Otter spotter: The Creation and evaluation of an educational resource for the association of zoos and aquariums, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Seneca Park Zoo

Otter Spotter is an educational website providing information about otters found in Association of Zoos and Aquariums\u27 (AZA) facilities. Though the site includes five species of otter it focuses primarily on the North American river otter. It was designed to meet the needs of AZA\u27s Otter Species Survival Plan (SSP) committee, Rochester Institute of Technology\u27s (RIT) Otter Research group, and the Seneca Park Zoo. This site helps fulfill the mission of modern zoos to become centers for conservation and education. Otter Spotter contains species information, photos, video clips, research summaries, teacher resources, and a blog with the latest news related to otters. Site statistics show that Otter Spotter is being used frequently with an increase in page views when social media tools are utilized. Evaluations show that the site is appealing and easy to navigate, useful to AZA educators, and will continue to be used as a resource for AZA facilities. Pre and post-testing of the lesson plans designed for the site also indicate that the lesson plans are a useful way to teach kindergarten through fourth grade students about otters and meet the standards of the New York State Core Curriculum. Overall, the site is a successful resource and by utilizing the findings of the evaluations it will continue to grow and extend its reach beyond the AZA community