To support the volunteers, please visit the CDEC donation page. Photo of red-knee tarantula by Peter Taylor, Wikimedia Creative Commons.
Help the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition Support Teen Volunteers at Bug Fest
The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition is stepping forward to help support one of the most important volunteer efforts at the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
For many years, nonprofit organizations helped provide support for the zoo’s Volunteer Program, helping ensure that volunteers who donate their time to conservation education events received encouragement, resources, and basic support during long event days.
Today, the zoo no longer has a nonprofit organization dedicated specifically to helping the Volunteer Program.
That is why the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition has agreed to help raise funds for Bug Fest, one of the zoo’s most exciting and educational annual events planned for May 16–17.
The goal is simple: help provide snacks, lunches, and support for more than 120 teenage volunteers who will spend their weekend helping educate and inspire thousands of zoo visitors.
These young volunteers are giving their time to conservation, education, and community service. They deserve to know their efforts matter.
Bug Fest itself is one of the most interesting and entertaining events organized by the Zoo Education Department and the dedicated Area 6 keepers. The event encourages families and visitors to discover the incredible world of invertebrates and understand how important these often-overlooked animals are to life on Earth.
Without insects and other invertebrates, ecosystems would collapse.
Pollinators help produce much of the food we eat. Other invertebrates recycle nutrients back into the soil, help plants reproduce, and support entire food chains that countless species depend upon — including humans.
The zoo has long emphasized the importance of pollinators and conservation education. Even today, pollinator gardens throughout the zoo attract butterflies, bees, and many other beneficial insects while helping visitors learn how they can support wildlife at home.
Bug Fest transforms these important conservation messages into hands-on experiences that children and families remember for years.
But events like this do not happen without people willing to step up and help.
This year, more than 120 teenage volunteers will help guide activities, support educational stations, assist visitors, and create memorable experiences that could inspire future scientists, conservationists, educators, and wildlife advocates.
For many teens, volunteering at the zoo becomes life changing. It builds leadership skills, confidence, friendships, and a deeper connection to nature and conservation.
That is why helping these volunteers matters.
The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition is asking the community to join us in supporting these young conservation ambassadors.
If you believe in conservation education…
If you care about pollinators and protecting biodiversity…
If you believe young people should be encouraged and inspired to care about the natural world…
Please consider making a donation to help support the volunteers working during Bug Fest.
Every donation helps provide meals, encouragement, and support for the teens helping make this event possible.
Together, we can help ensure that Bug Fest continues inspiring our community — and future generations — for years to come.
Every volunteer matters.
Every pollinator matters.
Every small creature matters.
And together, we can make a difference.
To support the volunteers, please visit the CDEC donation page.