Zoo, Lewis & Clark Partner on Conservation Symposium

Zoo, Lewis & Clark Partner on Conservation Symposium

Portland, October 11th, 2013.  Nikita Zimov, director of Siberia’s Pleistocene Park, joins experts from the Oregon Zoo Oct. 14 for an evening of conversation about conservation, presented by the Lewis & Clark College environmental studies program. 

The event, which kicks off Lewis & Clark’s 16th annual environmental affairs symposium, will be hosted at the Oregon Zoo’s Cascade Crest ballroom from 6 to 9 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. Admission is $10. 

This year’s symposium, which runs Oct. 14-18, explores “The Nature of the Unnatural” — modifications of our biophysical surroundings that are considered “unnatural.” Experts will discuss issues such as genetically modified organisms, species resurrection, rewilding, ecological restoration and artificial intelligence. 

At the Oct. 14 kickoff event, Zimov will speak about the past and future of the mammoth steppe ecosystem, Oregon Zoo condor keeper Kelli Walker will discuss aspects of the zoo’s participation in the California Condor Recovery Program, and Oregon Zoo education curator Grant Spickelmier will address the changing nature of zoos and their increasing focus on wildlife education and conservation. 

Zimov is the director of Pleistocene Park, a project that is importing megafauna like horses, bison, tigers — and perhaps even clones of the wooly mammoth — into Siberia to cause massive landscape-scale ecological change. As the animals adapt, a newly engineered ecosystem will develop that mimics the function of Siberian grasslands at the end of the Ice Age. Once one of the world’s dominant biomes, these grasslands will serve as a large-scale experiment, help solve unanswered questions about the roles of humans in early mass extinctions, and could — by acting as a carbon sink — become a major part of the fight against global climate change. 

The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on Asian elephants, polar bears, orangutans and giant pandas. Celebrating 125 years of community support, the zoo relies in part on donations through the Oregon Zoo Foundation to undertake these and many other animal welfare, education and sustainability programs. 

The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information. 

General zoo admission is $11.50 (ages 12-64), $10 for seniors (65 and up), $8.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $4 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

Lewis & Clark Holiday Celebration Delights Supporters

Lewis & Clark Holiday Celebration Delights Supporters

Portland, December 6th. Lewis & Clark President Barry Glassner and his wife, literary agent Betsy Amster, welcomed guest to their historic home for some holiday cheer. Michelle Dorman, Mark Dorman, Betsy Amster, Barry Glassner, Libby McCaslin, and James Richardson enjoyed the evening together. (Photo credit, Brian Foulkes)

Tuajuanda Jordan, Robert Klonoff

Tuajuanda Jordan, Robert Klonoff

John Bates, Jordan Schnitzer, Barry Glassner

John Bates, Jordan Schnitzer, Barry Glassner

Liz Dahl, Peter Bhatia, Barry Glassner

Liz Dahl, Peter Bhatia, Barry Glassner

James Richardson, Carol Timm, Geoff Owen

James Richardson, Carol Timm, Geoff Owen

The halls of Cooley House were elegantly decorated and echoed with cool jazz of the popular Dan Balmer Trio

Dan Balmer, Randy Rollofson

Dan Balmer, Randy Rollofson

Betsy Amster, Barry Glassner, Jennifer Putney, Chuck Putney

Betsy Amster, Barry Glassner, Jennifer Putney, Chuck Putney

From Lewis & Clark:

A Lewis & Clark education isn’t like anything you could experience anywhere else. We’re a private institution with a public conscience, a residential campus with global reach. Students and faculty throughout all three of Lewis & Clark’s schools—the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and the Law School—pursue new ways of knowing by combining classic liberal learning with pioneering collaboration. 

Our students represent the next generation of global thinkers and leaders, unafraid to discard conventional thinking, civic complacency, and outmoded preconceptions. Yet they value what Lewis & Clark offers: an education built from the time-tested elements of careful study, original research, and spirited debate.

So what makes the experience of our students unique? How about the inspiring beauty of our natural setting, on 137 wooded acres in Portland’s southwest hills. Or our rich history and our diverse, multicultural present. Or our commitment to interdisciplinary academic learning, as well as community engagement here in Portland and around the world.

Add to this our well-stocked libraries, award-winning green buildings, and outstanding athletic facilities; our implementation of technology and the innovative research it allows; and above all our committed and engaged students, teachers, mentors, staff, alumni, donors, and friends. It all adds up to Lewis & Clark, a place where agile minds come to learn, to explore, and to work together.