Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation Awards First Conservation Grants
May 1, 2012—A year after its founding, Sequoia Park Zoo’s Conservation Advisory Committee, a joint endeavor between the City and Foundation, has selected three projects to receive awards for 2012. The awards have been granted as follows:
Humboldt Wildlife Care Center Eagle Cam ($1000)
The Wildlife Care Center will use the funds to purchase and install a webcam and refurbished computer and wiring to monitor an active local Bald eagle nest. There are only 25 eagle-webcams in the United States, with the closest one being in Turtle Bay. Live feeds, via the Zoo’s sponsored camera, will be available on the center’s website.Yurok Tribe Condor Outreach Project ($770)
Condor project biologists with the Yurok Tribe will use the award to create and distribute educational posters for schools throughout Humboldt and Del Norte counties featuring information on endangered Condors and potential obstacles to their reintroduction on the North Coast.HSU Bullfrog Survey and Management Project ($500)
Humboldt State University graduate student Tom Girod will use the funds to help purchase trap equipment for surveying invasive bullfrogs in a local Eureka wetland and analyze potential impact on local native frogs.
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“We were very impressed with the quality and local relevance of the grant proposals submitted to the Committee,” says Committee Chair and Zoo Manager Gretchen Ziegler. “It wasn’t an easy selection process by any means, but the Committee felt these three projects had the best potential to directly impact wildlife conservation efforts locally.”
Scoring criteria used included merit, feasibility, conservation impact, fund impact, fit with Zoo goals, proposal quality, proximity to Zoo, and qualifications of project leader. Each proposal was reviewed by at least three Committee members, and the entire Committee met twice to discuss and compare scores.
The Conservation Advisory Committee was launched in March 2011 and serves in an advisory role to the Zoo Foundation’s Board of Directors, which manages the Conservation Fund. Committee members include staff and supporters from the Zoo and the Foundation, as well as professional biologists in the local community.
Sequoia Park Zoo connects the community with animals to inspire wonder, understanding and conservation of wildlife and the natural world. The Zoo is located at 3414 W St. in Eureka.
Contact: Nicole Spencer, Director of Development & Communications
Phone: (707) 442-5649
E-mail: info@sequoiaparkzoo.net
Photos: Bald eagles in their nest with chick (credit, Animal Estates); Yurok Tribe's Chris West sharing information on the California condor recovery program to Zoo visitors on Earth Day.
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