D'zz Spot Reptarium and Educational Center Inc, is a new, growing reptile rescue and educational center that will provide fresh vegetables to our community, reptile education, pollinator, conservation education, along with other educational opportunities for our local schools and other schools and organizations via virtual tours. To accomplish this we need a larger facility.
. The purpose of this proposal is to create an immersive journey into the world of Reptiles, Pollenators and Conservation.
We are currently housing our reptiles in a small building. They are in adequate enclosures, but they need more space to live their best life in captivity. These animals cannot live in the wild.
It's been our experience over the last 4 years that there are a lot of animals that need to have a place to go after being rescued and unlike dogs or cats there aren't many places for Reptiles.
We have several ambassador animals that we take to schools, daycares and other organizations to introduce the public to them. We have Ball Pythons, Reticulated Pythons, Burmese Pythons, Boas, Tortoises, Bearded Dragons and more. Some of our animals are handicap due to birth or poor living conditions in their previous home. This is a good teaching tool for explaining poor husbandry and also to show people that they aren't the only ones who have disabilities.
Our plan is to build a larger facility that the public could visit and see all of our animals, arachnids and fish. Building the facility in a Eco Friendly way using Solar power, Electric lawn Equipment and Hybrid Vehicles.
The best way to describe what we are going to do is to tell you a story about the magical place we are going to build. This is our dream.
We'll start with the Reptarium itself. This will be a 60' x 60' building that houses over 100 Reptiles, several species of arachnids, a few amphibians, and an assortment of fish. Some of them have been purchased from ethical captive breeders, some have been surrendered by owners who couldn't properly care for them and some were rescued from unhealthy circumstances. Each of them have a story and a tie to the wild eco system.
There will be a children’s area with books, coloring pages and tiles for the kids to decorate. Then the tile will be placed on the wall for future visitors to see. There will be other activities for kids to educate them about nature.
Some of the enclosures for certain Lizards and Tortoises will have an outdoor area so they can have extra space and sunlight. Some of the animals will be a hands on experience. Also certain enclosures will be equipped with a small camera that classrooms and Patreon members can look at their favorite animals throughout the day.
Next we'll go outside where there will be, a Gazebo with a Koi pond that will run under it and a large wildflower conservation area around it. The Gazebo will be large enough for groups of approximately 20 people to have meetings, birthday parties, and other events for a donation or small fee. Over in a corner away from the hustle and bustle of the visitors there will be a beehive (in a protected area). Where we will explain the importance of Pollinators. Including Bees, Butterflies, Bats and more.
This brings us to the Greenhouse and raised garden beds we have planned. This will not only provide food for some of our animals, but also for our family and the community. Working with the City of Burns and the Senior Citizen group we will be able to help provide food for families in need. We will also have eggs from the chickens we raise. Did you know that chickens can help the composting process? Along with Rabbits which will also help contribute to the compost with their waste. (Rabbit waste is a very good fertilizer.)
In a separate building will be the Breeding Facility for Ball Pythons, our Rodent Breeding rooms, a Quarantine Room for any animal we receive to be sure they are healthy before they go into the Reptarium and a First Aid Room for the animals so the Veterinarian can come to us and have a sterile place to work. This building won't be part of a standard tour. But it will be available for FFA, Ag classes and other groups to tour along with the Greenhouse and garden areas.
The tours will also be available for virtual tours. We are also capable of taking some of the animals to schools or events for a hands on presentations.
Working with the schools and other organizations to highlight education on conservation, wildlife and environmental issues we will be able to keep our focus on the importance of each subject while keeping it relevant to our rural communities.
