Zoos and Aquariums Fund Critical International Conservation Projects

Silver Spring, Maryland (PRWEB) September 14, 2011

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) today announced Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF) grants totaling $ 210,746 to be awarded to 11 projects.

From tigers to turtles, a driving force in wildlife conservation, animal welfare and education has always been the scientific contributions of AZA members supported by the Conservation Endowment Fund, said AZA Senior Vice President for Conservation and Education, Paul Boyle. Scientists at AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, along with their partners, continue to advance the care and conservation of wildlife.

Established in 1984, the Conservation Endowment Fund is a competitive grants program that supports the cooperative conservation-related scientific and educational initiatives of AZA members and their partners. Every major type of conservation and animal care initiative is represented research, field conservation, education and outreach, animal welfare, animal health and animal management. Many Conservation Endowment Fund projects are collaborations among AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums and state, federal and international wildlife agencies, academia and other conservation organizations.

Between 1991 and 2010, the CEF provided more than $ 5 million to over 300 projects worldwide. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) and The Walt Disney Company have provided supplemental funds to the CEF for over a decade, which significantly increases the number of projects funded by the CEF each year. For more information about Disneys conservation efforts, please visit http://www.disney.com/conservation.

Anyone may support next years worthy conservation projects by donating online or by texting AZACEF to 20222 to donate $ 10 to Conservation Endowment Fund.

After a competitive review of 61 applications, 11 projects were chosen to be funded for 2011. AZA congratulates the 2011 Conservation Endowment Fund recipients:

Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit Reintroductions and Recovery (CEF)

David Shepherdson, Ph.D., Oregon Zoo

Penny Becker, Ph.D., Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Evaluating Behavioral and Physiological Measures of Program Animal Welfare (DWCF)

Mandy Vick, Christopher Kuhar, Kristen Lukas, Grace Fuller, James Nemet, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Global Conservation Leadership Program for Youth Botswana (CEF)

Ricardo Stanoss, DVM, Chicago Zoological Society

Head-starting Ornate Box Turtles to Establish a Viable Population on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (DWCF)

Megan Ross and Dave Bernier, Lincoln Park Zoo

Mapping a New Path for Conservation: Investigating Predation Risk Maps as a Tool for Reducing Tiger and Leopard Livestock Depredation (DWCF)

Jennie Miller, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Przewalskis Horse Restoration in the Kalameili Nature Reserve, Xinjiang, China (DWCF)

Drs. Melissa Songer and Peter Leimgruber, Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Toward Building a Conservation Constituency on Galapagos through Science and Environmental Education (DWCF/CEF)

Chance Sanford and Peter Riger, Houston Zoo

Use of Trained Detection Dogs to Non-invasively Collect Fecal Samples from the Critically Endangered Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) (DWCF)

Richard Bergl, Ph.D., North Carolina Zoo

Saving the Orangutan of Indonesian Borneo: Building New Relationships Between Local Populations and the Forest (DWCF/CEF)

Dr. Cheryl Knott, Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program

Protection of the Sumatran Orangutans of the Batang Toru Forest through Socialization of Forest Boundaries and Wildlife Protection Laws (CEF)

Dr. Ian Singleton, PanEco-Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari

Rearing Innovation for Endangered Oregon Spotted Frogs: A Collaborative Effort in a Correctional Institution Milieu (CEF)

Dr. Karen Goodrowe Beck, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Dr. Marc Hayes, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Dr. Carri LeRoy, The Evergreen State College

Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. The AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. To learn more visit http://www.aza.org.

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New Release Showcases Contributions of The Civilian Conservation Corps at Grand Canyon National Park; Book by Robert Audretsch

Flagstaff, AZ (PRWEB) November 03, 2011

The Grand Canyon National Park was just one beneficiary of the Civilian Conservation Corps program, a brilliant piece of legislation that brought work for the unemployed and revived the countrys natural resources. The Corps was a saving grace for young men beaten down by the Great Depression and its 25 percent unemployment rate. From 1933 to 1942, nearly three million men performed conservation work in national parks, state parks, national forests and other publicly held lands. The Corps work in the Grand Canyon is the focus of this new book on a topic close to the authors heart: Audretsch spent almost 20 years as a ranger at the park.

Shaping the Park and Saving the Boys showcases improvements in the Grand Canyons infrastructure. Trails, roads, telephone lines, fences and trail rest houses benefited visitors in the park shortly after their construction, and many still exist today. From the first corps camp at the South Rim to the Colorado River Trail, Corps members put their hearts and souls into digging, constructing and restoring the canyons assets. Photos from the parks museum collection and other archives illustrate the rugged conditions. The well-researched book details not only the work men performed but their leisure time and daily life in camp. President Franklin Roosevelts ambitious plan paid off: The Corps saved national treasures and forever changed the lives of its members.

Author Robert Audretsch retired as a National Park Service ranger at the Grand Canyon National Park in 2009. Audretsch, who has degrees in history and library science from Wayne State University, has now devoted himself to research and writing full time about the Civilian Conservations Corps.

For more information, visit http://www.CCCBooks.org

SHAPING THE PARK AND SAVING THE BOYS: THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS AT GRAND CANYON, 1933-1942

Robert Audretsch

Dog Ear Publishing

ISBN: 978-145750-529-4