Milwaukee County Zoo presents 7–10 year strategic plan, highlights three capital initiatives

Milwaukee County Zoo Executive Director Amos Morris and Jody Gibson, president of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, presented a refreshed strategic plan and master plan for the zoo at the Health Equity, Human Needs and Strategic Planning Committee meeting on April 10, saying the work sets direction for the next seven to ten years.

The plan, which Morris described as a combined effort of the zoo staff, the Zoological Society and the zoo concession partner (referred to in the presentation as SSA), lays out a mission and vision, nine staff-drafted values, and three major capital initiatives: a Neotropical (Latin America) indoor–outdoor habitat; a Primates of the World project emphasizing improved outdoor space and guest circulation; and a Wild North project to rework the bear, elk and caribou areas and create flexibility to house polar or brown bears depending on pool depth and other requirements.

Why it matters: presenters framed the refresh as a pragmatic update to a facility-level master plan last revised more than a decade ago. The zoo team said the plan is intended to guide capital priorities, staff development and fundraising while keeping the existing facility financially stable. The presentation emphasized inclusion, education and conservation as core commitments and said the board of supervisors will be engaged later through budget processes for any capital or operating requests.

Key details: the Neotropical initiative would combine rainforest species, reef exhibits and sheltered indoor space to boost winter attendance and program variety. Morris said the Primates building would be reconfigured to improve outdoor access for apes and force visitor circulation past the aviary and other exhibits. On Wild North, Morris described building pools that could be deepened (up to 10 feet) to allow polar bears if the animals became available, or otherwise house brown bears.

On operations and finance, the presenters said the plan includes a business plan that identifies earned revenue, philanthropic fundraising and sponsorships as levers to sustain new exhibits. Gibson said the Zoological Society will expand fundraising capacity—"we are adding three new staff to our fundraising team"—and that the society endorsed the plan before the presentation. Morris highlighted entrance and guest-flow improvements (including a redesigned front entrance) and revenue-focused upgrades (birthday/event spaces, carousel refresh) as near-term targets to grow attendance. He said new exhibits typically produce attendance bumps that last three to five years.

Community and staffing: presenters emphasized staff involvement in drafting values and priorities and said the plan was the result of more than a year of stakeholder engagement, including blue-ribbon panels and community input. Jody Gibson said, "We are proud to be the charity partner of the Milwaukee County zoo." Morris credited staff for the work: "I'm proud of the work they did." Deputy Director Vera Westfall was named as leading winter-event growth ("Wild Lights") as an example of year-round programming.

Meeting outcome and next steps: the committee received the informational presentation; no action or funding request was made at the April 10 meeting. Committee members expressed support and asked follow-up questions about finances, winter programming and how the plan will be phased into budget requests. Presenters said the county and society will return to supervisors during the ordinary budget and capital planning cycles with specific funding requests and timelines.

Context and limits: presenters repeatedly framed the plan as directional and said they were not requesting county dollars during the informational briefing. Any specific capital or operating requests would require later board-level budget or appropriations action. The plan relies on a combination of earned revenue increases, sponsorships and philanthropic capital to fund major projects.

For now, the committee recorded the presentation as informational only and moved to other business.