NYC AAZK General Meeting Minutes:
- Tuesday August 2, 2016
Bronx Zoo – Dancing Crane Outdoor Seating
Present: E. Mowatt, A. Shuter, M. Blatz, J. Elkins, A. Armstrong, M. Medina, L. Simoncek,
K. Jones, H. Tassler, N. Turner, and J. Nappi (phone).
National Zoo Keeper Week
- Overall, the week was very successful and keepers were pleased with signage and help from
the Education Department.
-Staff was curious about why Takeover posts were altered to use just three posts per keeper
-Idea was proposed for next year: that several WCS keepers be introduced daily throughout
nzkw, rather than following one keeper per day.
- A meeting will be set up with Randi & Melissa to discuss the successes and areas of
improvement for next year
Silent Auction:
- Approximately $1,600 made at the auction!
- Next auction will take place during the Holiday Season
Bowling for Rhinos:
- Buy your tickets! Visit the NYC AAZK website http://nycaazk.blogspot.com/ for purchase
- Monday August 15th
- Erin recruited a few people to volunteer setting up for the event.
Bronx River Alliance Clean-up:
- Joe met with Joseph Sanchez, outreach coordinator & Michelle Luebke, ecology director
- Monday August 8th Bronx River Clean-up
- There was interest in the field trip though not many solid commitments yet.
- The Alliance is very excited to meet with our chapter, and is planning future projects with us.
- Looking into a fall invasive plant removal project & future river clean-up events
Paint Bar Night:
- September: Location is still TBD.
Croctoberfest:
- Beer drinking for croc fundraising at Gun Hill Brewery – Chinese Alligators
Family Keeper Presentation & Enrichment Night:
- Still looking for a time… likely in November
- Elizabeth Mills is spear heading this event.
December:
- Holiday Silent Auction
Travel Grant Report:
-Michelle Medina – Felid Tag overview (recipient of $1000 AAZK Travel Grant)
-Conference dealt mainly with safety. Relied heavily on the book “Emotional Intelligence 2.0.”
-Michelle stressed that keepers should be alert when unlocking locks (“Your keys are a loaded
weapon”), and shouldn’t be afraid to ask colleagues for help or support. Just Cause was also
discussed, i.e. the difference between intentional and unintentional mistakes.
Safety Drills:
-Keepers expressed significant concern about a lack of knowledge of what to do during
emergencies (animal escapes, active shooter situations, etc.), and requested a conversation with Admin about increasing occurrence of drills.
Meeting Minutes: May 2016
May 27, 2016
In attendance:
Members: Joe Nappi, Erin Mowatt, Amy Golden, Heather Tassler, Elizabeth Mills, Joe Borsellino, Michelle Medina, Brent Atkinson, Nyssa Turner (new member!)
Non-members: Amanda Scherer, Juliet Elkins
Food: Thank you Brent Atkinson for the delicious fudge treats at the meeting!
Fundraiser/Event Summaries:
- March Ice Skating Conservation Fundraiser
. $777 Raised for Trees for You and Me (voted by AAZK members)
(Reforestation campaign through AAZK & Polar Bears International)
. 32 people attended
- Cinco de Rhino
. $670 raised that will be added to our Bowling for Rhinos Fund (BFR)
. Raffle items and key chains sold. Key chains were a big hit and will continue to be sold at BFR
. 36 people attended including Jim Breheny, Pat Thomas, Colleen McCann and Craig Piper
. There will be alcohol next year
. Cinco de Rhino was organized mostly to be a fun social event, but also help boost our BFR sales due
to the large overhead costs for the event. We are looking into fundraisers for other taxa as well.
- May AAZK Movie Night (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
. Rented our own private 24 seat theatre at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Yonkers
. 19 people attended
. Social event
Travel Grant Update:
- Congratulations to Michelle Medina who was awarded $1000 to attend the advanced Felid Conference
in Denver. She will give a trip report at a future meeting
World Animal Day Update: Jen Loveless
. Cinco de Rhino – event went well and incorporated a variety of departments such as public
programming, EGAD, social media, the FOZ and media services.
- Posters from the event that have messages written by zoo guests for rhino protection unit
rangers will be sent out into the field. We have an additional poster to be signed by zoo staff
that will go over as well.
