Kids help the Zoo and "Our Bears Belong in Buffalo"

The fundraising for our planned Arctic Edge exhibit isn't done, but we are making progress and getting some terrific help from Western New York. The exhibit is slated to be the permanent home for Luna as well as future polar bears, arctic fox, canadian lynx and bald eagle. 

Kindergarten students, as well as first, second, and third graders along with children in the "Life Skills" from Big Tree Elementary raised $1000.00 for the campaign. They presented the money and two birdhouses decorated for Luna and Kali to Zoo Marketing Manager, Michael Powers, on a recent visit to the Zoo.

Students over at the Frederick Law Olmsted School, (School 64) had a variety of fundraisers and faculty came by the Zoo to present a $1500.00 donation to the campaign.

You don't need an entire class to help build a home for Luna. Jacob Frederiksen, a fourth grader at St. Francis of Assisi school in Tonawanda, ran a "Lemonade for Luna" stand on his own and was able to bring $40.00 to contribute to the campaign. 

If you want to help out in getting a permanent home built for Luna with a fundraiser of your own, just let us know. If you would like to donate to the campaign, text "Zoobear" to 56512 or visit the Zoo online at http://www.buffalozoo.org/bear_campaign.html.

Behind the Scenes!

This latest "Wild Workshop" at the Buffalo Zoo is an exciting experience that gives you and your family a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go behind closed doors at the Zoo. Meet zookeepers as we visit three exhibit areas to learn the daily routine or preparing animal diets, observing behavior, training and more. Don't forget to bring your camera! The fee for Zoo members is $30.00 for this special session, $35.00 for non-Zoo members.

Important Notes:
Due to the unpredictability of animals, tour experiences may vary.
Please be aware that we will be visiting confined zookeeper work areas with close proximity to wild animals. All participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult. All participants must abide by staff instructions at all times. If you require reasonable accommodation as a result of a disability or other reasons, please call 995-6128 for assistance.

Become a Zoo Docent

The Buffalo Zoo is looking for a few good men and women....to become Docents! A Docent is a volunteer teacher and tour guide who enjoys spreading the Buffalo Zoo's message of conservation and education throughout Western New York. Docent responsibilities include acting as Zoo tour guides, interacting with Zoo visitors, conducting live animal presentations, and participating in educational outreach throughout the community. 

     

Becoming a Buffalo Zoo docent is a serious commitment and a rewarding journey.  Established in 1974, the Docent Organization’s goals are to help the Buffalo Zoo Education Department “educate, unite, and involve people in the conservation and preservation of the natural world.”  With over 100 active members, the Zoo’s extremely dedicated volunteer organization plays an essential role in Buffalo Zoo programming both on and off Zoo grounds.  To become a Docent, you must be at least 25 years of age and interested in both animals and the environment.  Training for the 2013 class will take place on Saturdays, from January through April 2013.  Classes will run 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Two orientation sessions will be held to share what being a Zoo Docent is all about.  These information sessions will be held at the Buffalo Zoo (in the Education Department) in  October 20, 2012 and November 10th, 2012  from 10:00a.m.-12:00. These sessions will be your chance to learn more about the Zoo and the Docent Organization, and to get a glimpse of what the docent experience entails.  If you are interested in becoming a docent, you must attend one of the orientation sessions.  To sign up for an orientation session, call Maureen Pantera, the Zoo’s Volunteer Coordinator, at 995-6132.  

Buffalo Zoo Receives Award for Interactive Educational Programming

The Buffalo Zoo received a 2011-2012 CILC Pinnacle Award Honorable Mention from the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) for its distance learning programs.

The award is presented annually to organizations delivering outstanding interactive
videoconferencing programs for grades K-12. Recipients are chosen based on teacher
evaluations submitted through the CILC Web site.

The Buffalo Zoo’s distance learning programs, sponsored by Time Warner Cable, provide students in Western New York and across the country with an opportunity to explore science by seeing live interactive footage of exhibits, animals, and staff at the Zoo without leaving their classrooms. For more
information about these programs, call (716) 837-3900 ext 143 or visit
http://buffalozoo.org/distance_learning.html.

The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) is a not-for-profit organization
specializing in the access to applications and the utilization of video conferencing for live
interactive content and professional development, as well as Web-based collaborative
learning environments for K-20 education. For more information about the CILC, visit
http://www.cilc.org/.

The Buffalo Zoo and Erie 1 BOCES Partner to Offer Unique ZooTech School Programs

ZooTech, school programs co-developed by the Buffalo Zoo and Erie 1 BOCES, are now available to all school districts in the Erie 1 BOCES region.

