The palm beach ZOO and conservation society will develop a conservation action campaign to encourage visitors to create wildlife-friendly habitats in residential and community spaces

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded The Zoological Society of The Palm Beaches, Inc. $1,353,146 on September 1, 2026, under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301) to develop and implement the "Wildlife-Friendly Spaces Campaign," a three-year conservation action initiative.

The Palm Beach Zoo will research, design, develop, implement, and evaluate the campaign in partnership with the John Ball Zoo, Brevard Zoo, and Naples Zoo. The project teaches visitors how to create wildlife-friendly habitats in residential and community spaces by planting native vegetation, providing pollinator resources, and maintaining wildlife habitats in yards, balconies, schools, and shared green areas. A project team comprising executive leadership, program staff, guest experience teams, and trained volunteers will lead visitor engagement and conservation storytelling. Behavioral science and evaluation consultants will conduct front-end, formative, and summative evaluation throughout the project to produce a campaign framework, evaluation protocols, tested messaging strategies, and a final impact report designed to guide national adoption by zoos, aquariums, and museums.

Performance occurs in West Palm Beach, Florida. The project runs through August 31, 2029.

In partnership with the john ball ZOO, brevard ZOO, and naples ZOO, the ZOO will research, design, develop, implement, and evaluate the "wildlife-friendly spaces campaign" during the three-year project. The project team will include executive leadership, program staff, guest experience teams, and volunteers trained in visitor engagement and conservation storytelling. Visitors will learn about planting native vegetation, providing pollinator resources, and maintaining wildlife habitats in yards, balconies, schools, and shared green areas. Behavioral science and evaluation consultants will conduct front-end, formative, and summative evaluation throughout the project to result in a campaign framework, evaluation protocols, tested messaging strategies, and a final impact report to guide national adoption by zoos, aquariums, and museums.