. World Giraffe Day – event is organized. Will be held in mid-June. Look for info about Jen’s California
Pizza Kitchen giraffe fundraiser in the near future.
. Future World Animal Days – International Tiger Day (hope to focus on palm oil and incorporate bird
and reptile departments), October – Bat, Rat & Vulture Days.
. Randi Winter is working to streamline these events so that we can easily host World Animal Day
keeper chats throughout the year that will have signage and social media coverage.
Bowling for Rhinos Update: Amy Golden
. Deposit to rent out the bowling alley was put down.
. Ticket sales about to go live
. Michelle Medina will be updating the BFR portion of our website. There will be a donation button
on the revamped web page with the ability for donors to indicate which bowler they are sponsoring
. The Event will be held Monday August 15th
. Pushing for personal pledges (Every $25 raised gets you a raffle ticket to submit for a grand prize)
*If you have any suggestions for grand prizes that would be more suitable for keeper staff, please
let us know.
. Suggestion: Jamberry: Custom nail fundraising (referencing that the keratin that makes up rhino
horn is the same substance that makes up our fingernails) (suggested by Elizabeth Mills)
. It should be noted that BFR supports a wide variety of other species beyond just rhinos, including the reptiles, birds, invertebrates,
mammals, plant life and human communities that live in and around rhino habitat in Africa and Asia. This fundraiser helps to connect the
various animal departments in WCS with a common cause that benefits many of the taxa we work with on a daily basis.
National Zoo Keeper Week Update: Heather Tassler
. Zoo Keeper Social Media Take-over (9 to 10 keepers from the different departments/parks)
. Education (activity center for kids around Dancing Crane. Diet prep station, Pool skimmer
station, Dress like a keeper station, etc. Adult station to be considered)
. Formal advertised keeper chats
. Roving keeper informal keeper chats during a designated hour each day
Calendar Updates:
- AAZK is looking into a variety of fun social activities/fundraisers for the remainder of the year, such as…
. Summer Games Night (projectors to hook gaming systems up/Board Games in Congo (June)
. Summer bat walk at the Bronx or Queens Zoo (late summer/early fall)
. Chopsticks for Salamanders fundraiser
. Bronx River Volunteer Clean-up (looking into collaborating with Bronx River Alliance)
. Kingfisher ‘Buy a Feather’ fundraiser in Staff Café
. Paint Bar Night Fundraiser (Fall)
. Croctober Fundraiser for Chinese Alligators in October
. Enrichment Bonanza with Families
. Keeper Presentation Night
. Any suggestions? Send in your suggestions to nycaazk@gmail.com
Logo Contest Design Unveiling: Voting to be conducted via Facebook Online Voting
- See attached pictures of the submitted logos.
- Members will vote online for their favorite submission. Members will receive an email when voting goes live.
- Thank you to all that submitted! Submissions by Joe Nappi, Joe Borsellino and Danielle Taylor (PPZ)
Members: Joe Nappi, Erin Mowatt, Amy Golden, Heather Tassler, Elizabeth Mills, Joe Borsellino, Michelle Medina, Brent Atkinson, Nyssa Turner (new member!)
Non-members: Amanda Scherer, Juliet Elkins
Food: Thank you Brent Atkinson for the delicious fudge treats at the meeting!
Fundraiser/Event Summaries:
- March Ice Skating Conservation Fundraiser
. $777 Raised for Trees for You and Me (voted by AAZK members)
(Reforestation campaign through AAZK & Polar Bears International)
. 32 people attended
- Cinco de Rhino
. $670 raised that will be added to our Bowling for Rhinos Fund (BFR)
. Raffle items and key chains sold. Key chains were a big hit and will continue to be sold at BFR
. 36 people attended including Jim Breheny, Pat Thomas, Colleen McCann and Craig Piper
. There will be alcohol next year
. Cinco de Rhino was organized mostly to be a fun social event, but also help boost our BFR sales due
to the large overhead costs for the event. We are looking into fundraisers for other taxa as well.
