Dickerson Park Zoo officially opened the new Bear Boardwalk Tuesday afternoon, opening up a pathway that had been closed for nearly five years. The old boardwalk had to be closed due to structural deterioration.
Elected city and county officials were on hand along with Boomer, Missouri State’s mascot and Ozzie, Ozark Tech’s mascot.
The ribbons tied across the entrance to the new boardwalk were red and green. Zoo Spokesperson Joey Powell explained why.
"This is for Christmas like us," she said. "We've waited five years for this day and so we are excited as a kid at Christmas."
Looking toward Powell, Zoo Director Jackson Thompson shared a conversation he had with his young son as he was driving him to school Tuesday morning.
"Your 8-year-old assistant told me this morning when I dropped him off for school, 'I'm glad for you dad.' I asked my son, 'why is that?' 'Because the Bear Boardwalk is going to open today, and that is good for all people that visit Dickerson Park Zoo.' "
Jackson thanked Springfield City Council members who allocated carryover funding for the project and Springfield-Greene County Park Board Director Ron Schneider who advocated for that funding.
He said the boardwalk is an important element to the bear habitat and allows zoo visitors to get an up-close look at the animals.
The Bear Boardwalk connects the Missouri State University Bear Country exhibit to the Ozarks Tech Eagle exhibit.
