abroad.

A full scope of all functions, including times and summaries, go to: www.epheritage.org or call (915) 541-4657

Poppy Photo Contest

1st Place wins a $100 Gift Certificate in the Museum Store.
All entries must be received by 5:00 p.m., April 1st, 2008.

The El Paso Museum of Archaeology is sponsoring a photo contest to highlight this year’s spectacular poppy season. All entries will be displayed in the Museum through May 3rd, 2008. Poppy photographs must have been taken on the Museum of Archaeology’s grounds. Entries should be 8” x 10” images, mailed or hand delivered to the Museum. Entries must include photograph, $5.00 entry fee per photograph, name of photographer, address, and phone number.

The deadline for entries to be received by the Museum is 5:00 p.m., April 1st, 2008. The winning photographs will be announced April 8, 2008. 1st Prize is a $100 gift certificate to the Museum Store, 2nd Prize is a $50 gift certificate, and 3rd Prize is a $25 gift certificate. All three winning photographs will be featured in the Museum and on the Museum’s web site. Winner and honorable mention certificates will also be awarded.

Note: Photographs entered in the contest will not be returned by the Museum. If you would like to have your photographs after the contest is over they may be picked up between May 13th to May 31s tat the Museum.

El Paso Museum of Archaeology
4301 Transmountain Road
El Paso, TX 79924
(915)755-4332
archaeologymuseum@elpasotexas.gov

HEALTH & WELLNESS

2-1-1 Texas

Have you ever been involved in a conversation where the other party is going through a hardship? You listen with an open heart as much as you wish you could help, you find yourself unable to do anything. One reason you may not be able to help is because you may not have the phone numbers of agencies that may assist the person, or your many not have the money to give to the person for help with their utility assistance or rent assistance, etc. The good news is that 2-1-1 Texas is a free, easy to use phone number staffed by trained professionals. 2-1-1 is connected to nearly every service in the state including government agencies, food pantries, career services, after-school programs, counseling services and many other state and local resources.

Callers are referred to the best place in their community to get the help they need. 2-1-1 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are answered by real people, not recordings.

2-1-1 can answer many questions such as:

• Where can I find quality childcare at an affordable price?
• Without health insurance, how can my child see a doctor?
• Where can I find affordable counseling services?
• How will I care for my aging parent?
• Where can I go to escape an abusive relationship?
• Who can help my brother and/or our family deal with his drug problem?

HPV and Shingles Vaccine Now Available for Adults

Genital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the U.S. There are 40 types of HPV. Most HPV infections don’t cause any symptoms, but HPV is important because it can cause cervical cancer in women, which is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women around the world. There is no cure for HPV, but the symptoms (such as genital warts) can be treated. HPV vaccine protects against 4 major types of HPV, including 2 types that cause 70% of cervical cancer and 2 types that cause 90% of genital warts. The vaccine is recommended for girls 11-12 years of age so they get it before their first sexual contact. It can also be given to women ages 13-26 who did not receive it when they were younger.

Shingles is a painful skin rash, often associated with blisters. The rash appears on one side of the face or body and lasts 2 to 4 weeks. The main symptom is pain, which can be quite severe. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes Chicken Pox. Only someone who has had a case of Chicken Pox or gotten the Chicken Pox vaccine can get Shingles. The virus is more common in people 50 and older and whose immune systems are weakened because of disease. A single dose of Shingles vaccine is recommended for adults 60 years and older.

The Department of Public Health Immunization clinics are offering both of these vaccines. The cost is $10.00 for one vaccine and $20.00 for two or more. Please call 771-5818 or 771-5822 for more information.

The City, as part of its charge and mission, is always working to look for new ways to help keep residents up-to-date on what is happening within their City Government. Whether it be instituting a new policy, making a change or an enhancement to an existing service or offering a new amenity to residents -- citizens should be informed about the innerworkings of the City operation that serves them.

This brings me to our newest method for communicating this message to the public: City 15. As you will see in our feature article this issue, this is a Government Channel, dedicated to informing viewers about what their local government entities offer and the services they provide. The City officially launched City 15 Friday, February 29, 2008 -- on Cable Channel 15. This launch was the culmination of months upon months of hard work on the part of Juliet Lozano and the Communications & Public Affairs Office, Gary Gordier and the Information Technology staff, and other key city employees who played an integral role in the developmental work on the station. Because of their hard work and dedication, we can now proudly say that City 15 is a reality. I would also like to spotlight Isaac Torres and Jose Solis, our Media Production Specialists, who have helped to bring these programming ideas to life with their time and work revolving around filming, editing and producing segments for the station.

