By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Just like the one before it, 2016 has turned into a year to remember at Northwest Trek. With four months still to go, the wildlife park has set a new one-year attendance record. And stay tuned mark at the end of December, because it likely will be topped virtually every day that's left on this year's calendar. On Sept. 4, visitors pushed 2016's tally to 215,604. A boy in a family from Bellevue was the actual record-setter as he passed through the turnstiles that afternoon. Twenty-four hours later, the record was up to 217,926 at the conclusion of the Labor Day holiday weekend. It's the second year in a row that Northwest Trek broke its yearly attendance mark. The milestone happened faster this year GÇô in a little over eight months, as opposed to 2015, which went to the final day of the year before eclipsing the previous standard. This year's feat accompanies other firsts at the Eatonville-area attraction, including Kids Trek, a half-acre, $1.9 million play area that opened April 2 GÇô the same day that a one-day attendance record of 3,122 people showed up at Northwest Trek. Kids Trek features a giant replica tree stump for kids to climb on, a slide that winds through a tunnel, nets for climbing, and a section set aside for toddlers. "We know that the opening of Kids Trek played a key role in this record-setting year,GÇ¥ said Metro Parks Tacoma Commissioner Erik Hanberg. The largest capital improvement project in Northwest Trek's history was funded by donors and voters who approved a bond measure in the Metro Parks district, which operates Northwest Trek. Kids Trek's nature theme ties in with the rest of the park's emphasis on wildlife and conservation that is the reason for the park's burgeoning popularity in its 40th year, officials said. "We believe our setting and story resonate with people across Washington and around the world,GÇ¥ said Gary Geddes, director of zoological and environmental education for Metro Parks Tacoma, which operates Northwest Trek. "Our visitors come from as close as Eatonville and as far away as Europe and Asia, and they continually thank us for providing an unmatched experience in nature.GÇ¥ Also new this year were the much-publicized births of several animals, including beaver triplets, bison, elk and caribou calves in the spring. Spruce the moose, born in June, raised the number of moose in the 435-acre free-roaming area to five and highlighted the ongoing conservation efforts on behalf of the species. Spruce's parents were adopted by Northwest Trek in 2012 after they were orphaned in Idaho. Northwest Trek also generated attention this year from President Obama's declaration of the American bison as the United States' national mammal. Trek is home to a herd of bison, including six calves that were born last spring. Nearly 7 million visitors have walked through the gates at Northwest Trek since the wildlife park opened on July 17, 1975. It's one of the few large-landscape wildlife parks in the nation.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment