February 13, 2025 • 15 mins
Curious about the life of a dedicated naturalist and the fascinating world of Minnesota-native wildlife? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Jaide Ryks, a passionate naturalist from Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo in Southeast Minnesota. Discover how Jaide turned her childhood love of nature into a meaningful career filled with animal care, education, and conservation efforts. Jaide shares her unique journey, from growing up along the Zumbro River to the fulfilling role she plays at the zoo, filled with teaching and engaging with the public about wildlife's wonders.
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Episode Transcript
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Bill Von Bank (00:00):
The Growing Destinations podcast is brought
to you by Experience Rochester.
Learn more about Minnesota'sthird largest city, which is
home to Mayo Clinic and featureswonderful recreational and
entertainment opportunities, byvisiting
experiencerochestermncom.
Jaide Ryks (00:15):
When kids will touch a snake for the first time.
Sometimes they're just verysurprised because they think
it's going to be gross and slimy.
And then I'll explain it's not,and they touch it and they're
just like surprised because theythink it's going to be gross
and slimy.
And then I'll explain it's not,and they touch it and they're
just like so excited and happybecause, well, that's not so bad
.
Bill Von Bank (00:33):
Welcome to the Growing Destinations podcast,
where we take a deep dive intodestination development and
focus on a wide range of topics,from tourism and entertainment
to economic development andentrepreneurism, and much more.
I'm your host, bill Vaughn Bank.
Spending time in nature isn'tjust a great way to unwind it's
(00:53):
essential for our well-being andunderstanding of the world
around us.
Today, we're diving into thebeauty and importance of the
natural world with , a dedicatednaturalist at Oxbow Park and
Zolman Zoo in southeasternMinnesota.
Jade has been connected toOxbow Park and Zolman Zoo since
childhood and has been afull-time employee since 2019,
(01:16):
educating visitors about localwildlife and conservation.
In this episode, we'll explorethe park's unique offerings, the
role of a naturalist and whygetting outside is more
important than ever.
Jade Ricks, welcome to theGrowing Destinations podcast.
Jaide Ryks (01:31):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Bill Von Bank (01:32):
You're having us on a little bit of a cold day.
It's quite cold out there, butI understand the animals are
just fine.
Jaide Ryks (01:38):
Yeah, they are.
They're Minnesota natives sothey're used to it anyway, and
the ones that do hibernate ormaybe fly south for the winter
have accommodations.
Bill Von Bank (01:48):
Tell us a little bit about your history with
Oxbow Park and Zolman Zoo.
I know you've been here for afew years.
Jaide Ryks (01:54):
Yeah, well, I grew up about 10 minutes from here in
the country and we actuallylived on the Zumbro River, so we
like to canoe down and then getout at Oxbow and then spend the
day here, and then I internedhere in 2014.
I was a sophomore in collegestudying biology, and then I
also did a seasonal position inthe winter of 17 and 18 to just
(02:17):
get a little bit more experiencein the wintertime as well.
So I had only worked here inthe summer and then in 2019, I
became full-time in March, soI'm almost six years.
Bill Von Bank (02:28):
What does a typical day as a naturalist at
Oxbow Park in Zolman Zoo looklike?
Jaide Ryks (02:33):
One of my favorite things about working here is
that we don't have a lot oftypical days.
Every day is going to be alittle bit different, but they
start out with chores in themorning.
Zoo husbandry will.
We'll make the diets and thensplit apart and go and take care
of different areas of the zoofeeding, cleaning, providing
enrichment.
A lot of times we'll beteaching classes, so May is our
(02:55):
busiest time of year for schoolgroups and different schools
coming to do classes and fieldtrips.
So we'll spend a lot of timeteaching different classes
indoors and outdoors, and thenprojects, zoo projects,
maintenance.
I do a lot of administration aswell different things.
So every day, luckily, is alittle bit different.
Bill Von Bank (03:17):
Specifically with the Zolman Zoo.
Tell us more about the zoo, theanimal collection you have here
and how people can experiencethe zoo.
Jaide Ryks (03:25):
It is a free zoo.
We do not have admission, soyou can come.
You don't have to pay foranything and it's pretty small.
We have about 85 animals andthey're all Minnesota native.
So you're going to see wolves,bear, big cats, some raptors
like eagles, hawks, owls andeven our big hoofstock.
We have deer, elk and bison.
(03:45):
Bison now are not native toMinnesota at this time, but in
the past they once were.
