Sometime in the late 70s, my friend's mom took us to this cool new animal park that wasn't like the zoos we were accustomed to. Gone were the metal and concrete enclosures containing uncomfortable animals shipped in from completely different climates; instead, native animals roamed freely in what felt to me like a vast forest.  

It was exciting to me, a kid from suburbia, to see wildlife in its natural habitat and learn more about what I was seeing from the naturalists around the park and in the interpretive center. Now, more than several years later, it's exciting for me to see that neat, new park turning 40 and throwing a big bash in honor of the occasion.

On July 17, 18 and 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., visitors to the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park can experience all the magic of the park circa 1978, with more birthday festivities than you can throw a cake at.

One part of this adventure involves hiking paved paths and viewing animals of prey like black bear siblings Benton and Fern, Canada lynx brothers, foxes and wolves in naturalistic (but safe) settings in the central area of the park.  Scheduled birthday-themed enrichments include special birthday treats for the wetland animals at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. for the bears, and 2 p.m. for the cats in cat country.  Keeper chats are also scheduled during each of these special times.

From 1-3 p.m. each day, while supplies last, human visitors can enjoy mini-cupcakes in front of the theater and sign a giant birthday card to celebrate the event.  More fun can be had during special activities like pin-the-tail, mini-golf, bean bag toss, and find 40 moose.

The next portion of the adventure becomes at once more sedentary, yet potentially more exciting, with a ride on the Birthday Express. This is a 50-minute, naturalist-narrated tram ride through 435 acres of land that takes visitors eyeball-to-eyeball to free-roaming American bison, moose, caribou and Roosevelt elk. Think of it as Jurassic Park without genetic splicing - and far fewer teeth.

Unlike the fictional dinosaur park, however, Northwest Trek has a history of conservation and a commitment to an authentic, natural experience for visitors.  In 1971, Dr. David T. Hellyer and his wife, Connie, donated 537 acres of pristine land with mountain views, wetlands, and old-growth forest to Metro Parks Tacoma.  In 1973, Tacoma voters passed a bond issue to create the wildlife park that would become the Northwest Trek experience; the park opened in 1975.  

Accreditation by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums followed a decade later, followed a year later with the passage of a bond issue that included the paving of trails as well as other improvements to the park.  New animal habitats and animals to fill them followed, including a variety of owls and wild cats.  The 80s and 90s saw more improvements to the park, with a major overhaul for the wetlands exhibit, the opening of the Cheney Discovery Center, and the conversion of the Hellyer's former home into the Hellyer Natural History Center.

In addition to physical improvements, the years leading up to the current 40th birthday year included conservation initiatives to minimize residential encroachment and collaborations with the USDA and the Washington Department of  Fish and Wildlife, Washington State University and Oregon Zoo, which garnered the park conservation awards.  Adding excitement to the sometimes staid work of conservation and research, Northwest Trek added excitement in the form of a zipline with a variety of adrenaline-raising experiences, plus a yearly race through the park to get visitors' blood pumping.

Far from resting on the laurels of rewarded conservation efforts, moving beyond the birthday celebration, Northwest Trek looks next to complete Kids' Trek, a half-acre nature-themed play area slated to open in spring, 2016.

For now though, three days of fun mark 40 years of progress.  

NORTHWEST TREK WILDLIFE PARK 40TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, Friday, July 17, Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., 11610 Trek Dr. E., Eatonville, 360.832.6117, www.northwesttrek.org