Maryland Zoo volunteer Matt Bronson traveled with zoo staff in November 2024 to El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center (EVACC) in Panama. As an engineer in his day-to-day life, with extensive experience in building construction and renovation, he and Maryland Zoo staff members worked on improvements to the EVACC Foundation’s buildings. Several of the buildings that house the foundation’s critically endangered frogs, including the Panamanian golden frog, were in need of minor repairs due to wear and tear from weather and time. From fixing leaking roofs, updating doors, sealing floors, and installing ventilation fans to improve circulation, the team improved conditions for both the frogs and the EVACC staff that care for the frogs on a daily basis.
When asked about the best part of the experience, Matt said, “it was very rewarding to be able to use my skills gained from my job and from back home in the U.S. to help EVACC Foundation’s daily important work of caring for these invaluable frogs. It was great to be able to lend a helping hand, and to work with such a great and inspiring group of people from the Maryland Zoo and from EVACC, and to volunteer my time in such beautiful surroundings of El Valle, Panama.”
Maryland Zoo staff travel regularly to El Valle, Panama to help care for the frogs, help with medical treatments, build enclosures, staff the exhibit area and gift shop, apply for grants, design marketing materials and signs, and now to help with minor renovations and repairs. It takes a lot of different skills and different types of people to conserve endangered species and make a project like this work.
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