Bill Von Bank (03:52):
How do you engage visitors and the local
community in learning aboutnature and conservation?
Jaide Ryks (03:57):
Public programs is a big one.
We teach some type of publicprogram every weekend.
We rotate between Saturday andSunday Feed the Snakes program,
big Backyard Bird Count.
In March we teach about maplesyruping.
We make our own here, so we getthe public engaged because they
can come free programs andlearn all about different stuff.
(04:17):
And we also new with our newnature center.
We offer birthday parties andwe will provide a little bit of
a naturalist program for that aswell.
And we do outreaches.
We'll go to fairs, rochesterFest, schools, all sorts of
things.
Bill Von Bank (04:34):
You mentioned the nature center and we're in it
right now and it's a beautifulfacility.
Tell us more about it.
Jaide Ryks (04:39):
It's awesome.
It was much needed.
Our old nature center was quitesmall.
We would do animal proceduresand eat lunch and do our office
work in the same area.
So this nature center we openedin May of 23.
We have three huge classrooms,nice exhibit area for the
animals, great bathrooms thatwas a big one, People don't have
(04:59):
to wait in line anymore and agreat office wing as well.
Bill Von Bank (05:04):
When you walk in, it just it's so inviting and
the whole atmosphere of it.
It's a great, great way toengage the public, both inside a
building, even before you goout into the zoo.
Jaide Ryks (05:15):
Yeah, exactly, and there's a lot of informational
signage.
We have a little play area forkids that incorporates the zoo
and information on how we gotsome of our animals here.
So there's a lot of learningthat you can do here in the
Nature Center.
Bill Von Bank (05:29):
Why do you think it's important for people to
spend time in nature?
Jaide Ryks (05:32):
Nature has many health benefits just being
outside.
There's a lot of research on it.
Even spending 20 minutesoutside has shown increased
levels of cortisol and decreasedstress hormones.
So I can say all I want well,it's good for you.
But there's science now to backit and it's fun.
You learn a lot, you get to getdirty and you know.
(05:57):
You get to see all sorts ofstuff animals, plants, you know,
you can play in the river, inthe water, and it's just more
engaging, I think, than watchingTV or staying inside.
Bill Von Bank (06:08):
Did you see an increase in people experiencing
the outdoors, especially duringthe pandemic?
Jaide Ryks (06:15):
I would say yes, not right away, because we were
closed at some point with thestate mandates and everything.
But once summer hit, it was abig increase.
A lot of people out hiking,camping for the first time,
maybe enjoying the outdoors inthe zoo, because that's kind of
what COVID made us do was spendmore time outdoors, and there
(06:36):
was a big increase.
Bill Von Bank (06:37):
What are some simple ways families can engage
with nature even if they don'thave access to a large park.
Jaide Ryks (06:43):
If they don't have access to a large park, they're
still going to have access tosome type of nature.
Even in the middle of RochesterIndian Heights Park, a lot of
people don't know it's there andit's right smack in the middle
of the city, so it's there.
(07:04):
You can check out Quarry Hillas well bird watching, going for
a walk.
Here at Oxbow we have acampground and it's a little bit
old school, not as updated assome campgrounds, but it's great
because there's not much to it.
You don't have to buy all thisnew stuff to try camping.
It's a good place to try it out.
If you have always wanted totry camping but you're a little
nervous, I think that would be agood way to try out nature.
Bill Von Bank (07:24):
For people who may not be comfortable exploring
the outdoors.
How do you encourage them totake that first step?
Jaide Ryks (07:29):
Coming to a nature center is a great first step
because we are indoors.
So if you're a little nervousto be outside in nature, you can
check out some cool facts andread about the animals here in
the nature center.
But we also have hiking trailsthat again, they're not a big
commitment.
We have some short ones that,if you're worried about maybe
(07:50):
not being able to do it or it'stoo long, it's a great place to
try it out because it's not likewe're Zion National Park.
You know.
You don't have to get all thiscamping gear and hiking gear and
all this fancy stuff.
You can just kind of come outfor the day and enjoy it.
Bill Von Bank (08:06):
Are there any challenges you face in your role
, particularly in educating thepublic about wildlife and
conservation?
Jaide Ryks (08:13):
Yes, a lot of people .
Well, maybe not a lot, but somepeople just don't understand
zoos, and that's okay.
We are here to educate them onwhat zoos are about.
