How to pass query parameters through to backend with ember-data?

I'm trying to wrangle my way through my first Ember.js app, and am struggling to figure out how to take my boilerplate/tutorial-based code and get it to pass parameters through to my Flask backend.

I want to serve up local events based on zip code, with the zip code being passed through to the backend.

I came across this page on Opting into a Full Transition (http://ift.tt/1B0Pklj) and am now seeing the parameter name but not the value coming through the request to the API.

I visit this URL in my browser: http://localhost:5000/?zip=21210

and I get:

127.0.0.1 - - [22/Dec/2014 23:20:51] "GET /?zip=21210 HTTP/1.1" 200 - # first call to load page
127.0.0.1 - - [22/Dec/2014 23:20:52] "GET /api/v1/events?zip= HTTP/1.1" 200 - # call to API

my app.js file:

App = Ember.Application.create();

App.Router.map(function() {
    location: 'auto'
  // put your routes here
  //this.resource('events', {path: '/'})
});

//var attr = DS.attr;

DS.RESTAdapter.reopen({
  namespace: 'api/v1'
});

App.Event = DS.Model.extend({
    name: DS.attr('string'),
    address: DS.attr('string')
});


App.IndexRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
    queryParams: {
        zip: {
            refreshModel: true
        }
    },
  model: function(params) {
    return this.store.findQuery('event', params);
  }
});

App.IndexController = Ember.ArrayController.extend({
    queryParams: ['zip'],
    zip: null
});