Party for the Planet

Check back in early 2022 for more information about our next Party for the Planet event and new ways you can spring into action to protect the Earth! 

Join us as we Clean, Create, and Connect with nature for Earth Day.

In honor of Earth Day, we are hosting a virtual Party for the Planet throughout the month of April! We will be celebrating on Facebook and Instagram all month long, and providing resources for hands on activities for you to Spring into Action to conserve nature and create healthy habitats. This virtual event is perfect for the entire family. Each week will have themed activities and resources, and we will introduce you to some of our animal ambassadors. Respond as “going” to this event on Facebook so you can get notifications about all of the content we will be sharing throughout the month leading up to Earth Day. See below for the activities we will be hosting each week! On Earth Day, visit the Zoo to see special Earth Day themed enrichments. Don’t miss out on the wildest virtual party of the year!

Week 1 - Clean. March 31 - April 6

For Party for the Planet’s Clean Week, we are joining forces with Keep Alachua County Beautiful to host a litter cleanup event on Saturday, April 3 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Register yourself or a group at Events Registration | Keep Alachua County Beautiful | KACB. Make sure to include “Spring into Action” in the preferred event location box and details regarding the meet up location will be sent to you.

To ensure all participants are safe we are following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Florida Department of Health, and local emergency management agencies. If you are sick or have symptoms or if you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, please stay home and sign up for a cleanup with KACB at a later date. We ask that participants practice physical distancing and wear masks when near others. Grabber sticks, gloves, safety vests, hand sanitizer, masks and trash bags will all be provided. All you need is to dress for the weather and bring a reusable water bottle.

Week 2 - Connect. April 7 - April 13

Head out on a nearby trail this week to connect to nature! Download this scavenger hunt to help you explore your favorite trail, and prepare for the upcoming City Nature Challenge. *If you need assistance with the scavenger hunt or would like a copy sent to you, please contact the zoo*

For this week's challenge, post a photo on social media of you and your family on a nature walk, and tag the @SFTeachingZoo for a chance to be featured on our page! If you're looking for a park or preserve to visit this week, check out the following resources:

Alachua Conservation Trust
City of Gainesville Nature Parks
Alachua County Parks

Our friends at Sweetwater Wetlands Park are now hosting socially distant tours! Join rangers as you enjoy an educational experience amidst beautiful wetlands. Pre-register for a tour Saturday, April 10 at 8:30-9:30 a.m. and Sunday, April 11 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. or 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. on their Activities page.

You can also connect this week by participating in the Great American Cleanup on April 10, hosted by Keep Alachua County Beautiful.

Week 3 - Create. April 14 - 21

Calling all artists and nature enthusiasts in Alachua and Bradford County Schools! We are hosting a "Healthy Habitats Art Contest" for grades K-12 and Santa Fe/University of Florida college students. Create your own original artwork sharing your vision of a healthy habitat for a chance to win prizes, have your artwork featured in the zoo, and on the zoo's social media pages. Voting will take place during the create week - entries are due April 18, 2021. See below for more details and rules.

Entry Guidelines - How to Enter

All entries must be received by 3 p.m. Sunday, April 18, 2021.

Santa Fe College Art Contest Agreement

A copy of the completed and signed Santa Fe College Art Contest Agreement must accompany each artwork submission. If the artist is under the age of 18, the Agreement must also be reviewed and signed by the artist's parent or legal guardian.
You may submit a physical or digital copy of the signed Agreement. You may print and sign a copy of the Agreement and then mail or bring the copy to the Zoo at the address provided below. Alternatively, you can print, sign, and scan a copy of the Agreement or digitally sign a copy of the agreement using Adobe and submit by email to zoo@sfcollege.edu or through Facebook Messenger to the "Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo" Facebook page. Directions on how to use Adobe to sign documents.
If you run into any difficulties with signing or submitting an Agreement, please call the zoo at 352-395-5633 for assistance.

Digital Submissions

Digital art can be created on your phone, tablet, computer, or hand created art that you have scanned or photographed. If photographing art, be aware of the lighting and flash.

Submit files as a .jpg or .png.