We're here to educate on whythe animals are here.
We have a lot of rehabbedanimals.
They're here because theycannot live in the wild, so
we're a place that they cancontinue living.
(08:33):
They didn't have to beeuthanized because they got hurt
.
We also support conservation ofspecies.
We're part of a Minnesota bisonconservation herd, so it's a
program where we are conservingthe bison species.
So we do have challenges withsome people who don't understand
that and we hope that we canreach out to them and get them
(08:55):
to understand it.
But every once in a while youcan't change everybody's opinion
, and that's okay.
Bill Von Bank (09:01):
You grew up going to Oxbow Park.
How did that influence yourpassion for the outdoors and,
ultimately, your career?
Jaide Ryks (09:08):
Right away as a child I was and not in a bad way
, but forced into nature.
My parents are very natureloving.
They like to spend time outside, so naturally I was too.
My mom especially.
She loved taking in maybe somestray cat and we'll take care of
animals that we might find thatare hurt.
So we did a lot of thatcanoeing as a kid and it just
(09:31):
kind of continued with my love.
I loved coming out here becauseI love animals.
I had tons of pets growing upso it just kind of stuck with me
.
My mom told me that when I wasa little kid we'd come out here.
I said I want to be an oxbowworker.
She told me that when I got myfull-time job here and I was
like I don't remember that, butapparently it stuck.
Bill Von Bank (09:53):
Do you have a favorite animal at the Zoman Zoo
?
Jaide Ryks (09:56):
It's a really tough question.
They're all incredible, butwhen we got the cougar, we got
her as a four-week-old kittenand it was a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.
We got to help raise her,bottle feed her and just see her
grow and that was a really coolexperience.
Bill Von Bank (10:14):
A magnet for families, I would imagine the
zoo.
Are there any stories along theway that you see where kids
just get so excited about thisanimal or that animal that you
can share?
Jaide Ryks (10:31):
I love teaching certain classes and seeing their
faces when I tell them a coolfact about an animal.
When kids will touch a snakefor the first time, sometimes
they're just very surprisedbecause they think it's going to
be gross and slimy.
And then I'll explain it's not,and they touch it and they're
just like so excited and happybecause, well, that's not so bad
.
It's really fun seeing themlearn different things.
Bill Von Bank (10:51):
Outside of work, you enjoy do-it-yourself
projects, gardening and wildlifephotography.
How do these hobbies connectwith your love for nature?
Jaide Ryks (11:01):
Wildlife photography it gets me out.
I love birding and looking fordifferent species of birds along
with photographing them, so Igo out and usually bring my dog
along.
We go for little hikes andphotograph birds, any kind of
wildlife so it gets me out thereGardening not so much like
wildlife out hiking around, butI'm outside in my yard all the
(11:25):
time and it keeps me busy, evenin the winter.
I have a lot of indoor plants,so that keeps me busy as well,
since I can't go outside andgarden.
Bill Von Bank (11:35):
We've spoken about your favorite animal.
Do you have a favorite wildlifephotography moment?
Are there certain animals youjust love to photograph?
Jaide Ryks (11:43):
I have a recent one.
I was down in Arizona with somefamily and I saw an Anna's
hummingbird for the first time.
They have bright purple necks,unlike our ruby-throateds have
red ones.
It was so cool just seeing himand I was trying to get pictures
and he was on the the feederit's not a super cool picture
and then all of a sudden he justsat on a branch four feet from
(12:06):
me and just posed.
It was like he was listening tome and it was so cool and I got
a great picture as well.
Bill Von Bank (12:13):
Is there additional education or
continuing education that youneed to go through as you
continue to share yourexperiences here at the zoo and
teach?
Jaide Ryks (12:22):
Yeah, there's not anything.
We're required nocertifications or anything, but
we do a lot of continuingeducation.
Every two years we get our CPRcertification.
We will take classes online ononline.
It's actually through San DiegoZoo and there's different
classes about training animalsand different browse.
(12:43):
You can feed different animalsand the county I work for,
Olmstead County, obviously, andthey provide different trainings
as well, like leadershiptraining.
We work out here with a lot ofvolunteers and interns and
seasonal staff, so we're workingwith other staff a lot, so that
leadership training is verybeneficial to work with others.
Bill Von Bank (13:05):
How do you acquire your animals?
Jaide Ryks (13:07):
We acquire them in a couple different ways.
So some of our animals areinjured.