Officially launched in November 2011, the ZooTech programs are designed to incorporate technology with the Zoo’s everyday “living laboratory” of animal residents. Lessons taught under the ZooTech programs are designed for students of all ages and cover a wide variety of subjects. The ZooTech programs have fully been developed as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs that fulfill education standards in a fun and unique way.

"As part of the program, we will help teachers translate their examples into lessons that will align with NYS Common Core Learning Standards," said Julianna Sciolino, manager of professional development at Erie 1 BOCES. "After instituting their lessons in the classroom, the students will attend class at the Buffalo Zoo to interact with the concepts they have been learning. Finally, the students will utilize technology to create and publish examples of their new knowledge." 

“This is certainly not your traditional fieldtrip,” said Tiffany Vanderwerf, the Buffalo Zoo’s Curator of Education. “By being surrounded by some of the world’s most amazing animal species, the ZooTech programs allow a variety of subjects to be more deeply explored by using advanced technology. Aside from the STEM-related curriculum connections, a social studies teacher can deepen their students’ understanding of world hemispheres and an art teacher can discuss exhibit design.”

On Friday, May 18, 2012, a Sweet Home Senior High School 9^th grade class, under the direction of chemistry teacher, John Elliot, will participate in a ZooTech program that features the theme “Evolution: Beyond Darwin’s Voyage.” Students will be immersed in an interactive exploration of evolution. By challenging students to act as though they have discovered a new island (“Zoo Island”, this program allows them to experience the breakthrough that Charles Darwin made more than 180 years ago.

As part of the lesson plan, the program implements technology with use of evolution simulations and flip cameras. Students will gain an understanding of common ancestry and create a wildlife documentary that features video they take of the Zoo’s animal residents.

"It is our hope that the Buffalo Zoo trip will be beneficial to students by giving them a chance to use technology (internet research, video shooting/editing) to create a visual examination of evolutionary relationships among live animal specimens,” said John Elliot, chemistry teacher at Sweet Home Senior High School. “This will create an authentic learning experience that will ideally anchor their understanding of evolution and allow them to draw conclusions from events and items they encounter in their day to day lives. They will then share these videos with the rest of the class, allowing them to become educators."

While the students create their documentaries at the Buffalo Zoo, Erie 1 BOCES professional development coordinator, James Dailey, will provide the students with multimedia assistance. On May 22, an Erie 1 BOCES representative will also offer in-class assistance with the importing of the students’ captured video into iMovie.

For more information about the ZooTech programs, please call the Buffalo Zoo at (716) 995-6128 or visit www.buffalozoo.org.

About the Buffalo Zoo

Founded in 1875, the Buffalo Zoo is the third oldest zoo in the United States. Each year, the Buffalo Zoo welcomes more than 400,000 visitors and is the most visited cultural attraction in Western New York.  Located on 23.5 acres of Olmsted's beautiful Delaware Park, the Buffalo Zoo houses approximately 1,200 endangered and domestic animals and offers visitors a variety of events and educational programs year-round. The Buffalo Zoo’s philosophy is to exhibit animals and plants in naturalistic settings that represent their native habitats. The Zoo is dedicated to providing visitors with a better understanding of nature, including how animals relate to each other, their environment and to humankind. For more information about the Buffalo Zoo, including the Zoo’s “Bundle Up For Polar Bears” initiative, which is taking place through March 16, visit www.buffalozoo.org.

                               

About Erie 1 BOCES

Statewide, school districts partner with BOCES in an effort to provide accountability, municipal sharing, efficiency and educational equity. Erie 1 BOCES, one of 37 BOCES in New York State, is a cooperative of 19 school districts surrounding the city of Buffalo. To assist school districts, the organization provides a variety of educational services including professional development. Erie 1 BOCES' coordinators engage teachers in high quality professional development through classroom practices that integrate the NYS learning standards, assessments and technology to support higher student a­chievement. The service area supports: instructional technology, curriculum, assessments, instruction, and NY state education department updates. Learn more at www.e1b.org.

About Sweet Home Central High School

Sweet Home Senior High School is part of the Sweet Home Central School District of Amherst and Tonawanda. It is the mission of the school district to empower all students to be cooperative, self-directed and lifelong learners, prepared to responsibly meet the challenges of the future. For more information, please visit www.sweethomeschools.com.

