Evening Lecture Series
Fall 2005/Winter 2006  

The Zoo's Conservation and Research Center is hosting a Fall Community Lecture Series on Wednesdays, October 26–November 16. more

Schedule of Lectures at the Zoo

November 16, 2005 – Lecture at 7:30 p.m.
Giant Panda Cub Celebration This program is fully booked. We regret that we cannot take any more reservations.

Lisa Stevens, National Zoo Assistant Curator for Primates and Pandas, and other Zoo panda experts will talk about caring for our new panda cub and the research that went into bringing about this conservation success.

November 17, 2005 – Lecture at 7:30 p.m.
Ant Farming: What Ants Can Tell Us About Coffee and Conservation Postponed! This lecture will be rescheduled for the spring.

Coffee production coincides with biodiversity hotspots and provides livelihood to millions, making coffee systems extremely important for conservation. If grown under a diverse shade canopy, coffee can provide important habitat refuges for animals and may also benefit coffee farmers. In her talk, National Zoo scientist Stacy Philpott will discuss how ants, one of the most diverse groups on the planet, indicate which coffee farms promote biodiversity conservation while also controlling coffee pests.

December 1, 2005 – Lecture at 7:30 p.m.
Saving Chocolate, Saving Monkeys

National Zoo scientist Becky Raboy has spent years studying the behavior and ecology of golden-headed lion tamarins in Brazil. Highly endangered, these beautiful gold-and-black monkeys are declining because of continued habitat loss and severe habitat fragmentation. Raboy will share what she's learned about the monkeys, including her finding that large tropical trees that shade plantations of cocoa trees—the source of chocolate—are critical sources of food and sleeping sites for the lion tamarins. But the cocoa plantations are threatened, too. As the price of cocoa has fallen, farmers seek alternative sources of income by converting these forests into cattle ranches.
RSVP

January 12, 2006 – Book Signing at 7 p.m., Lecture at 7:30 p.m.
Hippos: Natural History and Conservation

Glenn Feldhake is a long-time FONZ volunteer hippo keeper and the World Conservation Union's hippo education specialist. He will sign copies of Hippos, lavishly illustrated with his photographs taken in zoos and throughout the hippo's African range, and provide an informative and entertaining overview of this wonderful yet enigmatic species.
RSVP

January 26, 2006 – Book Signing at 7 p.m., Lecture at 7:30 p.m.
Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul

In 1953, birding guru Roger Tory Peterson and noted British naturalist James Fisher took a 100-day trek covering 30,000 miles around North America, and published their classic account of the trip, Wild America, two years later. Fifty years later, acclaimed natural history writer Scott Weidensaul retraced their steps to tell the story of wild America today in a sweeping survey of the natural soul of North America today. Weidensaul will sign copies of his book and talk about how the continent's natural world has fared since 1953.
RSVP

All lectures and book signings are in the National Zoo's Visitor Center, just off Connecticut Avenue. Enter at Connecticut Avenue and park in Lot A. All are free but please use our online form to RSVP.

Sign up for our Zoo Lectures newsletter to receive email notices about the lecture series. ZooLectures Newsletter

Directions to the National Zoo