By Dr. James Danoff-Burg, Director of Conservation
The Vaquita S.A.F.E. program, which coordinates all zoo and aquarium-based conservation efforts in North America, led by The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, has focused on our Posts for a Porpoise Campaign. We have gathered almost 6,000 postcards, artwork, poems, and other amazing shows of devotion to and appreciation of the vaquita. We will be gathering all these pieces, along with the others gathered by dozens of our partners across the U.S., and shipping them to El Paso, TX, where they will be presented to the Mexican Consulate there. The presentation will both thank the Mexican Government for all they have done to help conserve the vaquita and their
efforts to create sustainable fisheries in the Upper Gulf of California, where the vaquita live. These fantastic fishers are going to be working with the government to develop and test non-gillnetbased fishing approaches, which will not harm the vaquita.
A TRUE PARTY IN THE OUTBACK
By Greg Murphy, Special Events Gift Officer
The 27th Annual Zoobilee on March 2, 2019 was a g’day indeed with an unprecedented $1 million raised and record attendance in support of animal care, education and conservation programs at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. In celebration of the Australian Adventures habitat, opening later this year, guests began the Party in the Outback at a cocktail reception held in the Living Legacy Endowment Garden, generously sponsored by Shirley Smith.
Animal ambassadors and their Animal Care Keepers were out in full force to engage with guests, underwritten once again by Sean McGrath. The
cocktail reception included more than 350 silent auction items donated by businesses and individuals, as well as a photo opportunity sponsored by the J. Squire Junger Foundation. The evening continued with a transition to the tent for dinner with wine sponsored by Dick Shalhoub, La Quinta Cliffhouse and Pacifica Seafood Restaurant, along with live entertainment and an exciting live auction. Patti and Jack Grundhofer sponsored audiovisual production and Whitewater Rock & Supply underwrote table centerpieces. A tribute to the music of conservationist, activist and Australian export Olivia Newton-John included Xanadu to welcome guests to the tent, Hopelessly Devoted to You dedicated to the animals in our care,
Bounding kangaroos greet Party in the Outback guests.
President & CEO Allen Monroe and Kirk Lanterman with Bea the Wallaby
and Physical in reference to the effort it takes to run a world-class zoo and gardens.
Patti and Jack Grundhofer were honored for their leadership role and generosity for Phase One of the Pride of the Desert Capital Campaign. Raise the Paw, with paddles sponsored by Aristotle Capital Management, kicked off in grand style by a generous contribution from Janet and Kirk Lanterman, who were thanked onstage by a wallaby named Bea. The live auction highlighted fabulous jewelry from El Paseo Jewelers, Féb & Gar Design and Saks Fifth Avenue, and a Ferrari Weekend Experience with dinner for eight at Spencer’s Restaurant. The auction included the surprise
addition of naming opportunities for a pair of new Mexican wolf residents, respectively named by winning bidders Ariane Hudson (“Drew Hudson” after her late husband) and Patty Newman (“Paul Newman” after her late brother-in-law).
Special thanks to Honorary Presenting Chairs Harold Matzner and Shellie Reade; Honorary Chairs Lu Barnes, Dennis Flaig, Helene Galen and Jamie Kabler, Dodi and Kevin Henry, Donna MacMillan, JoAnn McGrath, Jan Salta, Lori and Aubrey Serfling, and Dick Shalhoub; Gala Committee Co-Chairs Jon-Marc Blalock and Nancy Stegehuis; and our sponsors, including Harold Matzner and
Shellie Reade, Peggy and Hal Bernthal, Lisa Argyros and the Argyros Family Foundation, Joy and Harry Goldstein, Candace and Jon Holzgrafe, JoAnn McGrath, Sharon and Dean Baltzell, Donna MacMillan, Edie McCarthy and the Patrick M. McCarthy Foundation, Carol Wright, Bright Event Rentals, Eisenhower Health, Jan Salta, BJ and Van Skilling, Suzan and Bill Appel, Lu Barnes, Susan and James Gould, Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Karen Miles. The invitations were sponsored by Union Bank | The Private Bank, hotel by Hotel Paseo, and media sponsors were The Desert Sun and Palm Springs Life.
Allen Monroe surrounded by honorees Patti & Jack Grundhofer and Title Sponsors, Shellie Reade & Harold Matzner.
Allen Monroe with Gala Co-Chairs, Nancy Stegehuis & Jon-Marc Blalock.