All the birds, all the raptorshave some type of injury that
make them not able to go back tothe wild, not able to fly,
catch their food and survive.
Some of our animals, themammals as well, have come to
the zoo because they also can'tsurvive in the wild.
(13:27):
Our bobcat, for example, wasfound as a kitten and they
thought he was just way toofriendly, in other words, to let
him out into the wild.
If they did, he'd go up topeople wouldn't really be safe.
So that's how he ended up here.
And we also work with otherzoos, if we like, for our skunks
, for example, we got them fromanother zoo here in Minnesota
(13:50):
and we work with them as well.
Bill Von Bank (13:52):
If someone is interested in becoming a
naturalist, what advice wouldyou give them?
Jaide Ryks (13:57):
They may not like it , but internships mine were
unpaid.
You know it's not very fun tohave an unpaid internship and
getting a really wide variety ofexperience volunteering,
internships, even seasonalposition All of us naturalists
here have worked seasonalpositions before and just
(14:17):
getting a very wide and broadexperience.
Because being a naturalist isvery wide and broad.
You're not just a zookeeper,you're not just an educator,
you're not just a maintenance oran administration worker.
It's a little bit of everything.
So getting as much experiencein different areas as you can.
Bill Von Bank (14:38):
What's your favorite season at Oxbow Park
and why?
Jaide Ryks (14:42):
I think my favorite season is spring, because not
that I don't like winter, butit's nice when maybe you go
through a harsh winter and thenit warms up a little bit and you
see a sprout of a little plantcoming up, some green, and your
migrating birds are coming back.
It's kind of like a fresh startalmost, and the beginning of a
(15:03):
new fun season of teaching andwarm weather and sunshine.
It's just exciting.
Bill Von Bank (15:10):
Well, spring is not too far off.
Jaide Ryks (15:12):
I know.
Bill Von Bank (15:13):
Jade Ricks, it's been great to have this
conversation with you today andbest of luck at Oxbow Park and
Zolman Zoo moving forward, andwe appreciate you being our
guest on the GrowingDestinations podcast.
Jaide Ryks (15:24):
Thank you, I'm happy to be here.
Bill Von Bank (15:27):
Thank you for tuning in to the Growing
Destinations podcast and don'tforget to subscribe.
This podcast is brought to youby Experience Rochester.
Find out more about Rochester,Minnesota, and its growing arts
and culture scene, itsinternational culinary flavors
and award-winning craft beer byvisiting
experiencerochestermncom.
The Growing Destinations podcast is brought
to you by Experience Rochester.
Learn more about Minnesota'sthird largest city, which is
home to Mayo Clinic and featureswonderful recreational and
entertainment opportunities, byvisiting
experiencerochestermncom.
Jaide Ryks (00:15):
When kids will touch a snake for the first time.
Sometimes they're just verysurprised because they think
it's going to be gross and slimy.
And then I'll explain it's not,and they touch it and they're
just like surprised because theythink it's going to be gross
and slimy.
And then I'll explain it's not,and they touch it and they're
just like so excited and happybecause, well, that's not so bad
.
Bill Von Bank (00:33):
Welcome to the Growing Destinations podcast,
where we take a deep dive intodestination development and
focus on a wide range of topics,from tourism and entertainment
to economic development andentrepreneurism, and much more.
I'm your host, bill Vaughn Bank.
Spending time in nature isn'tjust a great way to unwind it's
(00:53):
essential for our well-being andunderstanding of the world
around us.
Today, we're diving into thebeauty and importance of the
natural world with , a dedicatednaturalist at Oxbow Park and
Zolman Zoo in southeasternMinnesota.
Jade has been connected toOxbow Park and Zolman Zoo since
childhood and has been afull-time employee since 2019,
(01:16):
educating visitors about localwildlife and conservation.
In this episode, we'll explorethe park's unique offerings, the
role of a naturalist and whygetting outside is more
important than ever.
Jade Ricks, welcome to theGrowing Destinations podcast.
Jaide Ryks (01:31):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Bill Von Bank (01:32):
You're having us on a little bit of a cold day.
It's quite cold out there, butI understand the animals are
just fine.
Jaide Ryks (01:38):
Yeah, they are.
They're Minnesota natives sothey're used to it anyway, and
the ones that do hibernate ormaybe fly south for the winter
have accommodations.
Bill Von Bank (01:48):
Tell us a little bit about your history with
Oxbow Park and Zolman Zoo.