- May AAZK Movie Night (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
. Rented our own private 24 seat theatre at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Yonkers
. 19 people attended
. Social event
Travel Grant Update:
- Congratulations to Michelle Medina who was awarded $1000 to attend the advanced Felid Conference
in Denver. She will give a trip report at a future meeting
World Animal Day Update: Jen Loveless
. Cinco de Rhino – event went well and incorporated a variety of departments such as public
programming, EGAD, social media, the FOZ and media services.
- Posters from the event that have messages written by zoo guests for rhino protection unit
rangers will be sent out into the field. We have an additional poster to be signed by zoo staff
that will go over as well.
. World Giraffe Day – event is organized. Will be held in mid-June. Look for info about Jen’s California
Pizza Kitchen giraffe fundraiser in the near future.
. Future World Animal Days – International Tiger Day (hope to focus on palm oil and incorporate bird
and reptile departments), October – Bat, Rat & Vulture Days.
. Randi Winter is working to streamline these events so that we can easily host World Animal Day
keeper chats throughout the year that will have signage and social media coverage.
Bowling for Rhinos Update: Amy Golden
. Deposit to rent out the bowling alley was put down.
. Ticket sales about to go live
. Michelle Medina will be updating the BFR portion of our website. There will be a donation button
on the revamped web page with the ability for donors to indicate which bowler they are sponsoring
. The Event will be held Monday August 15th
. Pushing for personal pledges (Every $25 raised gets you a raffle ticket to submit for a grand prize)
*If you have any suggestions for grand prizes that would be more suitable for keeper staff, please
let us know.
. Suggestion: Jamberry: Custom nail fundraising (referencing that the keratin that makes up rhino
horn is the same substance that makes up our fingernails) (suggested by Elizabeth Mills)
. It should be noted that BFR supports a wide variety of other species beyond just rhinos, including the reptiles, birds, invertebrates,
mammals, plant life and human communities that live in and around rhino habitat in Africa and Asia. This fundraiser helps to connect the
various animal departments in WCS with a common cause that benefits many of the taxa we work with on a daily basis.
National Zoo Keeper Week Update: Heather Tassler
. Zoo Keeper Social Media Take-over (9 to 10 keepers from the different departments/parks)
. Education (activity center for kids around Dancing Crane. Diet prep station, Pool skimmer
station, Dress like a keeper station, etc. Adult station to be considered)
. Formal advertised keeper chats
. Roving keeper informal keeper chats during a designated hour each day
Calendar Updates:
- AAZK is looking into a variety of fun social activities/fundraisers for the remainder of the year, such as…
. Summer Games Night (projectors to hook gaming systems up/Board Games in Congo (June)
. Summer bat walk at the Bronx or Queens Zoo (late summer/early fall)
. Chopsticks for Salamanders fundraiser
. Bronx River Volunteer Clean-up (looking into collaborating with Bronx River Alliance)
. Kingfisher ‘Buy a Feather’ fundraiser in Staff Café
. Paint Bar Night Fundraiser (Fall)
. Croctober Fundraiser for Chinese Alligators in October
. Enrichment Bonanza with Families
. Keeper Presentation Night
. Any suggestions? Send in your suggestions to nycaazk@gmail.com
Logo Contest Design Unveiling: Voting to be conducted via Facebook Online Voting
- See attached pictures of the submitted logos.
- Members will vote online for their favorite submission. Members will receive an email when voting goes live.
- Thank you to all that submitted! Submissions by Joe Nappi, Joe Borsellino and Danielle Taylor (PPZ)
Meeting Minutes: March 2016
NYC
AAZK Meeting: Friday March 18, 2016
Bronx Zoo Curator’s Room
In Attendance:
Joe Nappi, Erin Mowatt, Amy Golden, Juliet Elkins, Amanda Scherer, Brent Atkinson, Heather Tassler, Bonnie Glover, Mary Gremler, Elizabeth Mills, Kevin Hills, Mike McCue, Erin Minnock, Amanda Hackett, Aniko Totha, Taylor Ritz, Michelle Medina, Jen Loveless, Joe Borsellino, Sara Koplish, Nyssa Turner, Jessica Chin. (We currently have approximately 12 members, 10 present at meeting)
Treasurer’s Report: Amy
- Re-charter successfully submitted
- Dues $15 for members of National AAZK, $25 for people that are not a national member
--------------------------------------------------------
Bowling for Rhinos: Amy Golden
- Monday August 15th tentatively scheduled
- Same bowling alley as last year in Queens
- Second bar tender requested
--------------------------------------------------------
Grant Committee:
- Members present at the meeting voted for the April 1st deadline to remain for 2016 and for the
deadline to be moved to August 1st starting in 2017 to coincide with the awarding of AEP grants.
