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KCSOS outlines 20-year master plan to expand CALM zoo, emphasizing California native species and education
Summary
Steve Sanders, chief of staff, presented a phased master plan for CALM zoo that would expand the campus to about 60 acres over two decades, add an education hub, an expanded wildlife rehab and aviaries, and improvements to parking and visitor amenities. Trustees and staff discussed funding sources, volunteer support and next steps.
Steve Sanders, chief of staff for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, presented a master plan update Tuesday for CALM, the county-run wildlife park and education center, outlining multi-decade expansion to strengthen rehabilitation, education and visitor amenities.
Sanders said CALM has about 14 acres currently developed and access to roughly 60 acres overall; the master plan emphasizes expansion to the west with phased work over as many as 20 years. Phase 1 would focus on a new entry plaza, an education hub with dedicated entries for school tours and wildlife rehabilitation, upgraded parking, and a restaurant or café. Sanders said expanded rescue and operations facilities would allow CALM to treat and release more animals and to serve as an oiled-wildlife recovery center in partnership with regional rehabilitation efforts.
The plan also calls for larger habitats and new features in later phases, including "Wolf Ridge," walk-through flight aviaries for birds such as California condors, flexible habitats that can rotate animals between spaces, and expanded hoofstock areas. Sanders said new infrastructure would rely on recycled water for landscaping and that revenue from events and the venue called The Willows helps support operations.
CALM is the largest wildlife rehabilitation center in the Southern San Joaquin Valley, Sanders said, with a full-time veterinary team and a wildlife care clinic built in recent years. He told trustees the zoo hosts more than 25,000 students on field trips annually and recorded nearly 70,000 visitors during its holiday lights event last year. Sanders emphasized volunteers and community partnerships as essential to both daily operations and future capital building.
Board members asked practical questions about interim animal-care capacity and potential partners; Sanders said board members should visit the zoo, encouraged public membership and volunteer support, and said staff are studying funding models used by other regional zoos to underwrite the multi-phase plan.
Why this matters: The master plan would shape how tens of thousands of local students experience K–12 science and conservation education and would position CALM as a regional rehabilitation and education center. The phased approach is intended to spread capital needs across many years and to rely on donations, event revenue and partnerships.
What's next: Sanders asked trustees and the public to review the plan posted at calmzoo.org and to support CALM through visits, memberships, donations and volunteer work as staff work on funding models for the phased project.
