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NOTE: Dates indicate date of press release
February
February 28, 2003 - "Wild About Zoos" Partnership Raises $54,780 For Northwest Zoos
February 14, 2003 - Students Learn About Zoo Jobs on Career Day
February 13, 2003 - Oregon Zoo Monkey Gets Companion For Valentine's Day
February 11, 2003 - Bird Experts from around The World Converge on Portland
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"WILD ABOUT ZOOS" PARTNERSHIP RAISES $54,780 FOR NORTHWEST ZOOS
PORTLAND, Ore. - Seattle-based HomeStreet Bank has announced that it has raised $54,780 for Northwest zoos through its "Wild About Zoos" partnership with Oregon Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and Woodland Park Zoo. The six-month partnership was based on a $5 donation for every bank account, mortgage, loan, and insurance policy opened last year. The Oregon Zoo received $13,500 for its education and conservation programs.
HomeStreet generated 10,956 new accounts between April and September, surpassing its original minimum financial commitment of $40,000 by 37 percent.
"We are grateful for the support from HomeStreet Bank," said Tony Vecchio, Oregon Zoo director. "This promotion helps us fund programs that educate the public about the plight of many endangered and threatened species."
The Oregon Zoo's mission is to inspire our community to create a better future for wildlife. As the largest paid attraction in the state of Oregon, the zoo is an effective tool for educating the public about the value of environmental and cultural preservation for all living things. Special promotions, such as "Wild About Zoos," help fund the zoo and its environmental stewardship message.
HomeStreet Bank's tradition of community involvement dates from its early years, taking the form of community leadership, volunteerism, and charitable contributions. Each year, HomeStreet contributes two percent of its annual pre-tax profits to organizations in its communities. The "Wild About Zoos" partnership was a major element of the bank's corporate focus on parks and open spaces.
The Oregon Zoo is a service of Metro. The zoo is located five minutes from downtown Portland just off Highway 26, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through March 31. The zoo is also on the MAX light rail line. General admission is $8 (12-64), seniors $6.50 (65+), children $5 (3-11), and under 3 are free. For additional information, please visit the zoo's web site at www.oregonzoo.org or call 503-226-1561.
STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT ZOO JOBS DURING CAREER DAY
Local high school students go behind the scenes and come face to face with penguins, bats and elephants
Portland, Ore.- More than 60 high-school students from Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas Counties will go behind the scenes at the Oregon Zoo and come nose to nose with bats, penguins, sea otters, raptors and elephants and the people who care for them during the zoo's free Career Day, Wednesday, October 30, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Students will learn about careers in animal and veterinary care, education, exhibit construction, design, management, visitor services, and development.
"During their time here, these kids will learn about the importance of continuing their education," said Tony Vecchio, zoo director. "They'll also discover what it takes to work at a zoo or other conservation organization, and how they can make a real difference in helping save endangered species by the choices they make."
From touring the animal care facilities to exploring how the zoo promotes its programs, students will discover a variety of job possibilities and what educational backgrounds are required for each position. Students will visit the zoo's animal hospital and go behind the scenes and view with bats, penguins, sea otters, elephants, and birds of prey.
Students will also talk to the director and learn how he got his start working in a zoo concession stand and how he worked his way up to become an animal keeper and eventually a director of a major zoo. He will also discuss his commitment to animal conservation and the importance of environmental stewardship.
Career Day is a free program offered to local students. The zoo has offered the program for the past 16 years. Students must apply through their school to work coordinators to attend. Each year the Oregon Zoo hosts more than 180,000 schoolchildren, teachers and families through 1,327 educational programs.
The Oregon Zoo is a service of Metro. The zoo is located five minutes from downtown Portland just off Highway 26 and is also accessible by MAX light rail line. The zoo is open 9 a.m. daily. General admission is $8 (12-64), seniors $6.50 (65+), children $5 (3-11), and children under 3 are free.
OREGON ZOO MONKEY GETS COMPANION FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon Zoo's lone De Brazza's monkey is alone no more. Mark and his new companion Debra, who arrived from the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas have passed the introduction stage and have set up house in the zoo's Africa exhibit.
