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NOTE:
Dates indicate date of press release
February
2003
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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February
28, 2003
" 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.
February
14, 2003
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.
February
13, 2003
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.
February
11, 2003
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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