- Grant applications available at http://nycaazk.blogspot.com/p/travel-grant.html
--------------------------------------------------------
Cinco de Rhino:
- Looking into catering Mexican food in Flaherty and have attendees pay a nominal fee for entrance to
the event
- This will help jump start our Bowling for Rhinos fundraising campaign
-------------------------------
Logo Contest:
- Criteria: NYC themed, animals representing our various parks/depts, must say New York City AAZK
- Joe Borsellino’s dad is a graphic artist. Can transfer and enhance sketches to the computer.
- Deadline May 1st
-------------------------------
Ice Skating Fundraiser:
- Sunday March 20th, 5:20-7:20 pm
- Murray Memorial Skating Rink, Yonkers
- $20, paid at the door. Each guest will receive a ticket that they will redeem at the skate rental desk
- We are getting a group discount. Half of your admission price will go to conservation
- Pitches made for what conservation group we want to support
. Cheetah Conservation Fund – Jessica Chin
. Jane Goodall’s Roots & Chutes – Juliet Elkins
. Polar Bear International – Jen Loveless
. Trees for You and Me (collaboration between AAZK & Polar Bear International) – Joe Nappi
- Members voted for Trees for You and Me to be the recipient of our Ice Skating money. There is a
competition amongst all AAZK chapters to raise the most money for Trees for You and Me
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Zoo Keeper Week:
- Saturday July 16th through Sunday July 24th
- Keeper Gift: What should it be? Should we do one? Heather brought a catalog to the meeting
- Gift ideas: beer glasses, tote bag w/ Nalgene, gift that supports a conservation group, etc.
- Traditionally have spent $600-800 per year on past gifts
- Should we have a special gifts for members of AAZK?
- We will vote at a future meeting if we want to put up funds for buying gifts
Social Media:
-Wild View Blogs: try to get keepers from the different parks. Posts for every day of National Zoo Keeper
Week. Let us know if you are potentially interested in contributing.
- Twitter Take-over
- Roving keepers during a particular hour each day. Stand in front of your favorite animal. Informal chats
- Keeper hourly posts on social media “Day in the life of a keeper.” All posts will be written in advance
with an accompanying photo and will be posted throughout the day by social media.
National Zoo Keeper Week Interdepartmental meeting tentatively scheduled for April 9th.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Melissa Nelson Training & Enrichment Newsletter
- AEP Grant summaries a potential feature of the newsletters
- Training and enrichment stories.
- Let us/Melissa know if you are interested in contributing
---------------------------------------------------------------
AAZK Craft Fair: Elizabeth Mills
- Craft fair could be instead of and/or during traditional AAZK Silent Auctions
- Donors/AAZK would benefit from items sold (split the profits, most of which would go to the donor.
encourage more participation in donating/get more items for auctions).
- Survey of interest to be sent out
---------------------------------------------------------------
Committee Sign-ups:
- Bowling for Rhinos: Cindy Maur, Amy Golden
. New sign-ups: Brent Atkinson, Bonnie Glover, Sara Koplish, Amanda Hackett
- National Zoo Keeper Week: Cindy Maur, Heather Tassler, Lisa Walker, Avi Shuter, Erin Mowatt, Joe N.
. New sign-ups: Brent Atkinson, Elizabeth Mills, Erin Minnock, Amanda Hackett
- Travel Grant Committee: Joe Nappi
. New sign-ups: Brent Atkinson, Bonnie Glover, Aniko Totha
- Conservation Committee/World Animal Days
. New committee to help steer AAZK conservation fundraisers/volunteering/World Animal Day events
. Sign-ups: Joe Nappi, Erin Mowatt, Elizabeth Mills, Jen Loveless
- Enrichment Bonanza: Elizabeth Mills (pushing for keeper families to be involved this year)
. New sign-ups: Brent Atkinson
---------------------------------------------------------------
Next AAZK Meeting Tentatively Scheduled for the end of May…
- We are looking into an after hours social event for April (movie night, guest lecturer, etc.)