Eighteen-year-old Mark has been alone since Vancouver, his second mate and mother of his three offspring died in September of 2000. The zoo had been looking for a companion for Mark, and even considered allowing him to move to another zoo.
"We would have rather had an empty exhibit, than to allow Mark to remain alone," said Chris Pfefferkorn, zoological curator at the zoo. "Finding Debra means we can continue to house De Brazza's monkeys and educate the public about this threatened species."
Because sixteen-year-old Debra has not had success reproducing, and Mark's genes are well represented in the captive population, they are a non-breeding pair.
De Brazza's monkeys inhabit the dense, swampy forests of equatorial Africa from western Cameroon to southern Ethiopia on the continent's east coast. They spend most of their time in the treetops and are most active during the early and later parts of the day.
The legs and arms of these medium-sized monkeys are mostly black with some tan coloration. A white streak runs down their outer hind thighs. Their faces have white fur below the nose and on the chin, forming a beard; a band of light red fur runs across the forehead forming a crown.The De Brazza's monkey is classified as threatened due to the destruction of tropical forests and fragmentation of habitat.
The Oregon Zoo is a service of Metro. The zoo is located five minutes from downtown Portland just off Highway 26 and is also accessible by MAX light rail line. The zoo is open 9 a.m. daily. General admission is $8 (12-64), seniors $6.50 (65+), children $5 (3-11), and children under 3 are free.
BIRD EXPERTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD CONVERGE ON PORTLAND
PORTLAND, Ore.-The Oregon Zoo is hosting the 11th annual bird trainer conference, slated Feb. 12-15 at the Doubletree Lloyd Center. The conference will highlight topics from endangered California condors to the potential impact of West Nile virus on birds of prey. The conference will also help raise money for bird conservation projects in the U.S. and around the world.
More than 150 members of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) from North America, Great Britain, Australia, South Africa and Singapore will attend the conference.
IAATE is a professional organization made up of bird trainers and educators from zoos, wildlife rehabilitation centers and wildlife education centers across the country and also around the world. IAATE is committed to improving the care and training of birds in captivity, to conserving wildlife habitat, and to educating people about the wonder of birds and their important roles in nature.
"Bird trainers love what they do," said Cathi Wright, Oregon Zoo bird show coordinator. "They're passionate about making the world a better place for wildlife by educating people about the importance of the environment and bird habitat."
The four-day conference will begin with two field trips, including a birding trip to Sauvie Island led by Metro Naturalist, Elisabeth Neely and Portland Audubon's Bob Salinger, and a scenic trip down the Columbia River Gorge on the Columbia Sternwheeler. The next three days of the conference will include several interesting and informative paper presentations, workshops, roundtable discussions and a forum with US Fish and Wildlife.
A few topics for this year's conference include:
Keynote Address: "What a Long Strange Trip it's been:
The Unnatural History of the California Condor"
Dr. Lloyd Kiff
Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho
"The Plight of Parrots: Bad News and Good News"
Joanna Eckles
The World Parrot Trust
"The Affects of West Nile Virus on the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's
Avian Collection during the Summer of 2002"
Kevin Hils
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus, Ohio
"Living with Urban Peregrine Falcons"
Bob Sallinger
The Audubon Society of Portland
"Terminal Velocity: Skydiving with Peregrines"
Ken Franklin, Friday Harbor, Washington
For more information on the 2003 IAATE conference in Portland, visit www.iaate.org
The "Discover Birds!" show at the Oregon zoo is sponsored by PGE and runs in the summer, mid-June through Labor Day. During the months of Sept., Oct., March and Apr., the zoo's show birds go out to schools doing full assembly programs. The birds are also available for smaller group classroom presentations with 1-2 birds from September through April.
For more information about having a bird come to your school, scout meeting or other function, visit the Oregon Zoo's Web site at www.oregonzoo.org
The Oregon Zoo is a service of Metro. The zoo is located five minutes from downtown Portland just off Highway 26, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through March 31. The zoo is also on the MAX light rail line. General admission is $8 (12-64), seniors $6.50 (65+), children $5 (3-11), and under 3 are free. For additional information, please visit the zoo's web site at www.oregonzoo.org or call 503-226-1561.
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