Step inside Adventurers Outpost, and you’ll find mementos from Mickey and Minnie’s expeditions around the world, including stunning photographs from their trips to destinations as varied as the mountains of Nepal and the savannas of Africa.

• Main Entrance (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.): Guests receive their bird band and a bookmark with the locations of the other “banding” sta­tions in the park.
• Oasis (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.): What is your feather color?: Guests can have their plumage (clothing) recorded.
• Tree of Life (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.): How far did you migrate? Guests will measure their migration distance and see how they compare to other migratory birds.
• Asia (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.): What is your wing span?: Guests will have their arm length measured and recorded.
• Africa (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.): What is your height?: Guests will have their height measured and recorded.
• Rafiki’s Planet Watch (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.): Guests can participate in a variety of special activities, including learning more about Operation Migration, which has been helping rare whooping cranes migrate for more than 10 years. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has supported Operation Migration since its inception.

Here are a few of the details of what’s planned for the park’s anniversary.

• Special opening ceremony – Meet at the Tree of Life at 8:40 a.m., to hear from Josh D’Amaro, Vice President of Disney’s Animal Kingdom; Dr. Jackie Ogden, Vice President of Animals, Science and Environment. Make sure you arrive early for this!
• Earth Day “Party for the Planet” festivities – Special interactive activities that focus on animals and nature will take place throughout the park from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Artists and other vendors will present their work on in Africa and on Discovery Island, with their work available for purchase.
• Opportunity to purchase special 15th anniversary merchandise, available in limited quantities.
• Special food & beverage.

The first bullet point initially included Joe Rohde as one of the opening ceremony participants. 

Here are a few of the details of what’s planned for the park’s anniversary.

• Special opening ceremony – Meet at the Tree of Life at 8:40 a.m., to hear from Josh D’Amaro, Vice President of Disney’s Animal Kingdom; Dr. Jackie Ogden, Vice President of Animals, Science and Environment; and Joe Rohde, Senior Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering Creative. Make sure you arrive early for this!
• Earth Day “Party for the Planet” festivities – Special interactive activities that focus on animals and nature will take place throughout the park from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Artists and other vendors will present their work on in Africa and on Discovery Island, with their work available for purchase.
• Opportunity to purchase special 15th anniversary merchandise, available in limited quantities.
• Special food & beverage.

We’ll have more details on Party for the Planet fun, food & beverage and merchandise closer to the event date – stay tuned!

Update: As of 4/15, Joe Rohde is no longer listed as one of the participants on the Official Disney Parks Blog

I'm working on 'Avatar 2' and 'Avatar 3.' I was talking the other day with Peter Jackson and said, 'You had it easy dude. You had the books when you did the second and third 'Lord of the Rings.' I have to create my own books in my head and extract a script from it. I'm deep into it and I'm living in Pandora right now. There is that start up torque where you feel it's coming to you. Then you build up momentum. That's when it gets fun. The characters talk and it's writing itself. I'm almost there right now. It's building fast."

He was later asked about a release date:

As for a release date that will be determined by when I get the script out. No pressure!" 

Of course, this is of interest to Disney fans as back in 2011 Disney announced an Avatar addition to Animal Kingdom. At the time they stated it would open in 2014 or 2015 and many have assumed the opening would coincide with one opening of one of the Avatar sequel films.

Starting this spring, Mickey and Minnie Mouse will invite you into their very own exploration headquarters at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The all-new Adventurers Outpost on Discovery Island is home base for your globetrotting Disney pals, where they meet friends old and new, as they get ready to set off on their next adventure.

Adventurers Outpost is a gathering place, where explorers might come together to share tales from their expeditions around the world. This new, indoor retreat is the perfect spot for meeting Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

• Zebra Glen (0:45)

On August 1, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will celebrate the world’s primates, including those species — like gorillas, white-cheeked gibbons, siamangs, ring-tailed lemurs, and cotton-top and emperor tamarins — that make their home at the park. Guests will be able to participate in a variety of activities at Rafiki’s Planet Watch and near primate habitats throughout the rest of the park, and learn what primates eat, what tools certain primates use, and what all of us can do to help conserve primates. There will even be face painters and caricature artists with designs featuring primates created just for the celebration. Guests can also find out how Disney is helping save some special primates — orphan gorillas in Africa — at GRACE (Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center) with help from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund www.disney.com/conservation.)

Click More Information below for more details and news on other upcoming wildlife events at Animal Kingdom.