. Let us know if you have ideas!
Bronx Zoo Curator’s Room
In Attendance:
Joe Nappi, Erin Mowatt, Amy Golden, Juliet Elkins, Amanda Scherer, Brent Atkinson, Heather Tassler, Bonnie Glover, Mary Gremler, Elizabeth Mills, Kevin Hills, Mike McCue, Erin Minnock, Amanda Hackett, Aniko Totha, Taylor Ritz, Michelle Medina, Jen Loveless, Joe Borsellino, Sara Koplish, Nyssa Turner, Jessica Chin. (We currently have approximately 12 members, 10 present at meeting)
Treasurer’s Report: Amy
- Re-charter successfully submitted
- Dues $15 for members of National AAZK, $25 for people that are not a national member
--------------------------------------------------------
Bowling for Rhinos: Amy Golden
- Monday August 15th tentatively scheduled
- Same bowling alley as last year in Queens
- Second bar tender requested
--------------------------------------------------------
Grant Committee:
- Members present at the meeting voted for the April 1st deadline to remain for 2016 and for the
deadline to be moved to August 1st starting in 2017 to coincide with the awarding of AEP grants.
- Grant applications available at http://nycaazk.blogspot.com/p/travel-grant.html
--------------------------------------------------------
Cinco de Rhino:
- Looking into catering Mexican food in Flaherty and have attendees pay a nominal fee for entrance to
the event
- This will help jump start our Bowling for Rhinos fundraising campaign
-------------------------------
Logo Contest:
- Criteria: NYC themed, animals representing our various parks/depts, must say New York City AAZK
- Joe Borsellino’s dad is a graphic artist. Can transfer and enhance sketches to the computer.
- Deadline May 1st
-------------------------------
Ice Skating Fundraiser:
- Sunday March 20th, 5:20-7:20 pm
- Murray Memorial Skating Rink, Yonkers
- $20, paid at the door. Each guest will receive a ticket that they will redeem at the skate rental desk
- We are getting a group discount. Half of your admission price will go to conservation
- Pitches made for what conservation group we want to support
. Cheetah Conservation Fund – Jessica Chin
. Jane Goodall’s Roots & Chutes – Juliet Elkins
. Polar Bear International – Jen Loveless
. Trees for You and Me (collaboration between AAZK & Polar Bear International) – Joe Nappi
- Members voted for Trees for You and Me to be the recipient of our Ice Skating money. There is a
competition amongst all AAZK chapters to raise the most money for Trees for You and Me
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Zoo Keeper Week:
- Saturday July 16th through Sunday July 24th
- Keeper Gift: What should it be? Should we do one? Heather brought a catalog to the meeting
- Gift ideas: beer glasses, tote bag w/ Nalgene, gift that supports a conservation group, etc.
- Traditionally have spent $600-800 per year on past gifts
- Should we have a special gifts for members of AAZK?
- We will vote at a future meeting if we want to put up funds for buying gifts
Social Media:
-Wild View Blogs: try to get keepers from the different parks. Posts for every day of National Zoo Keeper
Week. Let us know if you are potentially interested in contributing.
- Twitter Take-over
- Roving keepers during a particular hour each day. Stand in front of your favorite animal. Informal chats
- Keeper hourly posts on social media “Day in the life of a keeper.” All posts will be written in advance
with an accompanying photo and will be posted throughout the day by social media.
National Zoo Keeper Week Interdepartmental meeting tentatively scheduled for April 9th.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Melissa Nelson Training & Enrichment Newsletter
- AEP Grant summaries a potential feature of the newsletters
- Training and enrichment stories.
- Let us/Melissa know if you are interested in contributing
---------------------------------------------------------------
AAZK Craft Fair: Elizabeth Mills
- Craft fair could be instead of and/or during traditional AAZK Silent Auctions
- Donors/AAZK would benefit from items sold (split the profits, most of which would go to the donor.
encourage more participation in donating/get more items for auctions).
