Four decades of dedication to Woodland Park Zoo

Published 11:23 pm Sunday, October 5, 2008

Most folks never get to see orangutans hugging one another in a thunderstorm.

Wendie Bark of Lynnwood has seen that, and so much more, volunteering at the Woodland Park Zoo for more than 40 years.

“I’m animal-orientated.” Bark said. “I’m not the oldest volunteer, but I’ve been there the longest.”

Her volunteer service has led Bark to become an activist about environmental issues.

Rebecca Whitham, public relations coordinator at the zoo, said Bark has served as a docent, a keeper aide and an animal presenter to zoo visitors.

“Zoos have changed tremendously in the past 40 years, and Wendie has been eyewitness to the evolution of Woodland Park Zoo into a world class institution,” Whitham said. “Wendie witnessed the zoo’s gorillas take some of their first steps out onto grass and dirt and has since then seen how not only zoos have changed, but also how the way our communities think about animals and our environment has changed.”

Bark, 61, who graduated from Shoreline High School, heard a docent speak in 1967 and became interested in working for the zoo.

“I started when the twin orangutans, Chinta and Towan, were born in 1968 and I have watched them grow,” Bark said. “In the early 1970s, I was co-chairwoman of a fantastic program, the Animal Visitation Program, that was run by docents.”

She used to take snakes, owls, porcupines, a skunk named Phyllis and an opossum to schools for programs.

“The kids would ask about the smell, immediately assuming it was the skunk, but it was the porcupine whose musk glands produce a pretty powerful odor. It was a great opportunity to introduce these kids to native wildlife.”

She’s seen changes, including the extension of the bear grotto for the gorillas.

“When the gorilla exhibit opened, the animals got their first chance to be on natural material, grass and dirt,” Bark said. “Zoos have come a long way.”

When not at the zoo, she enjoys scuba diving, spending time with her grown son and grandchildren, riding horses and traveling to Maui. She is also an artist, who loves to work in oils.

Zoo work has opened her environmental eyes. With Arlene Gunderson, her partner in a Bugs on Wheels program, they learned that far too many pesticides are being used.

“We have an understanding of these chemicals and the effect they have on the ecosystem and water quality,” Bark said. “As a scuba diver, I’m particularly concerned about the water quality of Puget Sound.”

Using her zoo talks on spiders with her docent partner, Annie Peterman, she is educating folks that spiders are the first and the original front line for pest control.

“As responsible citizens, the less chemicals of any sort we put into the storm drains and sewers, the better for the aquatic environment,” Bark said.

Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com