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April 9 – Dr. Karen Strier April 23 – William (Bill) Konstant May 14 – Dr. M. Sanjayan May 28 – Dr. Terese Hart September 3 – John Ruthven
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Jane Goodall – First Recipient of the Cincinnati Zoo’s WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AWARD
Since 1993, the series has brought a slate of esteemed naturalists and scientists to Cincinnati to address wildlife issues and global conservation efforts.
The Barrows Conservation Lecture Series is made possible by the ongoing support of the family of Winifred & Emil Barrows.
Cincinnati Zoo Wildlife Conservation Award Recipients (pdf).
April 9 – Dr. Karen Strier
Vilas Professor & Irven DeVore Professor of Anthropology University of Wisconsin-Madison “Primate Conservation in the 21st Century: Insights from the Muriqui Monkeys of Brazil”
I will trace the behavioral, ecological, and demographic changes over my 30-year study of a growing population of one of the world’s most critically endangered primates, the northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) of Brazil. The northern muriqui has captured international attention for its exceptionally peaceful behavior and egalitarian society. Yet today, fewer than 1,000 individuals remain in only about a dozen isolated forest fragments in southeastern Brazil. The population in one of these fragments, located in Caratinga, Minas Gerais, has grown from about 60 to some 335 individuals in just three decades, representing one-third of the entire species. Changes in the muriquis’ behavior appear to have buffered them from fluctuating ecological and demographic conditions, and provide clues into what we can do to insure their survival. These findings have implications for understanding the adaptive potentials of other primates and their chances for survival in our rapidly changing world.
“The World’s Rarest Rhinos”
Bill Konstant serves as Program Officer for the International Rhino Foundation, traveling the world to build collaborative programs that help bring an end to poaching. Bill is also a photographer and a published author, so this evening promises to be an insightful look at the last three decades of wildlife conservation, as well as a glimpse into what the future looks like for the world’s five rhino species.
May 14 – Dr. M. Sanjayan
Saving Earth in the Age of Man: In a world of 7 billion people what is our relationship with wild nature. Can wild nature & wildlife still exist in a human dominated planet?
M. Sanjayan is an American conservationist and TV personality. He is also referred to as Sanjayan, M.A. Sanjayan or Sanjayan Muttulingam, but generally uses one name, as is sometimes customary in South Asia. He is the lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy, a faculty researcher at the University of Montana and science and environmental contributor for CBS News. Born in Sri Lanka, Sanjayan and his family moved to Sierra Leone in 1972. He moved to the United States to study at the University of Oregon, where he received both a B.S. in biology and a M.S. in ecology. In 1997, he earned a Ph. D in biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Sanjayan joined The Nature Conservancy in 2001. He has received media coverage in Vanity Fair, Outside, Time and The Atlantic, and hosted television programs on The Discovery Channel and the BBC. In 2009, he appeared as a guest on Late Show with David Letterman. He also writes for The Huffington Post.
“The Challenges of Protecting Wildlife in the Congo.”
Terese is the Director of a Lukuru Foundation project that is working to create a new national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2007 the TL2 project started an inventory of all the large mammals in an unexplored area of Congo’s central forest. Working closely with local people and regional administrators they have now delimited an area of 9000 km2to become national park. The most interesting challenge is working with the wide diversity of Congolese for whom the forest has a special importance as home, livelihood, and identity.
September 3 – John Ruthven
“Martha” The Last Passenger Pigeon.
John Ruthven, naturalist, author, lecturer, and internationally acknowledged master of wildlife art is often called the “20th Century Audubon.” In 2004 he received America’s highest award in his field, the National Medal of Arts, from President George W. Bush.
In 1974, John spearheaded the effort to save the last of the Cincinnati Zoo’s 19th Century bird pagoda’s – the one where “Martha,” the last of the passenger pigeons, had once lived. Through his leadership, and the sale of prints of his painting of “Martha,” the Zoo’s Passenger Pigeon Memorial was created.
Today, John has taken it a giant step forward, with his painting, “Martha – The Last Passenger Pigeon.” The original will hang at the Cincinnati Zoo, but the painting is available for all to see in its bigger-than-life format in a 7 story mural on Vine Street in downtown Cincinnati.
John Ruthven is the recipient of the 2014 Cincinnati Zoo Wildlife Conservation Award.