I encourage all employees to catch City 15 - Your El Paso Government Information Source!!

General Links

• Human Resources
• City Employees' Pension Fund
• Police and Fire Pension Fund
• Neighborhood Toolbox
• Employee Newsletter Archive
• City Events Calendar
• City News Page

Benefits Services

• Health Benefits - Aetna
• Dental - Concordia
• Dental – Safeguard
• Pharmacy - Medco
• Vision – Block
• Unum Life Insurance – Disability
• ING Life Insurance – Dependent/Basic/
  AD & D
• ING – Deferred Compensation
• EP Fitness
• Del Sol Medical Center
• Las Palmas Medical Center

Contact Us

Do you have a question, comment or feedback on the Employee Newsletter? Let us know!

Send us an email at:
elpasopio@elpasotexas.gov

We value your opinion!

El Paso Zoo Receives Accreditation by Association of Zoos and Aquariums

The El Paso Zoo announced on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 that it has earned accreditation by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) independent Accreditation Commission. "We are thrilled that the El Paso Zoo is among the top zoos in the country to receive accreditation," said Steve Marshall, Zoo Director. “We felt good when we received a positive review in the preliminary report from the AZA Visiting Committee during their 3 day site inspection. The announcement is an affirmation that together we have ‘raised the bar’ for what our Zoo should look like every day.”

“El Paso has a gem, that will continue to shine and provide a great experience for our community and visitors to El Paso,” said Joyce Wilson, El Paso City Manager.

To be accredited, the El Paso Zoo underwent a thorough investigation to insure it has and will continue to meet ever-rising standards, which include animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education and safety. AZA requires zoos and aquariums to successfully complete this rigorous accreditation process in order to be members of the association, and are required to resubmit to this process every five years.

“Only the very best zoos and aquariums can meet tough Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation standards,” said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy. “The leadership and staff of the El Paso Zoo are to be congratulated for the hard work and commitment that they put into the accreditation process.”

“I am impressed with the staff’s attention to detail, not only in customer services, but also in areas of animal welfare, mental enrichment, behavioral training and exhibit habitat development,” said El Paso Zoo Director, Steve Marshall. It’s not only what you see when you come through the gate, it’s also about everything you don’t see that sets us apart.”

Deputy City Manager, Deborah G. Hamlyn, who is in charge of the Quality of Life departments for the City of El Paso, was very enthusiastic about the AZA committee’s decision. "Steve Marshall, Zoo Director, recruited from Atlanta a little more than a year ago has brought his creative vision and enthusiastic leadership style to El Paso and established a new standard for the staff to aspire to,” said Hamlyn. “This has resulted in a high-performance organization that has brought about positive results which are now reflected in the impressive report we have received from the AZA Accreditation team. I am very proud that Steve and the El Paso Zoo staff are a part of my Quality of Life Team and want to personally congratulate them for ‘raising the bar’ for all for us."

The AZA Committee found the following areas of the Zoo are particularity impressive: Animal Holding, Facilities Building, Quarantine Barn, Sea Lion Exhibit, Employee Lounge and the Warehouse. The Visiting Committee found that, “New management philosophy and leadership is evident in both staff morale and improved communication between the Zoo, the Society and the City of El Paso – resulting in a more efficient, business-like operation of the facility." Other positive attributes were:

• Public walkways provided a safe passage throughout the Zoo

• All off exhibit and exhibit areas were neat and tidy

• Public presentations (elephants and sea lions) were delivered with a strong conservation message and in an enthusiastic and professional manner

“Our Zoo staff put in a lot of hard work over the past year, making improvements and polishing the look of the Zoo, along with the superior care that the animals receive on a daily basis. I am so proud of what our team did and does everyday,” said Marshall. “We met and exceeded the standards and will continue to do so. We are just making strides in our profession of offering up-close animal experiences and conservation education that is so vital in our day and age. It’s an experience you just can’t get from a TV or video.”

“Not only does El Paso Zoo meet or exceed AZA’s high standards, but it provides every visitor with a chance to connect to global wildlife conservation,” Maddy added. “Every member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums shares a strong commitment to animal care, professionalism, ethics, conservation and education. In turn, they enrich the lives of their communities by developing significant wildlife education and conservation programs.”

The El Paso Zoo is highly involved with the conservation of rapidly disappearing animal species, most recently the burrowing owl and black-footed ferret. The El Paso Zoo is positioning itself to become a focal point for all aspects of conservation with the soon-to-open El Paso Water Utilities Discovery Education Center that will focus on water conservation and our desert, and the El Paso Electric Renewable Energy Demonstration Project Windows to the Wild Outpost which will feature solar energy and a wind turbine.