Dane County

Minutes - Final Unless Amended by

Committee

Henry Vilas Zoo Commission

Consider:

Who benefits? Who is burdened?

Who does not have a voice at the table?

How can policymakers mitigate unintended consequences?

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

8:00 AM

702 S. Randall Ave

A. Call To Order

A motion was made by ROSS that the Zoo Commission meeting be called to

order at 8:05am. The motion carried unanimously. Also present, Ronda Schwetz,

Joseph Darcangelo and Amanda Pedersen.

4 - TAG EVERS, JEFFREY GUNDERSON, ANNE ROSS, and ERIN WELSH

Present

3 - SARAH JUSTUS, MICHAEL PETERSEN, and JASMINE BANKS

Excused

B. Consideration of Minutes

A motion was made by GUNDERSON, seconded by WELSH, that the Minutes be

approved. The motion carried by a voice vote.

C. Action Items

D. Presentations

None

E. Reports to Committee

Schwetz gave an update on:

Animals-polar bears getting along well and triplet goats are thriving.

Operations-employees completed active shooter training. Zoo lights successful

regardless of weather. Zoowide HVAC project out to bid. Non-profit set to go

back to Personnel and Finance Feb 23 and then will go to County Board.

Conservation/Eduation-Valentine trivia event is coming up.

Event/Marketing-Party for the Planet is next big event. Zoo attendance at

around 706,000, up from last year, social media achieved goal of 11 million

unique viewers in 2025 (facebook and instagram).

F. Future Meeting Items and Dates

The next meeting will take place on March 3, 2026 at 8am.

G. Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda

None

H. Such Other Business as Allowed by Law

None

I. Adjourn

A motion was made by EVERS, seconded by GUNDERSON, that the Zoo

Commission meeting be adjourned at 8:54am. The motion carried unanimously.

Respectfully submitted by Amanda Pedersen, pending approval from the

Zoo Commission.