Tues Jan 3rd, 7:30 pm MEMBER MEETING & LECTURE

MEMBER MEETING & LECTURE “Avian Programs at the Palm Beach Zoo” by Keith Lovett, General Curator/Director of Living Collections

Tuesday, Jan 3, 7:30 p.m.

Keith Lovett will share with us the status of the Palm Beach Zoo’s Avian Programs. Over 25 bird species are in the Species Survival Program. Under Lovett’s leadership, the zoo’s animal collection has grown from 400 animals to more than 1,400 animals representing over 300 species. In addition, Lovett has overseen more than $20 million in animal habitat and exhibit construction at the zoo.

Lovett joined the Palm Beach Zoo as the Assistant Animal Curator in 1998 after spending five years at York’s Wild Kingdom in York Beach, Maine. He was promoted to General Curator in 1999 and Director of Living Collections in 2004. He Lovett is responsible for the care and wellbeing of the Palm Beach Zoo’s flora and fauna through his management of the Animal Care, Maintenance, and Horticulture Departments. He also supervises the in-house conservation education programs and coordinates many zoo sponsored field projects.

Lovett was awarded his B.S. from Plymouth State College in New Hampshire in 1994. He is a member of the International Wild Waterfowl Association, Florida Ornithological Society, Florida Avian Group, American Association of Zoo Keepers, and the Audubon Society of the Everglades.

Lovett is also a professional member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is the zoo’s Institutional Representative for the Florida Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In addition, he is Chair of the Waterfowl Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) and the Vice Chair of the New World Primate TAG. He is Vice Chair of the Jaguar Species Survival Plan (SSP), and Coordinator of the Spider Monkey (SSP), and Studbook Keeper and Population Management Plan (PMP) Manager for the West Indian whistling duck and spotted whistling duck.

The meeting is free and open to the public – join us at Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, rooms 101 and 102, 6301 W. Summit Blvd., in West Palm Beach. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.; refreshments are served beforehand, so come at 7:00!

Also at the Jan 3 meeting: Bird of the Month: Marbled Godwit January is a good time of year to search our coastal mudflats and beaches for a large wading bird with a long, upturned bill. The bill has a dark tip and a pink base. In flight, you might spot the orangish stripe in the wings. This time of year it has a plain breast, but its breeding plumage shows substantial barring or “marbling,” hence the common name of Limosa fedoa, our Marbled Godwit. Clive Pinnock will be on hand at our January meeting to tell you more about this elegant shorebird.

Which native plants give food and habitat for which birds? Our own ASE Vice President Cynthia Plockelman will bring in seedlings and give a brief talk. She will explain each plant—how big it grows, watering requirements (if any), fruit or seeds, and which birds depend on which of the plant species. After the talk, the seedlings are for sale, proceeds going to support ASE programs. It’s a great opportunity to learn first-hand about our bird-friendly native plants and to bring ecology-improving specimens for your own back yard and one of ASE’s most popular ongoing programs.