Great conservation efforts aren't only for employees...

Mandy Revak is the coordinator for the KidScience and ZooU programs at the Pittsburgh Zoo.  These are classes for middle school students (KidScience) and high-schoolers (ZooU) who express a strong interest in biology, animals, and conservation – strong enough that they are willing to come to the zoo all year round, giving up valuable weekend time.  Most don’t see it as a sacrifice, however.  They genuinely love to learn and to help out, and one of this semester’s ZooU classes, Species in Peril: Conservation Partnerships at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, gives them an extra chance to do so. 

Every ZooU course consists of six two-hour class sessions that meet once every two weeks.  It’s a mixture of hands-on learning and lecture style, and every session is absolutely packed.  Having had a chance to teach a marine biology ZooU course in the fall, I know just how hard it is to anticipate the challenging and thought-provoking questions the students pose, and I’m sure this one is no exception.  Even though I haven’t been able to sit in one of these classes yet this semester, I’m definitely excited about the relationship it has with this blog, focusing on, as the title says, conservation efforts at the Zoo.  

Mandy’s description of the course, which she is teaching, is as follows:  

“Ecosystems and species around the world are being threatened at an alarming rate.  However, it is possible to make a positive impact for conservation, even in Pittsburgh. This semester, Species in Peril is taking an in-depth look at many of the conservation efforts and partnerships currently being undertaken by the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and its staff. Students are hearing directly from the keepers, curators, and veterinary staff working on the front lines of conservation programs.” 

Every week the students have been meeting with keepers, much as I’ve been doing, to take an in-depth look at some of the same projects, such as SECORE and the Sea Turtle Second Chance project (and even more that I’d love to focus on in future posts!).  However, it’s not just a passive activity.  As Mandy says, “students also have the opportunity to become involved in a conservation effort of their choice and design, as each student is be required to complete an action project.”  Although the action projects are still works in progress, there are some great ideas already, including local lake clean-up efforts, creating a brochure to educate Zoo visitors about the Palm Oil Crisis, and collecting fishing line to create habitats for local aquatic species while raising awareness about sea turtle conservation.  

These might sound ambitious for students who haven’t officially gone into a biology or conservation field yet, but it shows the depth of their passion for the subject.  After all, why wait until you have the job to start getting involved?  It’s never too early to start making a difference.