- Survey of interest to be sent out
---------------------------------------------------------------
Committee Sign-ups:
- Bowling for Rhinos: Cindy Maur, Amy Golden
. New sign-ups: Brent Atkinson, Bonnie Glover, Sara Koplish, Amanda Hackett
- National Zoo Keeper Week: Cindy Maur, Heather Tassler, Lisa Walker, Avi Shuter, Erin Mowatt, Joe N.
. New sign-ups: Brent Atkinson, Elizabeth Mills, Erin Minnock, Amanda Hackett
- Travel Grant Committee: Joe Nappi
. New sign-ups: Brent Atkinson, Bonnie Glover, Aniko Totha
- Conservation Committee/World Animal Days
. New committee to help steer AAZK conservation fundraisers/volunteering/World Animal Day events
. Sign-ups: Joe Nappi, Erin Mowatt, Elizabeth Mills, Jen Loveless
- Enrichment Bonanza: Elizabeth Mills (pushing for keeper families to be involved this year)
. New sign-ups: Brent Atkinson
---------------------------------------------------------------
Next AAZK Meeting Tentatively Scheduled for the end of May…
- We are looking into an after hours social event for April (movie night, guest lecturer, etc.)
. Let us know if you have ideas!
Meeting Minutes: February 2016
NYC AAZK Meeting
- February 22, 2016, Bronx Zoo Curator's Room
President: Joe Nappi, Vice President: Erin Mowatt, Secretary: Avi Shuter, Treasurer: Amy Golden
Attended by: Erin Mowatt, Joe Nappi, Avi Shuter, Ken Huth, Lisa Walker, Taylor Ritz, Kevin Hils, Leela Tamero, Mike McCue, Erin Minnock, Gabrielle Rosato, Elizabeth Mills, Brent Atkinson, Joe Borsellino, Jen Loveless, Amy Golden, Vanessa Jones, Michelle Blatz, Alisha Mendez, Bonnie Glover, Rebecca Mitchell, Brianna Ogas, Heather Tassler, Linda Edge, Nyssa Turner, Tim Mohl, Bill Doyle, Amanda Hackett
Themes of 2016: Communication, Collaboration & Conservation
- We want to make for a chapter that internally communicates better, as well as better
communicates with non-members
- We want to make for a more socially cohesive chapter, as well as collaborate with different
departments around the Bronx Zoo
- We want to support more conservation projects through volunteer efforts and fundraising
Goals for 2016:
- Refocus our efforts on the Bronx Zoo
- Mini open forums with different departments? (social media, sustainability, fundraising)
- Social events with a cause:
. Ice Skating, March
. Cinco de Rhino, May
. Paint bar night, Fall
- Volunteering/Conservation
. Bronx river clean-up
. Summer Bat walk
- Social Games night, Summer
- Keeper presentation night in Fall
Ice Skating Fundraiser
- Murray Memorial Skating Rink in Yonkers
- $20, half goes to conservation, half to rink. We will pay as one big group to get a discounted price
- Ideas/vote for what conservation groups we want to support
- Date: Sunday March 20th, 5:20-7:30 PM
Committee Reports:
- Bowling for Rhinos. We need your help!
. Same location
. Looking for more parking options with local restaurant
. Bigger push for non-zoo staff bowlers so buy tickets early
. Almost sold out all 35 lanes last year with approx. 250 bowlers. Made over $6,000 in 2015!
. Looking at adding a second bar tender as well as smoother pizza distribution
. Most of the work is done. Need help getting raffle prizes, corporate donors
- template letter already made
- Need help at the door for the event
. WCS Indonesia works in rhino range areas
National Zoo Keeper Week: Cindy, Avi, Lisa & Heather
- Planning starts this month, so it’s not too late to get involved
- This will be a collaboration with ALL departments at the Bronx Zoo, so this is an excellent
opportunity to either network or get a better understanding of how events work at the zoo
- Let us know if there are any particular animals you would like to give a keeper chat for!
Travel Grant Committee
- changing the submission date to late summer to coincide with AEP grant and the fact that there are
more conferences in the fall
- There is a $1000 grant given out to advance the ideals of AAZK (professional development,
conservation work, research, etc.). There is an additional AAZK National Conference Grant to help
cover registration fees as well
- Anyone interested in being on committee?
World Animal Days:
- Discussed the prospect of starting a committee to oversee hosting world animal day events through the year
Closing Message:
- Thank you for all that attended our open forum. It was a great success and a lot of great conversation were held.
