The winding roads around Lake Springfield are especially green at the beginning of summer. They meander around the water, from open prairie to where the trees wrap shadily around the road, keeping the asphalt cool. At night, the lights from City Water, Light and Power reflect off the black water, making it almost like you are standing above the stars. On this lake there is a little zoo that is closed at night, but has public parking. 

My dark green truck pulled into the parking lot of the Henson Robinson Zoo after she had suggested we stop to roll. The paint was beginning to fall off the gate we had parked in front of. A chain was hung across with an orange sign that read “closed.” In all honesty, that sign was not going to stop anyone from entering illegally, but who on Earth is going to try to break into a public zoo in Rochester, Illinois? 

I have not been here for a long time. As a kid, I loved the animals. Australia, Africa, Asia, North and South America. Over eighty species native and exotic living together in the zoo. Koi fish swim in a bond just feet away from a barn where children can feed goats and pet cows. The Zoo Choo Train comes around every fifteen minutes. Peacocks are allowed to just roam around the grounds. In elementary school, how could you not love that?

But, with age comes reality. Now, with smoke in my lungs and a few years under my belt, Henson Robinson only makes me sad. I am sad not because this zoo is dying (though I do fear for the ultimate fate of the animals). I am sad because even in its hay day, the Henson Robinson Zoo was hodge podge of good intentions but poor execution. Eagles with roofs over their heads. Bobcats whose only exercise is walking to and from the food bowl. Crocodiles in ponds that dried up weeks ago. 

Despite the suffering it causes, I find it difficult to find any emotion other than pity for the zoo. It catalyzed my passion for the Earth and her creatures. It is the reason I am sad. 

Process Notes: 

This assignment was more difficult than I had initially anticipated it to be. What I struggled most with was to think of a story from my past that had some weight to it and also had something to do with my chosen topic- climate change. I realize that a rundown zoo is not directly related to climate, but I think this piece touches on the way human beings treat nature and could maybe be worked into something that addresses the globe as a whole. I originally tried to make this as impersonal as possible, but I could not get what I was trying to say across without introducing some first person. If I were to continue this piece for my final project, I’m wondering what might work– specific stories/pictures from the zoo? If you have any ideas on how I could tie this into something about human impact on climate, I am all ears!