SEATTLE - The tree kangaroo is one of the rarest, strangest and least understood creatures on the planet. The Matschie’s tree kangaroo is found only on the Huon Peninsula on the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea. The endangered species faces threats of overhunting and habitat destruction.

Dr. Lisa Dabek, Woodland Park Zoo’s conservation director, and the zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) are at the center of a new book, “Quest for the Tree Kangaroo.” The book is by award-winning duo writer Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop, who followed Dabek for three weeks and captured the exploits of the team 10,000 feet up in the visually stunning mountains of Papua New Guinea. Montgomery and Bishop take you deep into the heart of the cloud forest and deliver a you-were-there recounting of their trek alongside Dabek, her fellow researchers and a team of indigenous people. The book is being nationally launched in October.

“ Quest for the Tree Kangaroo” was written by the nationally bestselling author of “The Good Good Pig” and already has become a selection of the Junior Library Guild, which selects and distributes the nation’s top children’s books for thousands of U.S. libraries.

Dabek, founder and director of the TKCP, has pioneered a series of firsts in a country where few conservationists have worked: the first to conduct studies on the Matschie’s tree kangaroo; the first to successfully radio collar the species in 2004, when she and her field team outfitted and tracked three females, and again made history in 2005 by successfully collaring four more animals, including the first two males to be studied; and the first to use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology in Papua New Guinea to determine tree kangaroo territory and activity patterns.

In a country where clan-based landowners own 95% of the land and there are no national forests and few national parks, saving the tree kangaroo requires close collaboration with local communities. Under Dabek’s leadership, partnerships with landowners and a wide range of local leaders in Papua New Guinea have resulted in 200,000 acres of primary tree kangaroo habitat set aside as the first Conservation Area in Papua New Guinea to be protected under the nation’s Conservation Areas Act. The model program has successfully integrated conservation education and outreach, habitat protection, collaborative scientific research, mapping and community health projects.

“ In my conservation work, I find that it is personal relationships that matter most,” said Dabek. “I can best serve the endangered animals I study by working with the people who live in the area. Conservation is about people.”

The award-winning Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program is one of Woodland Park Zoo’s four conservation partners under its Partners for Wildlife program. It has been supported by many AZA institutions, universities, local communities and other organizations, including Conservation International’s Global Conservation Fund, a major funding source for the program since 2002.

There are 10 species of tree kangaroo. The Matschie’s are native to the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea where they live in mountainous rain forests at elevations of up to 11,000 feet and spend most of their time in trees. The mahogany-furred animals can reach a height of 37 to 70 inches and weigh 15 to 25 pounds.

The Boeing Company is supporting two public slide-illustrated lectures and signings:

Saturday, October 14, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
The Seattle Public Library, 1000 - Fourth Ave.
Central Library, Fourth Floor, Room 1
One Free child’s admission to Woodland Park Zoo with each book purchased
Cost: Free. A special event parking rate of $5 is available in the library garage for guests
For information, call 206.386.4636

Sunday, October 15
4:30 p.m.: reception
5:30-6:30 p.m.: slide-illustrated lecture and signing
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park Town Centre, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Lake Forest Park
One Free child’s admission to Woodland Park Zoo with each book purchased
Cost: Free
For information, call 206.366.3333

WHO:
Sy Montgomery is an author, naturalist, newspaper columnist, documentary scriptwriter, and NPR radio commentator who writes books for children as well as adults. Her many titles include “The Snake Scientist,” “The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans,” award-winning “The Tarantula Scientist,” “Search for the Golden Moon Bear” and, most recently, the New York Times bestseller “The Good Good Pig.” She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire.

Nic Bishop, who holds a doctorate in the biological sciences, is the photographer of many acclaimed books for children and adults. He collaborated with Sy Montgomery on “The Tarantula Scientist.” Bishop was home-schooled in the highlands of Papua New Guinea when he was a teenager and often hiked into the mountains in search of adventure. He lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Dr. Lisa Dabek, conservation director of Woodland Park Zoo, founded and has been directing the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) since 1996. She conducts fieldwork in Papua New Guinea each year. Through the TKCP, landowners have set aside over 200,000 acres of wildlife habitat for a Conservation Area. Dabek is an Affiliate Researcher at the University of Papua New Guinea and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

OTHER INFO:
“ Quest for the Tree Kangaroo” is published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children and will be available in hardcover for $18.00, including at the ZooStore.

For information about Woodland Park Zoo, visit www.zoo.org or call 206.684.4800.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting a standard for zoos all over the world. With conservation, education and excellent animal care at the core of the zoo’s mission, the zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.