Submit your entry via email to zoo@sfcollege.edu, or through Facebook Messenger to the “Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo” Facebook page. The entrant's first and last name, grade, age, school, email and phone number should be included in the email or message. Please try to include the signed Agreement with this submission.

Physical Submissions

Physical artwork can be mailed or dropped off at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo ticket window during open hours (9 a.m. - 3 p.m. every day with last entry at 2:30 p.m.). Please keep postal delays in mind if you plan to mail your submission. All physical submissions must be received at the zoo by 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 18. Physical submissions will not be returned to the artist. The entrant's first and last name, grade, age, school, email and phone number should be included on the back of the artwork or on a separate piece of paper. Please try to include the signed Agreement with this submission.

Mailing address:
Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo
3000 NW 83rd St.
Gainesville, FL 32606

Contest Rules

  1. The contest runs from March 20 - April 18, 2021. All submissions must be received by 3 p.m. on April 18 to be entered into the contest.
  2. Contest is open to students enrolled in Alachua and Bradford County Schools, homeschooled students, and students at Santa Fe College and the University of Florida.
  3. Submitted artwork must be your original creation – no tracing or copying of works.
  4. Artwork may be hand-drawn or digitally created. Photographs (other than photographs of hand-drawn art) and physical 3-D art (like sculptures) will not be accepted.
  5. Only one entry per person.
  6. Artwork should depict your idea of a healthy habitat. In the spirit of Party for the Planet, we encourage all artists to refrain from using glitter and be considerate to avoid use of toxic materials.
  7. You must sign and submit the Santa Fe College Art Contest Agreement to the Zoo. Please read over this document as it explains how the artwork will be voted on, and what prizes will be given. A parent or guardian must sign this Agreement if you are under the age of 18.

Santa Fe College Art Contest Agreement

Download Fillable Agreement
Download Printable Agreement

Please contact the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo at 352-395-5633 or zoo@sfcollege.edu if you have any issues with the Art Contest Agreement form.

The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo (the “College”) is proud to host the Party for the Planet Art Contest – Healthy Habitats (“Contest”). A completed and signed copy of this Agreement must accompany each artwork submission. If the student entering artwork (the “Entrant”) is under the age of 18, the Agreement must also be reviewed and signed by the Entrant’s parent or legal guardian (“Guardian”). By signing below, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

  1. The Contest runs from March 20 through April 18, 2021. All entries and a completed and signed copy of this Agreement must be digitally submitted or received via mail or drop-off by the College no later than 3:00 p.m. on April 18, 2021.
  2. Entries must be submitted according to the “Entry Guidelines” posted above. Entry is free. One entry per person.
  3. Submitted artwork must be the Entrant’s original creation. By signing this Agreement, you warrant that the artwork is an original work of the Entrant, does not contain any third party copyrighted material or material that is subject to other third-party proprietary rights, and that you have the full right, power, and authority to sign this Agreement and to grant the rights agreed to be granted hereunder. You agree that the artwork is being submitted at your own risk.
  4. This Contest is open to students enrolled in Alachua and Bradford County Public Schools, as well as students at Santa Fe College and the University of Florida. By signing this Agreement, you warrant that the Entrant meets these criteria.
  5. You consent to Entrant’s artwork being posted online for voting, shared on the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo Facebook, Instagram, and/or website, and posted in the Zoo for visitors to view. You consent to the Entrant’s first name, grade, and school being posted with artwork in person and online. By signing below, you grant to the College the worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, and reproduce the Entrant’s artwork, alone or as a compilation with other third party works, as well as to use the Entrant’s name, likeness, biographical information, and/or the title of the artwork, in print or electronic format, in any media now known or hereafter devised.
  6. You acknowledge that no compensation other than what is stated in this Agreement will be provided by the College.
  7. Artwork entries will be uploaded to Google Forms for voting. Voting will be open from April 19, 2021 at 12 p.m. through April 20, 2021 at 4 p.m. Voting will be open to the general public, and the voting link will be posted on the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo’s Facebook, Instagram, and website.
  8. Prizes and Categories:
    1. Categories are as follows: Kindergarten – 2nd grade; 3rd -5th grade; 6th-8th grade; 9th-12th grade; Santa Fe College/University of Florida.
    2. There will be one grand prize, one second place, and one third place winner in each category as determined by number of overall votes in Google Forms.
    3. Prizes are as follows:
      1. Grand prize winner will receive a family 4 pack of tickets to the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, a painting by a zoo animal, an animal encounter, and their artwork displayed in the zoo. Specific animals may not be requested for the painting.
      2. Second place winners will receive a family 4 pack of tickets to the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, a Santa Fe College tumbler, and their artwork displayed in the zoo.
      3. Third place winners will receive a family 4 pack of tickets to the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo and their artwork displayed in the zoo.
    4. Prizes are awarded "as is" with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by the College.
  9. Winners will be notified via the email or phone number provided below by April 27, 2021 at 12 p.m. The failure to respond in a timely manner to the notification shall result in forfeiture of the prize. Winners must pick up prizes (tickets, paintings by zoo animals, and/or tumblers) from the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo by June 1, 2021. Entrant or Guardian must present a valid photo ID to pick up a prize. If a prize, or any portion thereof, cannot be awarded for any reason, College reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value. Prizes may not be transferred. It is expressly understood that the College is under no obligation to any winner other than as expressly set forth herein. Each winner is solely responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes and fees associated with the receipt of a prize.
  10. The College is not responsible for lost, incomplete, damaged, illegible, late, or misdirected entries.
  11. The College may in its sole discretion decline any submitted artwork for any reason, including but not limited to the size of the work, the number of submissions received, the unsuitability of the manner in which the artwork is presented, the nature of the artwork, or the subject matter depicted in the artwork. All such decisions shall be final and will not be further considered or discussed. You understand that nothing contained herein shall obligate the College to use or display the Entrant’s artwork in any manner.
  12. The College, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel or modify the Contest without liability.
  13. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this Contest and any person who does not comply with the Contest Rules or this Agreement will be disqualified.
  14. Entrant agrees or, if Entrant is under age 18, Guardian agrees on behalf of both Entrant and Guardian, to INDEMNIFY, DEFEND, HOLD HARMLESS, PROMISE NOT TO SUE, AND FOREVER DISCHARGE Santa Fe College and The District Board of Trustees of Santa Fe College, Florida, and their trustees, officers, officials, agents, volunteers, and employees (collectively the “RELEASEES”), from and against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, payments, suits, recoveries, demands and actions, causes of action, or judgments of every nature and description brought to recover against RELEASEES with respect to injury, disability, death or loss, damage or costs to person or property, including attorneys’ fees, WHETHER ARISING FROM THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASEES OR OTHERWISE, as related to this Agreement including but not limited to any breach by Entrant and/or Guardian, of any representation or warranty made hereunder, the acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of a prize, or participation in this Contest. Entrant agrees or, if Entrant is under age 18, Guardian agrees on behalf of both Entrant and Guardian, to WAIVE, RELEASE AND DISCHARGE any right Entrant or Guardian might otherwise have and COVENANTS NOT TO SUE said RELEASEES in connection with any such liability and from any and all claims, demands, or causes of action that the Entrant and/or Guardian may now have or may hereafter have for libel, defamation, invasion of privacy or right of publicity, infringement of copyright or violation of any other right arising out of or relating to any utilization of the artwork, or the Entrant’s name, likeness, or biographical information or the exercise of any of the rights granted by this document. The terms of this Agreement shall be binding upon Entrant’s and Guardian’s respective heirs, successors, assigns, and legal representatives.
  15. This Agreement is governed under the laws of the State of Florida and the venue for any action, claim, or dispute arising hereunder shall be in Alachua County, Florida. You waive any and all objections to jurisdiction and venue in those courts and hereby submit to the jurisdiction of those courts. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations are applicable.

Download Fillable Agreement
Download Printable Agreement

Date:   

2022 information coming soon!

Admission:

$8/adults
$5/children ages 4-12
Free for children 3 and under
Discounted admission rates available. 

Where: 

Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo
3000 NW 83rd St. 
Gainesville, FL 32606

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