Trillium Creek Family Farm

In 1990 the Oregon Zoo expanded its teen volunteer program to create ZooTeens, an innovative educational experience for teens going into 9th through 12th grade. In July 2004, the program expanded again, taking on the day-to-day operation of the zoo’s Trillium Creek Family Farm.

The Trillium Creek Family Farm exhibit is managed solely by teenagers. This is the only zoo exhibit in the nation run exclusively by teens. While ZooTeens run it throughout the summer, teenage volunteers from the Farm Internship program manage it throughout the school year.

The Farm Intern program is an offshoot of ZooTeens. It allows the farm to be run year-round by teens. The internships are based on a tiered system: Long-term interns supervise short-term ones. These different opportunities are based on education requirements for local schools. By allowing short-term interns, the zoo can provide job-shadowing opportunities; students job shadow as part of the benchmark requirements. Long-term internships can be molded to any student’s requirements—primarily serving as senior projects.

The long-term interns work with the senior keepers, making day-to-day decisions and providing a huge amount of input on every aspect of the farm program.

In preparation for opening day of the Trillium Creek Family Farm, the interns and ZooTeens worked side by side, preparing the farm and the animals for opening day. This included socializing the animals and offering direct input on each part of the farm.

Through its Teen Leader program, the Oregon Zoo is the only institution in the nation that provides teenagers the opportunity to supervise their peers. This innovative program has twice won the Mutual of Omaha’s Wildlife Heritage Center’s Award of Excellence.

The Trillium Creek Family Farm was created with teenagers in mind every step of the way: teenager focus groups were held months in advance to cater the program strictly to this age group.

ZooTeen Program

•Started in 1990, this is its 14th year
•For students entering the 9th through 12th grades
•ZooTeens present animals to visitors, help keepers with the care and feeding of pettable animals, go on behind-the-scenes tours with keepers and manage the pygmy goat kraal
•Teens work 11 hours a week, split into two 5 1/2 hour shifts, with two weeks vacation
•Each summer ZooTeens contribute 30,000 hours to the zoo
•Trillium Creek Family Farm is entirely run and managed by ZooTeens
•300 teens participate in the ZooTeen program
•50-70 teens are invited to participate in the winter volunteer program
•35 ZooTeens have the opportunity to become “Teen Leaders”
•Oregon Zoo is the only zoo in the nation where teenagers are supervised by other teenagers
•This Teen Leader Program has received Mutual of Omaha’s Wildlife Heritage Center’s Award of Excellence twice for youth leadership involvement

More about the Zoo Teen Program.

Farm Internship Program

•An extension of the ZooTeen program
•Farm internships are available year-round and do not require tuition
•Participate in animal husbandry/keeper work, administration, leadership, animal observation, and other areas
•Teens interact among their departments and replicate an actual workplace environment
•Interns design their own curriculum
•Interns commit to at least 20 hours in a 3-month period (around 3 hours a week)
•These interns will be in charge of Trillium Creek Family Farm

More about the Farm Internship Program.