3 minute read
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
Allen Monroe, President/CEO, on the road in Tanzania with nearby resting lions.
One of the joys of leading a conservation organization like The Living Desert is that I get to participate, at least vicariously, in so many worthwhile activities. While the public facing events in the Park get most of the attention, there is a lot going on behind the scenes and today I wanted to share three of my favorites.
Our ZooTeen program is a volunteer opportunity for students ages 14-18. In this program, high school students can discover career opportunities while carrying out activities that help tell our conservation stories with guests. The Living Desert also offers scholarship opportunities for ZooTeens to help further their education. Some of the students who have been through this program are now conservation biologists, research scientists or have even come back to share their skills as a staff member.
When I can, I like to get out from behind the desk and spend time watching the animals under our care. In the past year, the addition of the mountain lions Rose and Sage has given me an incentive to hoof it down to Eagle Canyon on a regular basis. Their transition from sick abandoned cubs to healthy ambassadors for their species has been wonderful to watch and a testament to the veterinary and specialized animal care they received. Now they help us tell the story of what we need to do to ensure there is space for this species in the remaining wild places.
In recent years, there has been a fundamental change in the focus of animal conservation efforts and The Living Desert has been leading that transition. As it becomes clear that there are not enough national parks for all the species that need protecting, a new initiative called Building Community Conservation Success (BCSS) has taken root. Our Conservation Department, led by Dr. James Danoff-Burg, holds social science workshops for biologists here in the desert southwest and as far away as Zimbabwe and Tanzania to address the root causes of species decline and teach a new generation of conservationists that the current extinction crisis is not an animal problem. The animals know what to do. It is a people problem, and the sooner everyone recognizes this and develops strategies so that the needs of people and animals are considered at the same time, the better off we all — and our planet — will be as we work toward this solution.
Your support of The Living Desert helps make all this possible. Together, one voice becomes many as we strive for a sustainable future. Thank you.
