Roeding Park

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Roeding Park is one of three regional city parks in Fresno, California - the others are Woodward Park.[1] and the Regional Sports Park.[2] The 90-acre Roeding Park includes a lake, several ponds, and groves of ash, cedar, pine, and eucalyptus, maple, and redwood trees and houses Fresno's Chaffee Zoo[3] as well as picnic areas, tennis courts and horseshoe pits. The park also has a Japanese War Memorial. The park also has an amusement park (Playland) operated by local area rotary clubs and Storyland, an amusement park with a fairy tale theme. Storyland is geared toward younger children. The park has a series of interactive scenes from well-known stories and fairytales. During the summer, a troupe of local students performs plays at an amphitheatre in the park based on fairytales. This is a time of change in Roeding Park. In the last year the park has been working hard to raise attendance and remind people of their mission. [4] Further in 2006 a new Executive Director, Barry Falke was hired. Storyland & Playland are both 501(c)(3) organizations. The Chaffee Zoo recently received a big break with the passing of Measure Z, which added a tenth of a cent city sales tax benefiting the zoo. Along with the tax, the zoo has changed from being city operated to being run by a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The land, exhibits and animals themselves are still owned by the City of Fresno but leased to the Fresno's Chaffee Zoo Corp. [5] The tax allowed for the hiring of Donna Fernandes from the Buffalo Zoo as the new director in 2005, but she left after only 3 months to return to her previous job.[6] Lewis Greene,[7] from the Virginia Zoo, was then hired as director in 2006 and secured an extention of AZA [8] accreditation.[9] Major changes and improvements at the zoo are in store in the upcoming years although the descendants of the original Roeding family are threatening a lawsuit [10] if the zoo attempts to expand further into the park donated to the city by their ancestors for the purpose of a "public park."