October 11, 2006

Calendar Advisory:

Award-winning author reads new book to Seattle students – Book spotlights zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program

Contact:
Gigi Allianic, Wendy Hochnadel
206.684.4838; c:206.349.3533
gigi.allianic@zoo.org

What:
Third graders from Seattle’s West Woodland Elementary will hear award-winning author Sy Montgomery read from her new book, “Quest for the Tree Kangaroo.” The book spotlights Dr. Lisa Dabek, Woodland Park Zoo’s conservation director, and the zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP). The students will hear how Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop hiked 10,000 feet up the mountains of Papua New Guinea to capture Dabek, her fellow researchers and a team of indigenous people working toward a common goal: saving the Matschie’s tree kangaroo and protecting the quality of life for both people and wildlife.

“Quest for the Tree Kangaroo” is being launched this week in Seattle. It is by award-winning duo writer Sy Montgomery, the nationally bestselling author of “The Good Good Pig,” and photographer Nic Bishop. It already has become a selection of the Junior Library Guild, which selects and distributes the nation’s top children’s books for thousand of U.S. libraries.

“Quest for the Tree Kangaroo” is published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children and is available in hardcover for $18.00, including at the zoo’s ZooStore. Readings of the book will be offered this weekend at The Seattle Public Library and Third Place Books. Visit www.zoo.org for more information or call 206.684.4800.

When:
Thursday, October 12, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where:
Woodland Park Zoo Auditorium near the South Entrance at N. 50th St. & Fremont Ave. N. Enter through admission booth at South Entrance; proceed to Auditorium.

Who:
Behind the scenes at Woodland Park Zoo. Meet at the ARC near the West Entrance at N. 55th St. & Phinney Ave. N. The ARC is a locked building; PR staff will escort you. If late, call the media cell at 206.349.3533 or enter through the West Entrance.

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:
The tree kangaroo is one of the rarest, strangest and least understood creatures on the
INFO: planet. 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. They face threats of commercial logging and excessive hunting.

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.

The special reading for West Woodland will help prepare the students for their upcoming participation in the TKCP’s Art Exchange Project. A Woodland Park Zoo education specialist for the TKCP will conduct presentations for West Woodland and other schools in Washington to help students understand the cultures, wildlife and habitats of Papua New Guinea. The TKCP has helped strengthen education programs for children in Papua New Guinea and established partnerships between elementary schools in the U.S. and Papua New Guinea.

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.