AZFA Uncaged
Remote Repairs & Wild Ideas

AZFA is excited to roll out a new series of virtual meetups designed to bring our community together in a fresh, easy, and uncaged but also convenient way. Each session will kick off with a quick, 30‑minute educational spotlight, something practical, bite‑sized, and geared toward the day‑to‑day challenges we all wrestle with in zoo and aquarium facilities work.

After that, we’ll open the floor for organization updates and Q&A. Think of it as a low‑pressure space to swap ideas, share what's working, and crowd‑source solutions from people who truly get it. Because let’s be honest sometimes the best answers come from someone who’s already fought the same battle.

Ever wondered:

• “What size cable is everyone using for their shift doors?”
• “What sealant is actually holding up in your water exhibits?”
• “Is anyone else’s filtration system making that noise, or should we all be concerned?”

This is the place for those wonderfully random questions that don’t always fit neatly into conference sessions, but absolutely matter in the real world. Whether you’ve got a clever workaround, a burning issue, or just want to listen in, these virtual meetups are a great chance to connect, compare notes, and learn from the broader AZFA herd.

Register HERE

 

On May 7th at 1pm EST, our AZFA commercial member Melink Solar will lead a discussion about onsite solar projects at aquarium and zoo campuses. The discussion will focus on the facility team's roles throughout the entire project process - from early-stage exploration through completion and lifetime operation.

 

About Melink Solar:

Melink Solar is a turnkey commercial solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm headquartered in Cincinnati, OH. Melink has partnered with the Cincinnati team for 15+ years to design and build six completed projects. See more about these projects and others here: Solar for Non-Profits.

 

Ramey Reads

Book Reviews by Fred Ramey

Junglekeeper by Paul Rosolie fell sideways into my reading list courtesy of some mysterious algorithm that apparently knows me better than I know myself. When I noticed it was sitting pretty at a 4.63/5 on Goodreads, I figured that many people couldn’t be that enthusiastic without reason—so into the cart it went.

I’m happy to report: zero regrets.

I opted for the audiobook, which turned out to be the right move. Within the first stretch of listening, Rosolie is waist-deep (sometimes literally) in the Amazon, detailing what it actually takes to capture and study giant anacondas for science. I was not prepared for the level of detail—or the level of adrenaline. My eleven-year-old son was riveted during those chapters while we drove back and forth to Jiu Jitsu practice. He hung on every near miss, every jungle standoff, every moment that felt like it could tip sideways. When I told him I’d finished the book, he was genuinely disappointed. That alone feels like a five-star endorsement.

There’s a strong current of Indiana Jones-style adventure running through the whole narrative—arrows whizzing out of the Peruvian jungle, tense negotiations in remote villages, long treks through terrain most of us will only ever see in documentaries. But what makes it land isn’t just the adventure. It’s the sense that this isn’t spectacle for spectacle’s sake. There’s purpose behind every risk.

Rosolie himself didn’t map out some neat, linear career in conservation. He fell into it, stumbled forward, and kept saying yes to the work that needed doing. That path ultimately led him to found Junglekeepers, an organization that has helped protect more than 120,000 acres of Amazon rainforest to date. That scale of impact is hard to wrap your head around. It’s not theoretical conservation. It’s boots-in-the-mud, relationships-built-over-years conservation.

This was my first experience with his writing, though I know he’s published several other books. What struck me most was how unfiltered his passion feels. It’s not polished into something corporate or overly safe. It’s messy at times. Frustrated. Honest. And that honesty carries weight when he writes about the very real challenges Indigenous tribes face—cartels, illegal loggers, squatters—all operating outside the law while steadily eroding one of the most important ecosystems on the planet.

He also pulls back the curtain on some uncomfortable truths about conservation-adjacent entities—media companies, investors, even well-known outlets like the Discovery Channel. It’s easy to assume big exposure equals big help. Rosolie makes it clear that the relationship between awareness, money, and meaningful protection is far more complicated than that.

What lingered for me, though, wasn’t just the urgency of the Amazon. It was the ripple effect. His energy followed me back to my own corner of the Pacific Northwest and started asking questions:

Why aren’t we leading overnight backpacking trips into the national parks here? Could we? What would that actually require? Is there a way to partner with organizations like Junglekeepers through our gift shop or other avenues? How do we move from admiration to action?

That’s the kind of book this is. It doesn’t just inform; it agitates—in the best way. It reminds you that conservation isn’t an abstract global issue. It’s a series of local decisions made by ordinary people who decide to care a little more than is convenient.

Rosolie isn’t presented as perfect. In fact, he’s refreshingly candid about missteps and hard lessons. But he embodies the kind of conservationist I think we need more of: stubbornly committed, willing to adapt, and operating with the mindset that he’ll either find a way—or make one.

I would recommend this book to anyone working in conservation, no matter what niche you occupy. But honestly, you don’t have to work in the field to get something out of it. If you appreciate a well-told adventure, if you’re curious about the realities behind rainforest protection, or if you just need a shot of motivation to tackle something bigger than yourself, this delivers.

And fair warning: you may find yourself, like I did, staring at your own backyard and wondering what more you could be doing with it.

Fred Ramey is the Asset & Facilities Services Manager for Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park within Parks Tacoma. With over 23 years of leadership experience in both the military and government and over a decade in zoos and aquariums.

Welcome New Members!

Since 3/1/2026

Natalia Amano Facilities Support Specialist, Zoo Knoxville

Shane Chester Director of Facilities, Zoo Knoxville

Eric Collins Facilities Maintenance Associate, Saginaw Children's Zoo

Wiliam Cox Facilities Maintenance Manager, Saginaw Children's Zoo

Brian Eversole AC Facilities Maintenance Associate (Animal Habitats), Saginaw Children's Zoo

Dino Ferri Director of Animal Operations & Facility Maintenance, Saginaw Children's Zoo

Thomas Gilardi President, Totemic Sustainable Solutions

Heather Harwood Marketing Manager, Melink Solar

Jackie Hillman Organics Composting and Recycling Zoo Program Manager, Totemic Sustainable Solutions

Diana Hollenbeck Marketing, Portnoy's Premier LLC

Skeat Hug Business Development Manager, Edge Coat Lining

Christie Jackson Marketing and Communications, Sprung Structures

Matthew Keith Assistant Director of Facilities, Zoo Knoxville

John Patterson Facilities Manager, Zoo Knoxville

Justin Portnoy Owner, Portnoy's Premier LLC

Bruce Smith National Sales, Rex Lumber