2006 New Facility for Recovery Program
This June (2006), staff members from the Fort Worth Zoo, led by IIF Board Member Michael Fouraker, constructed a new building for the Blue Iguana Headstart Facility in the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park in Grand Cayman. Construction of the shelter took eight days, and the new building will be used for storage and diet preparation by facility staff and volunteers.
The 16′ x 16′ building is divided into two separate areas. The front area is a 16′ x 8′ screened diet preparation area. The back area is fully enclosed and will be used as a secure storage area. The building has a pitched shingled roof and an attic storage area above the front-screened area. Hurricane straps were installed throughout and the entire structure was bolted down to a cement foundation pad. Prior to construction, a 10’ x 10’ open-sided tent canopy was used for these purposes.
The trip was funded by a grant from the Aquarium and Zoo Facilities Association’s (AZFA) Clark Waldram Conservation Fund. The fund, named for an AZFA member and Kansas City Zoo employee who passed away in 2000, provides money to local and worldwide conservation programs specifically to help pay for construction projects. An additional donation from the International Iguana Foundation (IIF) helped to pay for the project.
