Anabel Roza is Seattle City Light’s Vegetation Management & Wildfire Mitigation Manager
You likely know Seattle City Light as the utility that keeps the lights on. But what you may not know is that our Vegetation Management team also plays a role in feeding animals at the Woodland Park Zoo — yes, really!
Our gardeners and tree crews regularly trim and manage vegetation across our properties. That includes pruning trees under transmission lines, weeding our substations and facilities, and more. This essential work keeps power lines safe, reduces fire risks, and ensures that our systems run smoothly.
But instead of composting or discarding these clippings, we give them to the zoo to feed their animals.
Sharing snacks with the zoo
Woodland Park Zoo is one of our large commercial customers. The zoo needs a lot of power to maintain safe conditions for their animal residents — from heating habitats to powering veterinary facilities. We support them every day by keeping their lights on, and our landscaping crew has another way to contribute. A few times a year, our gardeners drop off clean, pesticide-free clippings — like willow, maple, and other leafy snacks — for the zoo’s enrichment program. These clippings are a high-fiber snack for giraffes, gorillas, and even Glenn the greater one-horned rhino.
“We always try to reuse where we can,” says Cecilia Miller, one of City Light’s gardeners who helped deliver the latest batch. “It’s fun knowing something we trimmed back for safety might end up as food for an animal, and it’s been a great partnership! I’ve made so many new friends through it — both human and animal.”
So, the next time you see a City Light truck hauling a load of limbs, it might be delivering a tasty snack. We’re proud to power one of Seattle’s most beloved institutions — and thrilled to support their conservation mission in more ways than one.
