Utah’s Hogle Zoo has won a Significant Achievement Exhibit Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for the Aline W. Skaggs Wild Utah habitat, according to a report published October 1. The three-acre habitat, which opened in May 2024, focuses on displaying the state's native wildlife and ecosystems to local residents.
The Aline W. Skaggs Wild Utah habitat contains 25 native plant species and 30 native animal species. Featured animals include cougars, desert bighorn sheep, burros, gray foxes, skunks, western toads, burrowing owls, and desert tortoises. Liz Larsen, the zoo’s interim president and chief executive, stated that the habitat showcases innovative wildlife conservation made possible by the team and community support. She noted the exhibit protects native species, engages the community, and celebrates stories found at home.
The facility includes several educational and conservation features. The Norma W. Matheson Education Animal Center features an interactive animal care kitchen and ambassador animals used in a science education program for second-grade classrooms. This building also hosts a honeybee mural by Matt Willey, the founder of The Good of the Hive, which is his first mural in Utah. Other areas include the bio-secure Utah Amphibian Conservation Room, which hosts the Western Toad Conservation Project, the Joseph M. Simmons Foundation Nature Play Area and Interpretive Campsite, and a Maker Space where visitors can build pollinator seed packets.
Infrastructure improvements were also part of the exhibit's development. The zoo converted the Eccles Express train into a zero-emissions electric locomotive. Using Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program, solar panels were installed on the train shed inside Wild Utah to generate renewable power and charge the locomotive overnight.
The Significant Achievement Exhibit Award recognizes facility design and built-in interpretation rather than a single conservation result. Dan Ashe, the president and chief executive of the AZA, said the year's award recipients represent the best of the AZA community and help advance the mission of saving species. The AZA, founded in 1924, accredits 255 zoos, aquariums, and related facilities across 12 countries. Hogle Zoo previously received a perfect result during its 2025 accreditation, when the AZA singled out the Wild Utah habitat's interpretive approach and zoological practices.
