1995, Director of National Zoo in Costa Rica, President of the Mesoamerican Association of Zoos

In 1992 I asked Peace Corps for a volunteer to help us develop an education department at the Simon Bolivar National Zoo and Botanical Garden of Costa Rica. The zoo had suffered 70 years without an education department and I needed this volunteer, our first educator, to help out the newly hired coordinator with her great responsibility.
When Jon came on, I realized we had almost a perfect match for the job. His Spanish improved remarkably over the two years, verbal and written, although sometimes he had problems with listening comprehension in the first year. It allowed him not only to fully interact with the staff, but give talks and presentations to all segments of the Costa Rican audience. He had experience with children, museums, natural history, and communication. We put him in charge of attending elementary school groups who came to the park and of planning a campaign to attack the garbage problem within and outside the park.

Jon worked very well in our culture; he proved very diplomatic, and brought a high level of professionalism to the department in the way he dealt with people, met deadlines (which in Latin America can sometimes be difficult), and the way he dressed. He was friendly with the entire staff from zookeeper on up. I was proud to have sent him to the First Conference of Latin American Zoo Educators in Guadalajara, Mexico as part of the Costa Rican delegation where he presented a paper on zoo education.

His heart was with the department as he aggressively pursued making it better, sometimes he was almost too aggressive, wanting to take on more things than was possible. He was almost always the first to arrive and the last to leave work. He had to juggle various demands from both the zoo and the Peace Corps, and while at times there was friction, he handled it well.

He showed drive and persistence to finish off his campaign “against trash” which traveled a rocky road over his entire two years. He researched, wrote, and left the zoo a very complete 150-page teacher’s guide and a wonderful fantasy story about urban solid waste for Costa Rican elementary children. We are trying to publish and use these guides (one of the zoo’s very first publications) in all the schools of the capital city, San José where nearly half the national population lives. He worked with a variety of people in the private and public sectors across several media and disciplines, integrating them in a foreign language and culture which were, at times, a problem.
Jon was of great service to Costa Rica and Simon Bolivar Zoo. I think he has great potential in the field of zoo conservation education, and if he follows his plans to work in Latin America, I look forward to his returning to Costa Rica and working to make the environment better for Costa Ricans and other Latin Americans.

See the official Peace Corps description of work.