I know you've been here for afew years.
Jaide Ryks (01:54):
Yeah, well, I grew up about 10 minutes from here in
the country and we actuallylived on the Zumbro River, so we
like to canoe down and then getout at Oxbow and then spend the
day here, and then I internedhere in 2014.
I was a sophomore in collegestudying biology, and then I
also did a seasonal position inthe winter of 17 and 18 to just
(02:17):
get a little bit more experiencein the wintertime as well.
So I had only worked here inthe summer and then in 2019, I
became full-time in March, soI'm almost six years.
Bill Von Bank (02:28):
What does a typical day as a naturalist at
Oxbow Park in Zolman Zoo looklike?
Jaide Ryks (02:33):
One of my favorite things about working here is
that we don't have a lot oftypical days.
Every day is going to be alittle bit different, but they
start out with chores in themorning.
Zoo husbandry will.
We'll make the diets and thensplit apart and go and take care
of different areas of the zoofeeding, cleaning, providing
enrichment.
A lot of times we'll beteaching classes, so May is our
(02:55):
busiest time of year for schoolgroups and different schools
coming to do classes and fieldtrips.
So we'll spend a lot of timeteaching different classes
indoors and outdoors, and thenprojects, zoo projects,
maintenance.
I do a lot of administration aswell different things.
So every day, luckily, is alittle bit different.
Bill Von Bank (03:17):
Specifically with the Zolman Zoo.
Tell us more about the zoo, theanimal collection you have here
and how people can experiencethe zoo.
Jaide Ryks (03:25):
It is a free zoo.
We do not have admission, soyou can come.
You don't have to pay foranything and it's pretty small.
We have about 85 animals andthey're all Minnesota native.
So you're going to see wolves,bear, big cats, some raptors
like eagles, hawks, owls andeven our big hoofstock.
We have deer, elk and bison.
(03:45):
Bison now are not native toMinnesota at this time, but in
the past they once were.
Bill Von Bank (03:52):
How do you engage visitors and the local
community in learning aboutnature and conservation?
Jaide Ryks (03:57):
Public programs is a big one.
We teach some type of publicprogram every weekend.
We rotate between Saturday andSunday Feed the Snakes program,
big Backyard Bird Count.
In March we teach about maplesyruping.
We make our own here, so we getthe public engaged because they
can come free programs andlearn all about different stuff.
(04:17):
And we also new with our newnature center.
We offer birthday parties andwe will provide a little bit of
a naturalist program for that aswell.
And we do outreaches.
We'll go to fairs, rochesterFest, schools, all sorts of
things.
Bill Von Bank (04:34):
You mentioned the nature center and we're in it
right now and it's a beautifulfacility.
Tell us more about it.
Jaide Ryks (04:39):
It's awesome.
It was much needed.
Our old nature center was quitesmall.
We would do animal proceduresand eat lunch and do our office
work in the same area.
So this nature center we openedin May of 23.
We have three huge classrooms,nice exhibit area for the
animals, great bathrooms thatwas a big one, People don't have
(04:59):
to wait in line anymore and agreat office wing as well.
Bill Von Bank (05:04):
When you walk in, it just it's so inviting and
the whole atmosphere of it.
It's a great, great way toengage the public, both inside a
building, even before you goout into the zoo.
Jaide Ryks (05:15):
Yeah, exactly, and there's a lot of informational
signage.
We have a little play area forkids that incorporates the zoo
and information on how we gotsome of our animals here.
So there's a lot of learningthat you can do here in the
Nature Center.
Bill Von Bank (05:29):
Why do you think it's important for people to
spend time in nature?
Jaide Ryks (05:32):
Nature has many health benefits just being
outside.
There's a lot of research on it.
Even spending 20 minutesoutside has shown increased
levels of cortisol and decreasedstress hormones.
So I can say all I want well,it's good for you.
But there's science now to backit and it's fun.
You learn a lot, you get to getdirty and you know.
(05:57):
You get to see all sorts ofstuff animals, plants, you know,
you can play in the river, inthe water, and it's just more
engaging, I think, than watchingTV or staying inside.
Bill Von Bank (06:08):
Did you see an increase in people experiencing
the outdoors, especially duringthe pandemic?
Jaide Ryks (06:15):
I would say yes, not right away, because we were
closed at some point with thestate mandates and everything.
But once summer hit, it was abig increase.
