Another amazing day in Houston.  The conference started in the afternoon so we had some time to get some breakfast and visit Hermann Park right next to the zoo.  The park is beautiful with playgrounds for kids, a lake, monuments and birds galore!  We saw American coots, great egrets, great blue heron, cormorants, black bellied whistling ducks and ring-necked ducks in the pond. 

Heather at Hermann Park.

Beautiful pond at Hermann Park.

I found the PERFECT place for a nap!

Then on to the conference.  About 16 organizations are represented at the conference.  One of the first people I met was from Bat Conservation International who the El Paso Zoo is partners with for the upcoming Kickoff Celebration of Year of the Bat on January 28-29!  The El Paso Zoo is the first AZA Year of the Bat event!  So come out and join us!  Find out more at elpasozoo.org

The Houston Zoo started off with an introduction to their Education department and a highlight of some of their key programs such as Collegiate Conservation Program, Alternative Teen Break and Point Click Zoo.  Their education department includes about six full time Education Specialists, part time year round staff and up to a total of 40 educators in the summer!  We then heard from two of the four members of the Houston Zoo Conservation staff who are involved in local and international conservation.  They described programs working to protect Texas toads, pigmy elephants, painted dogs and many more!  The programs all work with local communities to educate and encourage locals to protect the wildlife. 

Next, we toured the education facility which houses an auditorium, three classes, offices and a call center.  It was great to visit with many other educators as passionate about conservation and education as we are!

The entire group was broken into three smaller groups to take on the challenge of a picture scavenger hunt with educators as our guide.  We had a great time just exploring the zoo and I hope we get some more time to make it to every exhibit.  Here are some pictures from our scavenger hunt:

Tucker - one of their Asian Elephants that is at the age that he likes to hang by himself.

Heather appropriately in Africa.

One of the chimps will kiss back against the glass!

RHINOS!

Conservation in action.

Nap time for the cheetahs.  Two brothers.

Sea turtle who likes to scare kids and sleep wedged under a rock!

Heather loves rhinos too!

The evening was finished off with a happy hour with hors d'oeuvres, drinks and animal encounters!  We mingled with others from the conference and gathered a lot of useful information in this informal setting.  Everyone was mentioning that we traveled the farthest from El Paso.  Yes, we are out there but our zoo is awesome!

Fish with their eyes above the water.  Craaazzzy.

We walked back to our hotel in time to post this quick blog and get ready for an early morning tomorrow. 

Check out this super cute video!

Naima and Heather

A meeting with the director from the Orangutan Information Centre.

I was fortunate enough to meet with Panut Hadisiswoyo, the founder and current director of the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC).  Mr. Hadisiswoyo took our group to visit a reforestation site and tree nurseries including the Gunung Leuser National Park restoration site in the Besitang sub-district of Langkat, North
Sumatra.

The OIC is a nonprofit organization sponsored by the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) who is dedicated to the conservation of Sumatran orangutans and their habitat.  The SOS works to support grassroot organizations and their efforts in conservation.  Some of their projects are habitat restoration, ecotourism and the very unique creation of conservation villages which are models of conservation minded living.

Next February the OIC restoration team will be clearing acres of palm oil trees and replanting them with native plants and trees.  Mr. Hadisiswoyo is gathering all the equipment together to accomplish the restoration as fast as possible.

The OIC's mission statement as told by Mr. Hadisiswoyo is to "promote public awareness of the plight and value of the critically endangered Sumatran orangutans and its unique habitat through grassroots educational programs that empower local communities living near the last remaining orangutan habitat."

OIC's reforestation/planting objectives include:

• To help enhance the rehabilitation of degraded Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) areas as a result of deforestation and conversion to palm oil plantations by replanting land with indigenous tree species.
• Conduct regular maintenance of planted trees to help ensure their survival and growth.
• Monitor the land and planted trees within the GLNP to ensure continued security and protection from any further encroachment.
• To improve the capacity of local communities to help with conservation and forestry programs in an effort to increase ownership and responsibility towards the sustainability of the GLNP.

Two groups of seedlings will be replanted in the national park:
• Indigenous hardwood tree species that naturally grow in the forests of the GLNP.
• Fruit tree species to be planted in an area designated for a community forestry program to reinforce buffer zones adjacent to the park.

In regards to ecotourism, orangutans, their habitat and their future Mr. Hadisiswoyo added:
“Many are finally catching on to the fact that if tourism is to provide a sustainable livelihood opportunity for the local community, it must be carried out responsibly and managed correctly. This is a good sign for the future.”

I was honored to have the opportunity to drink tea with Mr. Hadisiswoyo during my visit.  I was also invited to share the ride back from Besitang to Medan in their vehicle so we could continue our chat.  We had long conversations about what can be done to alleviate the Palm Oil Crisis and to prevent the extinction of the orangutan and other species.

Mr. Hadisiswoyo has been vocal in the community and to media about the severity of these issues.  Click here to read a recent article regarding an orangutan as a pet in which Mr. Hadisiswoyo firmly states his side. 



To get a feel for the habitat, ecoystem and wildlife in the Gunung Leuser National Park watch this video put together by the OIC. 

Antonia