Saint Louis Zoo presents four major awards
Nov 17, 2009FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saint Louis Zoo 314/781-0900
Janet Powell, ext. 4633
Christy Childs, ext. 4639
Joanna Bender, ext. 4703
The Saint Louis Zoo has presented Ian Craig, strategic advisor of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Northern Rangelands Trust and Ol Pejeta (ohl peh-jeh-tah) Conservancy in Kenya, with the 2009 Saint Louis Zoo Conservation Award. The Zoo also presented three Saint Louis Zoo Awards to outstanding community leaders at its annual Marlin Perkins Society dinner in November.
Conservation Award
In 1977 when Ian Craig began running Lewa (LAY-wah) Downs, his parents’ cattle ranch in northern Kenya, little did he know that he would eventually become a major catalyst in saving the Grevy’s zebra, black rhino and other wildlife species close to extinction.
Ian Craig’s family, which managed their Kenyan ranch beginning in 1922, valued the wildlife that shared the land with their cattle. In 1983 Craig set aside land for a black rhino sanctuary on the western side of the ranch. In 1995, with a sharp drop in the number of wildlife species in northern Kenya, the Craig family turned the entire farm into the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
The Saint Louis Zoo began working with Lewa 12 years ago in its efforts to preserve the Grevy’s zebra, a species which has dwindled to fewer than 3,000 in the wild. The emphasis has been to engage the local communities in a holistic conservation approach – hiring local employees to scout and record zebra data using GPS, helping to control poaching, encouraging the communities to share grazing land and water sources with wildlife, fostering education programs and conserving natural resources.
Today the local communities are proud of their wildlife, the livelihood they are able to earn, and the good conservation decisions they are making. The Grevy’s zebra has become a flagship species, helping other endangered species that share its ecosystem.
Individual Award
Receiving the individual Saint Louis Zoo Award was Jay Henges, who served as a Zoo Trustee from 1993 to 2004 and as a Commissioner since 2001. Jay and his wife Carolyn are 16-year members of the Marlin Perkins Society. He is an outdoorsman and an advocate for wildlife conservation, serving many years on the Missouri Department of Conservation Commission.
Corporate Award
Wells Fargo Advisors received the Saint Louis Zoo Corporate Award. The Zoo has enjoyed a long history with Wells Fargo Advisors and its predecessor organizations. The company is a 16-year Marlin Perkins Society corporate member and participates in the Zoo's annual fundraising events. Most recently, the Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation made a $2.5 million pledge to fund the South Arrival Experience at the Zoo. The Zoo is also grateful for the involvement of the company's employees over the years as leaders of our board and members of the Zoo.
Foundation Award
The Coovert Foundation received the Saint Louis Zoo Foundation Award for its support for more than 25 years. In addition to generously underwriting A Zoo Ado and ZOOFARI for many years, the Foundation also made a gift to the rhino viewing area in River’s Edge. Isabelle Coovert, a trustee for the Coovert Foundation, has been a Marlin Perkins Society member for 16 years and served on Zoo committees. Her son Sander Coovert, Jr. has served on the Young Zoo Friends Association and is now a member of the Saint Louis Zoo Association Board of Directors.
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