D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is pressing the director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for answers about its policy that still requires visitors to book free, timed-entry passes to gain admission. District residents and tourists alike should both have easy access to the zoo, located in Woodley Park, Norton wrote in her letter to National Zoo Director Brandie Smith.

“I am concerned that the entry pass requirement may be limiting access or deterring visits to the National Zoo,” Norton wrote, “especially for people who cannot get online, whether because they do not have a computer or smartphone or are unable to use such devices, for people who want to spontaneously visit, and for people who have been led to believe by the website that entry passes are available only online.”

The National Zoo is one of four Smithsonian institutions that requires timed passes. It closed at the beginning of the pandemic, but partially reopened with limited hours and timed passes in July 2020, when most Smithsonian museums were still closed. The zoo closed once more before reopening with timed-entry in May 2021. The Smithsonian has blamed staffing and volunteer shortages for policies like timed passes and limited hours; though most museums — including the zoo — have returned to pre-pandemic hours.

Norton in her letter encouraged Smith to “reevaluate whether entry passes are necessary” and to make it clearer to visitors that passes are set aside for visitors who show up without online passes.

This is not the first time Norton has pressured the federally operated institution to reconsider its visitor policy. Back in December 2015, when the zoo cut its hours and upset locals who enjoyed jogging through the facility, Norton asked then-zoo director Dennis Kelly to compromise with D.C. residents. Last fall, she asked zoo officials to extend the hours for the Rock Creek Park biking trail that partially cuts through zoo property. Over the past few years, the zoo has proposed numerous changes to the park design, citing security concerns. The zoo eventually reduced the number of pedestrian entrances from 13 to three and installed fencing around the perimeter.

Norton requested a response to her most recent letter by Jan. 20. A spokesperson for the zoo declined to answer DCist/WAMU’s questions about Norton’s letter, but said they would respond to Norton directly and provide a copy of their response.