Conservation Matters

2011 QUARTERS FOR CONSERVATION PROJECTS FUNDED

Your votes helped raise $43,886 to support the following projects:

• Mangrove Restoration and Awareness - $4,238
• Oyster Restoration - $3,726
• Florida Butterfly Programs - $4,686
• Florida Scrub-Jay Research - $2,979
• Sea Turtle Research - $5,958
• Right Whale Montitoring/Monofilament Recycling - $4,015
• Great Ape Research and Veterinary Care - $3,033
• Cheetah Conservation Projects - $4,109
• Rhinoceros Conservation Projects - $2,642
• Hornbill Nest Adoption - $2,000
• Dolphin Research - $3,750
• Coral Reef Resotation - $2,750

JUNE 2012 - CONSERVATION EVENINGS

"Sea" the Change: Saving Florida's Natural Treasures

Join us in June for the Zoo's annual conservation series, where we invite conservation and research experts to share their experiences from the field, each Wednesday evening in June from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Nyami Nyami River Lodge.

June 6: “The Florida Manatee: A Native American.”
Ann Spellman, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Ann Spellman, a marine mammal biologist with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, will present an overview of the manatee— its unique physiology and anatomy; threats to its survival; habitat requirements; the state’s manatee rescue, recovery and research program; and what the state and federal government do to better understand the manatee and protect it. Spellman supervises the Manatee section of the Indian River Field Lab in Melbourne. She is in charge of all manatee rescues and recoveries and conducts research in six east central Florida counties.

June 13: "The Bottlenose Dolphins of Sarasota Bay - Lessons Learned from 4 Decades and 5 Generations."
Dr. Randall Wells, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program

Dr. Randall Wells will examine the behavior, social structure, life history, ecology, health, and population biology of bottlenose dolphins along the central west coast of Florida, focusing on five generations of a locally-resident, 160-member dolphin community. Dr. Wells directs the Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, the world’s longest-running study of a wild dolphin population.

June 20: "Marine Turtles and Other Wildlife of the Archie Carr NWR: Their History and Future."
Dr. L. M. Ehrhart, University of Central Florida Marine Turtle Research Group

Dr. Llew Ehrhart, recipient of the Archie Carr Lifetime Achievement Award and the International Sea Turtle Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, will describe the past and future of sea turtles and other wildlife of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. Over his forty year career, Dr. Ehrhart has contributed valuable research on sea turtles and other animals along the east coast of Florida and the Indian River Lagoon, while also teaching and inspiring generations of student researchers as a professor at the University of Central Florida.

June 27: “Coral Replanting: Hope for Florida’s Coral Reefs”
Ken Nedimyer, Coral Restoration Foundation

Ken Nedimyer, founder and president of the Coral Restoration Foundation, will describe the work his non-profit organization is conducting to restore coral reefs. Following a 28-year career as a marine life fisherman, wholesaler, and retailer, Nedimyer became involved in fisheries management at the state and federal levels, which eventually led to his coral reef research and restoration. Coral Restoration Foundation is now involved in developing volunteer-based offshore coral nurseries and coral replanting programs in the Florida Keys, Bonaire, and Columbia. Nedimyer was recently honored as a CNN Hero for his pioneering work in Coral Reef Restoration.

Sponsored by:

RECOMMENDED CONSERVATION READING

• Gorilla in the Mist – Dian Fossey
• Shadows of Man – Jane Goodall
• Visions of Caliban – Jane Goodall
• Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds –Joy Adamson
• Cry of the Kalahari – Mark & Delia Owens
• Babylon’s Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo – Anthony Lawrence
• Gorilla in Our Midst: The Story of the Columbus Zoo Gorillas – Jeff Lyttle
• Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest– Mark Plotkin

CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

• The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest – Lynne Cherry
• Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship – Craig Hatkoff
• Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered Great Apes (Scientists in the Field) – Pamela Turner

CONSERVATION RESOURCES

Join us in supporting the companies who are members of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), helping to make a difference for wild Orangutans. Click Here for the newest Palm Oil Shopping Guide.