Wines in the Wild 2012

For years now, the annual Wines in the Wild event has been one of the summer’s most sought after tickets. Sponsored this year by the Bank of America, 2Find Your Home, Volkswagen of Orchard Park, Fox 29, My Tv, 97 Rock, Classic Hits 104.1 and Buffalo Spree Magazine and taking place on the grounds of the Buffalo Zoo on July 25, 2012, this annual benefit for the Zoo’s Adopt an Animal fund showcases some of the best restaurants, breweries, wineries and other specialty services in the Western New York Region. 2500 friends of the Zoo come together to help the Zoo and sample some of the best the area has to offer.

It is a great chance to make some of the Zoo’s friends your customers. If you want to bring the best of your establishment, join some longtime Zoo partners like Brodo, Brooklyn Lager, Buffalo Brew Pub, Flying Bison Brewery, Lake Effect Artisan Ice Cream, NorthAmerican Breweries, Long Trail Brewing, Lebro’s Restaurant, Perry’s Ice Cream, Pizza Plant, Johnson Estate Winery, Risa’s Restaurant, Global Group, Rich Products Catering, Sweet Jenny’s and many more.

Click here to show off your best to Western New York and help the Zoo.

If you want to help both your appetite and the Buffalo Zoo, come enjoy our basket auction, a silent auction and a visit from some our animal ambassadors. The event runs from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $50 at the door untill event sells out. Or you can call (716) 995-6131 to order tickets by phone. You must be 21 years or older to attend. The more the merrier, so bring your friends and neighbors to enjoy this wonderful, casual evening to benefit the Buffalo Zoo. Wines in the Wild is the premier event of the summer and sells out very quickly. Don’t delay—get your tickets today. We look forward to partying with you!

Click here to purchase standard tickets

Click here to purchase VIP tickets

Grants Boost Erie Canal Education, Preservation, and Tourism

In front, from left:

Beth Sciumeca, Erie Canalway Executive Director, Robert McDonnell, Erie Canalway Heritage Fund Board Member, Donna Fernandes, Buffalo Zoo President/CEO, Melissa Brown, Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society
In rear, from left: Tom Blanchard, Erie Canalway Heritage Fund Board Chair, Congressman Brian Higgins, Clint Brown, Erie Canalway Commissioner

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission, in partnership with the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, awarded $43,700 in grants to assist organizations with canal-related education, preservation, and tourism projects.

Seven organizations from Albany to Buffalo received funding, including one in Western New York: The Buffalo Zoo (Buffalo), Albany Institute of History and Art (Albany), Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum (Chittenango), Erie Canal Museum (Syracuse), New York Folklore Society (Schenectady), Schenectady Museum & Suits–Bueche Planetarium (Schenectady), and The Public Broadcasting Council of Central New York/WCNY (Syracuse).

“Distributing grants is critical to helping organizations develop new programs or advance their missions, especially in tight economic times,” said Judy Schmidt Dean, Commission Chair. “We are thrilled to be able to fund these worthy projects in 2012.”

“We are extremely proud to be named one of the recipients of these grants,” said Dr. Donna M. Fernandes, Buffalo Zoo President/CEO. “Our goal with the Delta Sonic Heritage Farm is to depict life on a small family farm located along the Erie Canal in the 1850s. Support from the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, and our partnership with the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, will allow us to develop programming that combines environmental education with Canal history to engage thousands of school children each year.”

The Buffalo Zoo, in partnership with the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, received $5,500 to develop a new education program to focus on the interconnectedness of people, the local environment, and the Erie Canal, both past and present. The program will challenge students to consider how the Erie Canal affected (and continues to affect) not only people and society, but also domestic animals, wildlife, and natural habitats in New York State.

“With the help of these federal funds Western New York’s rich Erie Canal history comes to life in a fun, interpretive way for families,” said Congressman Brian Higgins. “I commend the Historical Society, the Zoo and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission for creating this partnership that will educate future generations of the Erie Canal’s critical role in the great rise of our region.”

“What a unique learning experience students will have through this program,” said Tom Blanchard, Chair of the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund. “Providing this type of hands-on learning for youth will help bring to life the rich Erie Canal history that is all around us in Buffalo.”

SEE BELOW FOR FULL 2012 GRANT PROGRAM AWARD DESCRIPTIONS; PHOTO AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST


The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor spans 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York, encompassing the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals and their historic alignments, as well as more than 230 canal communities. Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission, in partnership with the National Park Service, collaborates with government agencies, communities and organizations to protect and promote the canal corridor for all to use and enjoy. The Erie Canalway Heritage Fund is dedicated to charitable, educational, and civic purposes within the confines of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

www.eriecanalway.org

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2012 Grant Program Awards

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor awarded $43,700 in grants in 2012 to assist organizations with canal-related planning, preservation and education projects.

