What:
2004 winter blast is not over yet…the long range forecast for April 7 is pointing toward snowfall at Woodland Park Zoo! Since the grizzlies snoozed through their birthday in the dead of winter, Crystal Mountain is pulling the twin male bears out of their winter slumber by delivering a belated birthday treat - the last snow of the year trucked in fresh from the Cascades! The bears, Keema (KEY-muh) and Denali (den-AW-lee), turned 10 in January; they currently weigh between 800 and 820 pounds apiece.

As the grizzlies romp around in the snow, the zoo launches the new Bear Cam hosted by PlayStream®, a streaming media hosting service. The new cam introduces the first-ever live streaming technology at the zoo. Online users can watch the grizzlies behaving as they do in the wild - such as swimming, lounging and foraging and, on this particular day, playing in snow - live! Users can log onto the zoo’s Web site at www.zoo.org and click on “Visit our Bear Cam.”

As part of the birthday celebration, wildlife biologist, ecologist and conservationist Chris Morgan will talk to zoo-goers about his conservation outreach on behalf of grizzlies. Morgan coordinates the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project (GBOP) in Washington’s North Cascades. The GBOP is one of 45 field conservation projects the zoo partners with in more than 30 countries around the world.

When:
Wednesday, April 7, 2004
Arrival of Crystal Mountain truck: 9:00 a.m.
Grizzlies in snow: approximately 9:30 a.m.
Grizzly bear talks: 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Where:
Grizzly bear overlook at Woodland Park Zoo’s award-winning Northern Trail exhibit. Enter through the zoo’s North Gate off N. 59th St. & Phinney Ave. N. Staff will direct or escort media to the exhibit. Media will be permitted access to the rear of the exhibit while snow is dumped.

Who:
Crystal Mountain; Chris Morgan, Director, Insight Wildlife Management; zoo animal management staff.

Visuals:
Snow dump and grizzlies in the snow; Chris Morgan with zoo visitors.

Other:
Crystal Mountain, located 12 miles northeast of Mount Rainier, was ranked #12 in an annual listing of top 25 resorts in the November 2003 issue of Skiing Magazine. The close date of the 2004 ski season is Sunday, April 11.

PlayStream® is a leading provider of streaming media hosting services, allowing thousands of businesses and consumers worldwide to track, manage and deliver audio, video and multimedia content over the Internet.

Info:
For more information about the zoo and its grizzly bears, visit www.zoo.org or call 206.684.4800.