We are looking into hosting similar forums at the other WCS parks.
- We appreciated everyone that attended this meeting! We had a record crowd.
- Our next meeting will be held at the end of March.
- Please let us know if you are interested in joining one of our committees (Bowling for Rhinos, National Zoo Keeper Week, Travel Grant)
We want to hear from you!!! Now is your chance to have your voice heard and shape the future momentum of this chapter!
Non-Members AAZK Survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QQXCPH6
Members AAZK Survey::
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QWDM6RC
- February 22, 2016, Bronx Zoo Curator's Room
President: Joe Nappi, Vice President: Erin Mowatt, Secretary: Avi Shuter, Treasurer: Amy Golden
Attended by: Erin Mowatt, Joe Nappi, Avi Shuter, Ken Huth, Lisa Walker, Taylor Ritz, Kevin Hils, Leela Tamero, Mike McCue, Erin Minnock, Gabrielle Rosato, Elizabeth Mills, Brent Atkinson, Joe Borsellino, Jen Loveless, Amy Golden, Vanessa Jones, Michelle Blatz, Alisha Mendez, Bonnie Glover, Rebecca Mitchell, Brianna Ogas, Heather Tassler, Linda Edge, Nyssa Turner, Tim Mohl, Bill Doyle, Amanda Hackett
Themes of 2016: Communication, Collaboration & Conservation
- We want to make for a chapter that internally communicates better, as well as better
communicates with non-members
- We want to make for a more socially cohesive chapter, as well as collaborate with different
departments around the Bronx Zoo
- We want to support more conservation projects through volunteer efforts and fundraising
Goals for 2016:
- Refocus our efforts on the Bronx Zoo
- Mini open forums with different departments? (social media, sustainability, fundraising)
- Social events with a cause:
. Ice Skating, March
. Cinco de Rhino, May
. Paint bar night, Fall
- Volunteering/Conservation
. Bronx river clean-up
. Summer Bat walk
- Social Games night, Summer
- Keeper presentation night in Fall
Ice Skating Fundraiser
- Murray Memorial Skating Rink in Yonkers
- $20, half goes to conservation, half to rink. We will pay as one big group to get a discounted price
- Ideas/vote for what conservation groups we want to support
- Date: Sunday March 20th, 5:20-7:30 PM
Committee Reports:
- Bowling for Rhinos. We need your help!
. Same location
. Looking for more parking options with local restaurant
. Bigger push for non-zoo staff bowlers so buy tickets early
. Almost sold out all 35 lanes last year with approx. 250 bowlers. Made over $6,000 in 2015!
. Looking at adding a second bar tender as well as smoother pizza distribution
. Most of the work is done. Need help getting raffle prizes, corporate donors
- template letter already made
- Need help at the door for the event
. WCS Indonesia works in rhino range areas
National Zoo Keeper Week: Cindy, Avi, Lisa & Heather
- Planning starts this month, so it’s not too late to get involved
- This will be a collaboration with ALL departments at the Bronx Zoo, so this is an excellent
opportunity to either network or get a better understanding of how events work at the zoo
- Let us know if there are any particular animals you would like to give a keeper chat for!
Travel Grant Committee
- changing the submission date to late summer to coincide with AEP grant and the fact that there are
more conferences in the fall
- There is a $1000 grant given out to advance the ideals of AAZK (professional development,
conservation work, research, etc.). There is an additional AAZK National Conference Grant to help
cover registration fees as well
- Anyone interested in being on committee?
World Animal Days:
- Discussed the prospect of starting a committee to oversee hosting world animal day events through the year
Closing Message:
- Thank you for all that attended our open forum. It was a great success and a lot of great conversation were held.
We are looking into hosting similar forums at the other WCS parks.
- We appreciated everyone that attended this meeting! We had a record crowd.
- Our next meeting will be held at the end of March.
- Please let us know if you are interested in joining one of our committees (Bowling for Rhinos, National Zoo Keeper Week, Travel Grant)
We want to hear from you!!! Now is your chance to have your voice heard and shape the future momentum of this chapter!
Non-Members AAZK Survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QQXCPH6
Members AAZK Survey::
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QWDM6RC
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