A lot of people out hiking,camping for the first time,
maybe enjoying the outdoors inthe zoo, because that's kind of
what COVID made us do was spendmore time outdoors, and there
(06:36):
was a big increase.
Bill Von Bank (06:37):
What are some simple ways families can engage
with nature even if they don'thave access to a large park.
Jaide Ryks (06:43):
If they don't have access to a large park, they're
still going to have access tosome type of nature.
Even in the middle of RochesterIndian Heights Park, a lot of
people don't know it's there andit's right smack in the middle
of the city, so it's there.
(07:04):
You can check out Quarry Hillas well bird watching, going for
a walk.
Here at Oxbow we have acampground and it's a little bit
old school, not as updated assome campgrounds, but it's great
because there's not much to it.
You don't have to buy all thisnew stuff to try camping.
It's a good place to try it out.
If you have always wanted totry camping but you're a little
nervous, I think that would be agood way to try out nature.
Bill Von Bank (07:24):
For people who may not be comfortable exploring
the outdoors.
How do you encourage them totake that first step?
Jaide Ryks (07:29):
Coming to a nature center is a great first step
because we are indoors.
So if you're a little nervousto be outside in nature, you can
check out some cool facts andread about the animals here in
the nature center.
But we also have hiking trailsthat again, they're not a big
commitment.
We have some short ones that,if you're worried about maybe
(07:50):
not being able to do it or it'stoo long, it's a great place to
try it out because it's not likewe're Zion National Park.
You know.
You don't have to get all thiscamping gear and hiking gear and
all this fancy stuff.
You can just kind of come outfor the day and enjoy it.
Bill Von Bank (08:06):
Are there any challenges you face in your role
, particularly in educating thepublic about wildlife and
conservation?
Jaide Ryks (08:13):
Yes, a lot of people .
Well, maybe not a lot, but somepeople just don't understand
zoos, and that's okay.
We are here to educate them onwhat zoos are about.
We're here to educate on whythe animals are here.
We have a lot of rehabbedanimals.
They're here because theycannot live in the wild, so
we're a place that they cancontinue living.
(08:33):
They didn't have to beeuthanized because they got hurt
.
We also support conservation ofspecies.
We're part of a Minnesota bisonconservation herd, so it's a
program where we are conservingthe bison species.
So we do have challenges withsome people who don't understand
that and we hope that we canreach out to them and get them
(08:55):
to understand it.
But every once in a while youcan't change everybody's opinion
, and that's okay.
Bill Von Bank (09:01):
You grew up going to Oxbow Park.
How did that influence yourpassion for the outdoors and,
ultimately, your career?
Jaide Ryks (09:08):
Right away as a child I was and not in a bad way
, but forced into nature.
My parents are very natureloving.
They like to spend time outside, so naturally I was too.
My mom especially.
She loved taking in maybe somestray cat and we'll take care of
animals that we might find thatare hurt.
So we did a lot of thatcanoeing as a kid and it just
(09:31):
kind of continued with my love.
I loved coming out here becauseI love animals.
I had tons of pets growing upso it just kind of stuck with me
.
My mom told me that when I wasa little kid we'd come out here.
I said I want to be an oxbowworker.
She told me that when I got myfull-time job here and I was
like I don't remember that, butapparently it stuck.
Bill Von Bank (09:53):
Do you have a favorite animal at the Zoman Zoo
?
Jaide Ryks (09:56):
It's a really tough question.
They're all incredible, butwhen we got the cougar, we got
her as a four-week-old kittenand it was a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.
We got to help raise her,bottle feed her and just see her
grow and that was a really coolexperience.
Bill Von Bank (10:14):
A magnet for families, I would imagine the
zoo.
Are there any stories along theway that you see where kids
just get so excited about thisanimal or that animal that you
can share?
Jaide Ryks (10:31):
I love teaching certain classes and seeing their
faces when I tell them a coolfact about an animal.
When kids will touch a snakefor the first time, sometimes
they're just very surprisedbecause they think it's going to
be gross and slimy.
And then I'll explain it's not,and they touch it and they're
just like so excited and happybecause, well, that's not so bad
.
It's really fun seeing themlearn different things.
Bill Von Bank (10:51):
Outside of work, you enjoy do-it-yourself
projects, gardening and wildlifephotography.
How do these hobbies connectwith your love for nature?
Jaide Ryks (11:01):
Wildlife photography it gets me out.