Palm Desert City Councilmember Jan Harnik, Lauren Wallace, and Gala Emcee and KESQ News Channel 3 Chief Meteorologist Haley Clawson
ZOONEWS
THE LIVING DESERT JOINS THE PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE
The Living Desert is thrilled to share that we are now one of only 11 zoos and aquariums across North America that have been reviewed and approved to become a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The IUCN is the world’s leader in determining the conservation status of species, crafting legislation to support their conservation, and bringing together the leaders of conservation to care for our planet. You know when you hear that something is Vulnerable,
Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered? That is all determined by the IUCN. Now, we are part of that body. We can voice our opinion on major resolutions that often become law in many countries around the world. This membership elevates our status as a conservation organization. In addition, Dr. James DanoffBurg is honored to have been accepted as part of the Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi), within the IUCN. The SULi is a global expert network formed by IUCN to provide credible, sound, technical advice on sustainable wildlife use and livelihoods to conservation projects globally.
The Living Desert has been a conservation organization for nearly 50 years - and now, we are also the IUCN.
DESERT PUPFISH – A TRUE
DESERT SURVIVOR
The Living Desert has been actively involved in the desert pupfish conservation program for nearly a decade. Our ponds have hosted many hundreds of
these delightful little fish, and at present, the Sonoran Pond is their best home with us. The zoo acts as a refugee population for these fish just in case they are needed for restocking the wild. True to their name, they are found only in desert ecosystems, including the Salton Sea. The historic range of this species, Cyprinodon macularius, was across the lower fields of the Colorado and Gila River basins in California and Arizona, unfortunately those populations have shrunk dramatically due to reduced amounts of water available to them, because of great human demands.
At The Living Desert, in addition to the Sonoran Pond, our Gardens team has transformed the Chase Pond, in front of our Administration building, into a second refuge for these beauties. Based on what our expert consultant tells us, we may have as many as 500-700 desert pupfish on view, right as you walk into our main building! Be sure to stop by on your next visit, and say hello to our latest conservation success story!
Dr. James Danoff-Burg, Director of Conservation
Desert Pupfish
WILDFILE
SUMMER FUN STARTS EARLY AT THE LIVING DESERT
Take advantage of cooler, desert mornings beginning Saturday, June 1st. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens will begin its summer hours and open an hour earlier for guests to enjoy the wildlife and gardens from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm, daily, with the last admission at 1:00 pm. Members can still enter the park at 7:00 am.
And a friendly reminder that the Eisenhower nature and hiking trails and Marilyn’s Merry-go-Round will close for the summer beginning June 1. Both will reopen for the season on October 1.
TORTOISES, BEETLES, AND SHEEP… OH MY!
You might think you’d need a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology to participate in conservation science, but that’s not the case! Scientists have realized the immense value and power of local, passionate, and dedicated citizens, and we are looking to our members to help collect information as part of their conservation research. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens has long realized the value of our volunteers and the incredible things that we can get done together – and WE WANT YOU!
If you are interested in learning more about the local conservation projects The Living Desert is involved with in and around the Coachella Valley, and participating as a Citizen Scientist, send an e-mail to Dr. James Danoff-Burg at jdanoffburg@livingdesert. org or call our main line at 760-346-5494 and speak to the receptionist.
This is your chance to make a major impact on local species conservation efforts.
YOUR WONDERFULLY WILD SUMMER ADVENTURE AWAITS!
Summer ZooCamp is the coolest way to spend summer vacation. ZooCampers will learn about desert environments, explore the natural world, meet with animal care keepers and so much more. Weekly sessions are offered for ages 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 and 10-13. These sessions run Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon. Six weekly sessions begin June 17th.
Members $186 (per week) | Non-members $216 (per week) ZooCamp sessions frequently sell out so Register Early. ZooCampers need to come equipped for outdoor activity with a snack, lunch, and reusable water bottle each day.
For more information and to register: visit LivingDesert.org/ZooCamp, call 760-346-5694, or email ZooCamp@LivingDesert.org.
EVENTS CALENDAR SUMMER 2019
MAY 2019
WEDNESDAYS: 15, 22, 29
Me and You at the Zoo
9:00 am – 10:00 am
Me and You at the Garden 10:00 am – 11:00 am
JULY 2019
JUNE 2019
FRIDAY, 7
Starry Safari
4:00 pm – 9:00 am
WEEK 1: JUNE 17 – JUNE 21
WEEK 2: JUNE 24 – JUNE 28
Summer ZooCamp 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
FRIDAY, 21
World Giraffe Day
WEEK 3: JULY 1 – JULY 5
WEEK 4: JULY 8 – JULY 12
WEEK 5: JULY 15 – JULY 19
WEEK 6: JULY 22 – JULY 26 Summer ZooCamp 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
SOCIALBUTTERFLY
We love seeing how our members spend their time at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, whether it’s at a “members only” event, or just a fun day at the zoo.
When you tag a photo on social media that features The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens with the hashtag #TLDmember, we notice! Share your photos and experiences while you’re at The Living Desert. Use #TLDmember in your post, and you may see your photo in the next issue of foxpaws!
For more information, please visit LivingDesert.org/tldmember.
