Oregon's Nature by Christy Almazan Visitors to The Oregon Zoo are now walking through loops to talk to the animals. Sound a little crazy? Well, it isn't...a new tree-lined path from the Africa Rain Forest Exhibit opened late 1997 creating a loop throughout the zoo to provide visitors easier access to exhibits without backtracking. Today, a series of gardens is being planted along its pathway, representing several typical botanical habitats found in the Willamette Valley. The Wildlife Demonstration Gardens include a Shade Garden, Edge Garden, Sun Garden, Wetland Garden, and Wild Meadow and Butterfly Garden. The project designers are Partner and Landscape Architect Carol Mayer-Reed, FASLA, and Landscape Architect Steve Koch of the Portland, OR-based firm Mayer/Reed. The gardens will be linked by a pathway and are meant to have distinctive characteristics. Carol Mayer-Reed explains, "Currently, only the 'bones' or basic structure of the gardens exist, and we are now down to the planting of the gardens. The scale of each garden is like a backyard, and will convey ideas that people can come away with and relate to their own personal spaces." The Shade Garden will consist of various trees--including Douglas Fir and Vine Maples--and mostly native Oregon shrubs and groundcovers. An Edge Garden will concentrate on the space between the forest and the yard. It will display and educate visitors on the places where birds nest. The Sun Garden, "a virtual smorgasbord for birds and insects," will contain native and non-native ornamental plants--such as, the sweet-scented Buddleia and Weigelia--along with a multitude of colorful flowers. A Wetlands Garden will provide an aquatic habitat for the wildlife. A linear pond is also being developed by the Landscape Architects. Seeps or springs that run all winter long will drain into the pond. This area works as a water source for all wildlife species. Moisture-loving species of trees such as Redtwig, Dogwood and hundreds of perennial plants will also be found here. In the Wild Meadow and Butterfly Garden, the designers chose sweet plants--like clover and wildflowers--to attract butterflies. Vines, such as honeysuckle, and a 3-D layering of shrubs provide a framework for the garden. With this design, the Landscape Architects are not only providing zoo visitors with a beautiful vision, but are also assuming their roles as educators and "stewards of the land," by challenging visitors to consider environmentally conscious alternatives beyond the typical mowed lawn. lasn Travel across a wooden bridge to The Wetlands Garden (top) where a shallow pond is fed by natural springs emanating from the groundwater beneath the zoo. A looping, tree-lined path from the Africa Rain Forest Exhibit (above, right) leads guests to the Sun Garden (above, left).