- CuriOdyssey
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CuriOdyssey 
Date opened 1954[1] Location San Mateo, California Land area 3 acres (1.2 ha)[2] Coordinates 37°35′12″N 122°19′03″W / 37.586554°N 122.317636°WCoordinates: 37°35′12″N 122°19′03″W / 37.586554°N 122.317636°W Number of animals 100[3] Annual visitors 75,000[1] Memberships AZA[4] Website www.curiodyssey.org CuriOdyssey, formerly Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education, and Coyote Point Museum, is an environmental science and wildlife center located at 1651 Coyote Point Drive in San Mateo, California. It is part of Coyote Point Park, which overlooks the San Francisco Bay. The museum was founded in 1954 as the San Mateo County Junior Museum, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
The animals at the Coyote Point Museum have all been injured or imprinted in such a way that they would not survive in the wild. Most of the animals are native to California, though there are some animals that are housed here as part of the museum's Animal Ambassador program.[3]
Contents
History
Coyote Point was originally an island with the San Francisco Bay on one side and tidal flats on the other. In the 1800s the tidal flats were filled in for use in dairy farming, and these are now a golf course.[5] In the early 1900s the land was turned into an amusement park, but this park was abandoned in 1923.[6]
During World War II, Coyote Point was home to a U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet School, which eventually became the first campus of the College of San Mateo. In 1962 the county bought the land, and in 1963 the college moved to its current location and the county park was established.[5][6]
The museum was founded in 1954 by the Junior League of San Francisco as the San Mateo County Junior Museum, and was housed in a Quonset hut on the point. It was renamed "Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education" in 1974, and the current facilities were opened in 1981.[1][5]
In July 2006, the museum made its mounting deficit (some $745,000) public. In August, it announced that it was considering two proposals to save the museum: one from "Campaign to Save Coyote Point Museum," and the other from the "11th Hour Project," which proposed to scrap the museum and build an education center for global warming. In 30 days, the Campaign to Save Coyote Point Museum had raised $540,247 in pledges from 776 donors, with an additional pledge from the Tomkat Foundation of $500,000 over four years. In September, they officially took over management of the museum.[2][7]
Rachel Meyer, formerly executive director of the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, was named the new executive director of the zoo on March 19, 2007.[8]
On January 15, 2011, Coyote Point Museum officially unveiled its new name, CuriOdyssey.[9]
Exhibits
The museum has several interconnected areas that are intended to give visitors an introduction to the natural history of the bay area.[6]
- Environmental Hall – six ecosystems found in the San Francisco Bay Area: Redwood Forest, Oak Forest, Grasslands, Chaparral, Baylands, and Coast.[6] After 30 years, the exhibits housed in the Environmental Hall were de-installed in April 2010.
- Main Concourse Science Exhibits – a variety of hands-on science exhibits that allow children and families to experience natural phenomena up-close.
- Wildlife Habitats – 25 naturalistic habitats that house over 50 non-releasable animals native to California, including a bobcat, river otter, snakes, golden eagles, Channel Island fox, banana slugs, turtles, owls, snowy egret, tarantula, Western toads, herons, turkey vultures, raccoons, badger, porcupine, coyote and others. Visitors can wind through a tunnel that lets them see into dens and interior enclosures, and then walk back around the outside to see how the animals live in the wild.[5]
- Aviary – 4,000 sq ft (370 m2) walk-through facility that houses over a dozen non-releasable, native California birds.[10]
- The Invertebrate Corner houses a live beehive and a variety of native invertebrates including a California blond tarantula, black widow spider, dermestid beetles and others.
- Gardens – 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) of primarily native plants. They include a hummingbird garden, butterfly habitat, and the Nature's Marketplace Garden which features native plants used by Native Californians.[1]
Education
The museum offers a range of hands-on programs designed for school and group educators in environmental science, as well as programs for the general public intended to help visitors explore, discover, and interact with nature.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "About Us". Coyote Point Museum. http://www.coyoteptmuseum.org/about-us. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ a b Softky, Marion. "New life for Coyote Point Museum". The Mountain View Voice. http://www.mv-voice.com/story.php?story_id=2146. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ a b "Animal Habitats". Coyote Point Museum. http://www.coyoteptmuseum.org/exhibits-and-animals/animal-habitats. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ "List of Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". Association of Zoos and Aquariums. http://www.aza.org/current-accreditation-list/. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d Finacom, Steven. "Coyote Point Museum Offers Rewarding Excursion". The Berkeley Daily Planet. http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2006-11-07/article/25555. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Coyote Point Museum in San Mateo, California". City-Data. http://www.city-data.com/articles/Coyote-Point-Museum-in-San-Mateo.html/. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ Finacom, Steven. "Group taking over Coyote Point Museum". Revisioning Museums. http://www.revisioningmuseums.org/uncategorized/group-taking-over-coyote-point-museum. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ Gordon, R. "Coyote Point Museum has someone new in charge". The Contra Costa Times. http://www.ibabuzz.com/insider/2007/03/19/coyote-point-museum-has-someone-new-in-charge/. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ Mike Rosenberg (17 January 2011). "'Curious' new name highlights changes at Coyote Point Museum". The San Jose Mercury News. http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_17081830?nclick_check=1. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ "Our Animals". Coyote Point Museum. http://www.coyoteptmuseum.org/exhibits-and-animals/our-animals. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
External links
Aquaria and zoos in California Aquaria Zoos - Charles Paddock Zoo
- CuriOdyssey
- Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary
- Fresno Chaffee Zoo
- Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
- Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
- Los Angeles Zoo
- Micke Grove Zoo
- Moonridge Animal Park
- Oakland Zoo
- Orange County Zoo
- Sacramento Zoo
- San Diego Zoo
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park
- San Francisco Zoo
- Santa Ana Zoo
- Santa Barbara Zoo
- Sequoia Park Zoo
- Shambala Preserve
- Wildlife WayStation
Animal theme parks Zoos, aquariums, and aviaries Types of zoos Conservation Lists Animals Other topics - Animals in captivity
- Animal training
- Behavioral enrichment
- Captive breeding
- Frozen zoo
- Immersion exhibit
- Nocturnal house
- Wildlife conservation
- Zookeeper
- Zoology
- Portal
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- Category
- Commons
Categories:- Zoos in California
- Museums in San Mateo County, California
- Museums established in 1954
- Nature centers in California
- Natural history museums in California
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