Volume 2, No. 18. September 27, 2002
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association awarded the following honors at its 78th Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Exhibit Award
for excellence in animal display:
• The Detroit Zoological Institute, Michigan, Top Honors for "Amphibiville,"
a village dedicated to and inhabited by a diverse collection of amphibians from
around the world;
• The Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, Illinois, Top Honors for the "Hamill
Family Play Zoo," an innovative concept that personalizes the zoo experience
for families as never before;
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium, California, a Significant Achievement Award
for "Splash Zone: Rock and Reef Homes," a colorful, hands-on gallery
that blends live-animal experiences with hands-on learning;
• The Riverbanks Zoological Park and Botanical Garden, Columbia, South
Carolina, a Significant Achievement Award for the "Riverbanks Avian Program,"
a stunning and large new avian facility.
The Edward H. Bean
Award in recognition of efforts by a member institution in the management and
husbandry of various animal species in their care:
• The Cincinnati Zoo, Ohio; Los Angeles Zoo, California; Wildlife Conservation
Society, New York City; and the Zoological Society of San Diego, California;
were recognized for their contributions to the Sumatran Rhino Breeding program,
which in 2001 year produced the first Sumatran Rhino born in captivity in over
a century;
• The Cincinnati Zoo, Ohio, for the Giant Water Bug program;
• The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, for their Weedy
Sea Dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) Propagation Program. They are the first
public aquarium to ever achieve the successful reproduction and rearing of this
rare, protected fish.
The Education
Award for a program based on its ability to promote conservation knowledge,
attitudes and behavior, show innovation, and measure success:
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium, California, for their "Splash Zone Education
Programs;"
• The Houston Zoological Gardens, Texas, for "Project U.S.A.-Urban:
Scientists in Action;"
• The Wildlife Conservation Society, New York City for the "Wildlife
Science Careers Program."
The International
Conservation Award:
•"Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program," a coalition of sixteen
zoos who have participated cooperatively in this long-term conservation program
to save the endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo and its habitat on the
Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea. The institutions that participate are Roger
Williams Park Zoo, Providence, Rhode Island, Calgary Zoological Society, Canada;
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Ohio; Gladys Porter Zoo, Brownsville, Texas; Kangaroo
Conservation Center, Dawsonville, Georgia; Miami Metro Zoo, Florida; Milwaukee
County Zoo, Wisconsin; Oregon Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh
Zoo and PPG Aquarium, Pennsylvania; Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Columbia, Ohio;
San Antonio Zoo, Texas; Santa Fe Community Teaching College, New Mexico; Sedgwick
County Zoo, Wichita, Kansas; Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington, and the
Zoological Society of San Diego, California.
The North American
Conservation Award for exceptional efforts by institutions toward regional habitat
preservation, species restoration, and support of biodiversity in the wild:
• The Zoological Society of San Diego, California, for their Hawai’i
Endangered Bird Conservation Program, an ambitious plan that works to recover
22 species of endangered Hawaiian forest birds;
The Munson Aquatic
Conservation Exhibitry Award (M.A.C.E. Award) for excellence in aquatic exhibits
that have conservation education incorporated into the design and presentation:
• The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, for their "Cape Fear
Conservatory" exhibit;
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium, California, for their exhibit, "Vanishing
Wildlife: Saving Tunas, Turtles and Sharks."
Receiving AZA accreditation:
Aquarium of the Bay, San Francisco, California;
Ocean Park Corporation, Hong Kong, China;
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg, Tennessee;
Zoo Boise, Idaho.
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