Happy City News brings a double dose of good news from the animal kingdom: Woodland Park Zoo has received two Significant Achievement Awards from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), one of the highest honors in the zoo and aquarium world.
The first honor, the Advocacy Impact Award, recognizes the zoo’s “Hello Pollinators, Goodbye Pests!” campaign and its leading role in the passage of Washington State Senate Bill 5972. That landmark law gave the state Department of Agriculture authority to regulate pesticides, including neonicotinoids, which are especially harmful to bees and other pollinators. Since January 1, 2026, home gardeners in Washington can no longer use neonicotinoids on outdoor ornamental plants.
The second honor, the Education Award, celebrates the zoo’s Advancing Conservation through Empathy for Wildlife (ACE for Wildlife) Network, which helps zoos and aquariums across the country design programs that spark real empathy for animals and turn that feeling into conservation action.
AZA announced the winners at its Honors and Awards Lunch in Portland, Oregon, chosen from 96 nominations across all categories. “These awards recognize the best of the best in the global aquarium and zoo community,” said AZA president and CEO Dan Ashe. “The work being done at Woodland Park Zoo further strengthens the impact of our entire community and is something Seattle can be proud of.”
Photo: Woodland Park Zoo