Albany Institute of History and Art
Project Name: Erie Canal Lesson Plan
Description: The Institute will develop a lesson plan that uses art and artifacts from the Institute’s collection to help students explore the history and use of the Erie Canal. The program will be offered via video conferencing and hosted on the Institute’s website.
Amount: $5,500
Type: Education
Location: City of Albany
County: Albany
Canal: Erie Canal

The Buffalo Zoo
Project Name: Erie Canalway Connections
Description: The Buffalo Zoo, in partnership with the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, will develop a new education program to focus on the interconnectedness of people, the local environment, and the Erie Canal, both past and present. The program will challenge students to consider how the Erie Canal affected (and continues to affect) not only people and society, but also domestic animals, wildlife, and natural habitats in New York State.
Amount: $5,500
Type: Education
Location: City of Buffalo
County: Erie
Canal: Erie Canal

Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum
Project Name: Cultural Landscape Report
Description: The report will provide recommendations and strategies for enhancing Chittenango’s dry-docks and historic character within the context of the museum’s long-term plans. In particular, the report will document critically needed repairs and improvement projects, including the rehabilitation of the existing dry dock, its gates, and visitor walkway.
Amount: $7,000
Type: Preservation of Historic and Cultural Resources
Location: Village of Chittenango
County: Madison
Canal: Erie Canal

Erie Canal Museum
Project Name: The Locks of the Erie Canal (Exhibit)
Description: This project will fund the preparation and exhibition of 57 original pen and ink drawings of Erie Canal locks and other canal structures by Syracuse artist Ray Sax. Work will include matting, framing, proper storage, and temporary exhibition for the exhibit.
Amount: $6,156
Type: Interpretation and Orientation
Location: City of Syracuse
County: Onondaga
Canal: Erie Canal

New York Folklore Society
Project Name: Music of the Erie Canal Symposium
Description: The New York Folklore Society, in partnership with the Erie Canal Museum, will present a two-day symposium exploring the connections between the Erie Canal and traditional music in New York State. The symposium will involve panel discussions, musical performances, and the development of a post-symposium interactive website.
Amount: $7,000
Type: Interpretation and Orientation
Location: City of Schenectady
County: Schenectady County
Canal: Erie Canal

Schenectady Museum & Suits–Bueche Planetarium
Project Name: Erie Canalway Audio Tour
Description: The museum will develop a mobile audio tour exploring the history and impact of the Erie Canal in downtown Schenectady. The tour will highlight the technological development that enabled the canal’s construction, the canal’s impact on the lives of the people who lived near it, and how the canal brought growth and new businesses to Upstate New York.
Amount: $6,030
Type: Interpretation and Orientation
Location: City of Schenectady
County: Schenectady Counties
Canal: Erie Canal

The Public Broadcasting Council of Central New York (WCNY)
Project Name: The Erie Canal: 21^st Century Minutes
Description: WCNY will produce six interstitials focused on people who tell the story of the canal as it is today. WCNY plans to air the interstitials on television and radio, upload them to its website, and make them available to affiliates from across New York State.
Amount: $6,531
Type: Interpretation and Orientation
Location: Various Locations
County: Onondaga (Council Location)
Canal: Erie Canal

Bundle Up for the Polar Bears

	Calling all school administrators, faculty and students! Wear your favorite sweater, hoodie or jacket to school on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, and help save polar bears! The Buffalo Zoo, in conjunction with Polar Bears International (PBI), is launching the “Bundle Up For Polar Bears” initiative to encourage local action on a worldwide conservation issue. We are requesting that schools lower their thermostats by two degrees on this date to lower carbon emissions. Reducing our carbon footprint can slow and even reverse the climate changes which are causing sea ice to melt. Sea ice is a necessity for polar bears as they use it for hunting. By bundling up in your favorite warm clothing, you’ll “bearly” notice the cooler temperature in your school…AND you’ll raise awareness on what we can all do to make a difference in preserving the future of polar bears! For more information, please call (716) 995-6128. To register your school so we can track participation and count up the carbon emissions you save, please complete our Online Registration Form. Once you are registered, you will receive follow-up information, including a Bundle Up poster, as well as a link to the Flickr photo site. After March 1, you can upload your school’s Bundle Up photos to this site so others across the country can see the involvement of Western New York students in this program!