Learn about North America’s most-endangered species, black-footed ferrets!

This weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. President Richard Nixon signed the federal measure into law on December 28, 1973. The Endangered Species Act was designed to protect imperiled species from extinction. Celebrate this important anniversary by learning about North America’s most-endangered species, black-footed ferrets, and the efforts to recover them on Colorado’s prairie lands. http://vimeo.com/82310645

Apple Cinnamon Rice Krispies Treats

Do you need a quick, tasty recipe for your upcoming family celebrations?  The chefs at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Grizzly Grill compiled a delicious recipe for iced apple cinnamon Rice Krispies treats that are sure to make your mouth water. 

APPLE CINNAMON RICE KRISPIES TREATS

Treats:

•       12 cups of Rice Krispies
•        2 16-oz bags of marshmallows
•        1 stick of butter
•        ¼ cup apple cider mix

Melt butter in sauce pan and add 1/8 cup of apple cider mix.  Add marshmallows and melt fully.  Combine Rice Krispies and marshmallow mixture.  Press into a buttered 10x15 pan.  Sprinkle remaining apple cider mix (1/8 cup) on Rice Krispies mixture.  Allow to cool. Cut into 2-inch strips, long ways.  Spread icing (see below) onto strips and roll up.

Icing: 

•         2 apple cinnamon teabags
•        ½ cup hot water
•        2 cups powdered sugar

Put 2 teabags into ½ cup of hot water and steep to a strong flavor.  Add tea to powdered sugar and mix well.

Your signature is needed!

Help save the majority of remaining lowland forests in Aceh, Indonesia---the last few strongholds for the Sumatran tiger, elephant, rhino and orangutan. Please click on the link (www.change.org/LeuserHeritage), and let the government of Aceh know that is important to save the Leuser Ecosystem and the endangered species that call it home!

Black-footed ferrets released in Colorado!

After 23 years of breeding endangered BFFs, black-footed ferrets born at CMZ are now living in the wild on privately-owned prairie lands of Colorado. Staff members from our Zoo, along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), released captive-bred black-footed ferrets (BFF) on the Walker Ranch near Pueblo at the end of October and beginning of November. In total, 55 BFFs were released at the ranch – five of those were born and raised at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! This release was the first in Colorado on privately owned land and was made possible by new Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA).

“It took many dedicated organizations working together for this release to take place. A special thanks goes to Gary and Georgia Walker, who volunteered their land, for giving ferrets a chance to survive in the wild prairies of Colorado,” Dr. Della Garelle, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Director of Conservation and the Species Survival Plan Chair for the international black-footed ferret breeding team said. “We wish the black-footed ferrets well; go forth, eat prairie dogs and prosper!”

An off-exhibit breeding facility was built on grounds after the Zoo joined the Black-Footed Ferret recovery effort in 1990.  Since the first BFF breeding season at the Zoo, 456 kits have been born and 227 ferrets have been released. In total, there have been 21 sites in 12 states where black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced since 1991, but only 4 of those are currently successful.

“Black-footed ferrets are nocturnal and live underground in prairie dog burrows, so it is difficult to determine their exact population, but they’ve gone from extinct in the wild to at least 500 now roaming prairie dog colonies,” Garelle said. “Our Zoo choose to participate in this breeding program because we are passionate about saving species from extinction – and what more appropriate animal for us to save than one that used to exist right here in Colorado.”

 Black-footed ferrets are completely dependent on vast expanses of prairie dogs as primary prey, and use prairie dog burrows for shelter and raising their young in prairie dog dens. As prairie dog populations were decimated to less than 2% of their historical levels due to a non-native plague and land development, the black-footed ferret became critically endangered. In 1979, BFFs were thought to be extinct, until a ranch dog named Shep found one in the prairies Meeteetse, Wyoming and presented it to his owner.

Biologist studied this remnant population, but saw that it was declining rapidly. To safeguard the species and prevent their imminent extinction, the 18 last-known wild black-footed ferrets were rescued between 1985 and 1987. In 1986, USFWS, Wyoming Game and Fish, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums initiated an emergency captive-breeding program for black-footed ferrets. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of only six breeding facilities in the world participating in this program.

To learn more about black-footed ferrets, visit www.blackfootedferret.org, or stop into The Loft at the Zoo, and meet our retired breeding black-footed ferret.

To read more stories from The Waterhole, or to keep up with the latest news, events, and behind the scenes happenings at the Zoo, sign up to receive e-newsletters: http://www.cmzoo.org/aboutZoo/pressBox/waterhole.asp.

Update from Indonesia on the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Annual Conference

By Dina Bredahl and Tracey Gazibara

Batu Mblein Quarantine Center 

After 34 hours of traveling, we arrived in Medan, Indonesia on Sunday morning, November 10.  Our reason for traveling halfway around the world was to attend the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) annual conference along with over 600 delegates from countries all over the world.

Before beginning the conference on Tuesday, we were able to meet with Dr. Ian Singleton with Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) and visit Batu Mbelin quarantine center where nearly 50 orangutans are being cared for. Many of the orangutans have been confiscated, as they were being held illegally as pets. We were excited to hear that several of the orangutans would be on their way to be re-released into the wild next week.

Dina, Darrel Webber and Tracey at the RSPO.

Our goal for this conference was to interact with other stakeholders to further our work with palm oil sustainability.  The keynote address given by Professor Tim Benton was titled The Challenge of Food Security in 2050: Can we do it sustainably?  It was a detailed look at global climate change, population growth projections and how agriculture and deforestation now will affect our future dramatically.  It was very apparent that the success of the RSPO is critical on many levels. 

Group session at the RSPO conference.  

The format of this conference was quite unconventional -- open space technology was used to encourage anyone to take ‘ownership’ of an issue they cared about and invite any and all interested attendees to join the conversation.  We facilitated a discussion called ‘How can zoos positively transform the market?’ along with others from San Diego Zoo, Zoos Victoria and the Zoological Society of London.  We were happy to have representatives from the growers’ stakeholder group participate in our session to learn more about their needs.  We also joined in on other great topic discussions as well, and really learned a lot about the perspectives of others during this process.

Voting on resolutions at the RSPO.

We are getting ready for the next leg of our travels, which includes visiting Besitang and Bukit Lawang to see RSPO certified and non-certified plantations, a reforestation site and a successful eco-tourism location where we hope to see orangutans. A representative from OIC (Orangutan Information Centre) will be our guide.  We will be traveling with Adam Ringler of San Diego Zoo and Jacquie O’Brien of Zoos Victoria.