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OUR
INSPIRATION & PASSION
KATIE ADAMSON
Katie, unlike most people, knew from a very young age that she wanted to work with and care for wild animals as a zookeeper. Fortunately the zoo in Denver, Colorado had lots of educational programs to get her started. At thirteen she joined zoo crew to begin pursuing her passion with the amazing animals they have there. The next year she entered the zoo explorers program and began working with other zookeepers in their fields of interest. She excelled when she was working with animals and she became more interested as time went along.
During Katie's last semester of high school, she qualified to be a primate intern with the zoo. It was there that she helped to care for young gibbons Lily and Leo, and she also won the love of a red-capped mangabey named Hank. From the horses she rode in Westernaires, to the hoof stock she cared for in large mammals, and on to the primates that adored her at the zoo, Katie was entrenching herself with the beasts and those that care for them. It was a second family built on common beliefs and shared loves.
In 2007, Katie was accepted into Colorado State University's wildlife program. This brought her another step closer to her realizing her dream of becoming a zookeeper. In October of her first semester we got devastating news that Katie had cancer. The diagnosis was a troubling Ewing sarcoma, which is a deadly bone cancer found in children.
Her wonderful team of doctors developed a nine month treatment plan that included a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and two surgeries. After finishing a successful treatment, she eagerly awaited a return to CSU for the spring 2009 semester. Katie was ready to move on and get her degree so she could start working in the animal field.
During her ordeal, Katie continued visiting the zoo to keep up with what was happening with the animals and zookeepers that she had become very close with, and she made it a point to know about changes happening at the zoo as well. She worked very hard and the next three years brought her to within 12 credits of graduation when the unthinkable happened. In the fall of 2011, the cancer returned. For the next three years Katie fought a long, and at times, painful battle to overcome the cancer. On June 12, 2014 she lost her battle.
She will always be remembered for her courage, her sense of humor, and above all her love of all living things. Her spirit will live on. That is why her friends and family have established this fund. In her absence, it will continue conservation initiatives in honor of Katie and all of her animal dreams.
DAVE JOHNSON
Dave Johnson doesn’t just love animals — he builds movements to protect them.
After more than 25 years as a Denver zookeeper working with elephants and other pachyderms, Dave retired in 2023 — but retirement only accelerated his global conservation impact.
His journey began at 15 years old at a small nature center in North Carolina. Since then, he has worked as a wildlife biologist in Alaska, mentored future animal professionals for 20 years, and turned grassroots passion into global conservation results.
In 2014, Dave founded the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund (KACF) in honor of a young zoo explorer. What began as a $10,000 grassroots effort has grown into nearly $4 million raised for endangered species worldwide.
He leads conservation treks to Nepal through “Team Nepalorado,” helping former poaching communities transition to sustainable livelihoods. Beehive fences now reduce elephant conflict. Solar fencing protects farmland. Rhino poaching in key regions has dropped from double digits annually to near zero.
Dave has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro two times for conservation. He runs “Mimi Marathons” for elephants. He supports anti-poaching dog teams, youth conservation theater groups, sea turtle protection, jaguar research, penguin conservation, and wildlife corridor development in East Africa.
He is also the author of four children’s books featuring Sissy Sally Sassafras — a fearless young conservationist determined to protect rhinos, elephants, and wildlife everywhere. Through school and community fundraisers, kids across America now “sell conservation instead of cookies.”
In 2025, Dave was nominated for the Indianapolis Prize — one of the world’s highest honors in animal conservation.
His mission is simple:
Empower people.
Protect wildlife.
Build a global herd of passionate animal nerds.
And he’s just getting started.
MORE INFORMATION HERE
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