I love birding and looking fordifferent species of birds along
with photographing them, so Igo out and usually bring my dog
along.
We go for little hikes andphotograph birds, any kind of
wildlife so it gets me out thereGardening not so much like
wildlife out hiking around, butI'm outside in my yard all the
(11:25):
time and it keeps me busy, evenin the winter.
I have a lot of indoor plants,so that keeps me busy as well,
since I can't go outside andgarden.
Bill Von Bank (11:35):
We've spoken about your favorite animal.
Do you have a favorite wildlifephotography moment?
Are there certain animals youjust love to photograph?
Jaide Ryks (11:43):
I have a recent one.
I was down in Arizona with somefamily and I saw an Anna's
hummingbird for the first time.
They have bright purple necks,unlike our ruby-throateds have
red ones.
It was so cool just seeing himand I was trying to get pictures
and he was on the the feederit's not a super cool picture
and then all of a sudden he justsat on a branch four feet from
(12:06):
me and just posed.
It was like he was listening tome and it was so cool and I got
a great picture as well.
Bill Von Bank (12:13):
Is there additional education or
continuing education that youneed to go through as you
continue to share yourexperiences here at the zoo and
teach?
Jaide Ryks (12:22):
Yeah, there's not anything.
We're required nocertifications or anything, but
we do a lot of continuingeducation.
Every two years we get our CPRcertification.
We will take classes online ononline.
It's actually through San DiegoZoo and there's different
classes about training animalsand different browse.
(12:43):
You can feed different animalsand the county I work for,
Olmstead County, obviously, andthey provide different trainings
as well, like leadershiptraining.
We work out here with a lot ofvolunteers and interns and
seasonal staff, so we're workingwith other staff a lot, so that
leadership training is verybeneficial to work with others.
Bill Von Bank (13:05):
How do you acquire your animals?
Jaide Ryks (13:07):
We acquire them in a couple different ways.
So some of our animals areinjured.
All the birds, all the raptorshave some type of injury that
make them not able to go back tothe wild, not able to fly,
catch their food and survive.
Some of our animals, themammals as well, have come to
the zoo because they also can'tsurvive in the wild.
(13:27):
Our bobcat, for example, wasfound as a kitten and they
thought he was just way toofriendly, in other words, to let
him out into the wild.
If they did, he'd go up topeople wouldn't really be safe.
So that's how he ended up here.
And we also work with otherzoos, if we like, for our skunks
, for example, we got them fromanother zoo here in Minnesota
(13:50):
and we work with them as well.
Bill Von Bank (13:52):
If someone is interested in becoming a
naturalist, what advice wouldyou give them?
Jaide Ryks (13:57):
They may not like it , but internships mine were
unpaid.
You know it's not very fun tohave an unpaid internship and
getting a really wide variety ofexperience volunteering,
internships, even seasonalposition All of us naturalists
here have worked seasonalpositions before and just
(14:17):
getting a very wide and broadexperience.
Because being a naturalist isvery wide and broad.
You're not just a zookeeper,you're not just an educator,
you're not just a maintenance oran administration worker.
It's a little bit of everything.
So getting as much experiencein different areas as you can.
Bill Von Bank (14:38):
What's your favorite season at Oxbow Park
and why?
Jaide Ryks (14:42):
I think my favorite season is spring, because not
that I don't like winter, butit's nice when maybe you go
through a harsh winter and thenit warms up a little bit and you
see a sprout of a little plantcoming up, some green, and your
migrating birds are coming back.
It's kind of like a fresh startalmost, and the beginning of a
(15:03):
new fun season of teaching andwarm weather and sunshine.
It's just exciting.
Bill Von Bank (15:10):
Well, spring is not too far off.
Jaide Ryks (15:12):
I know.
Bill Von Bank (15:13):
Jade Ricks, it's been great to have this
conversation with you today andbest of luck at Oxbow Park and
Zolman Zoo moving forward, andwe appreciate you being our
guest on the GrowingDestinations podcast.
Jaide Ryks (15:24):
Thank you, I'm happy to be here.
Bill Von Bank (15:27):
Thank you for tuning in to the Growing
Destinations podcast and don'tforget to subscribe.
This podcast is brought to youby Experience Rochester.
Find out more about Rochester,Minnesota, and its growing arts
and culture scene, itsinternational culinary flavors
and award-winning craft beer byvisiting
experiencerochestermncom.
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