Bronx Zoo AAZK Chapter Meeting Minutes
20 February 2012 1) We are branching out to the city zoos and need to vote on changing our name to include the other parks a. Vote will be available online- please keep in mind that you may be approved to vote online if you registered even if you have not gotten an e-mail directly saying so and you should attempt to do so. b. Two names were suggested i. Wildlife Conservation Society AAZK Chapter ii. New York City AAZK Chapter iii. Vote here: http://syntheticmachine.net/forum/index.php?topic=7.0 2) Amy talked about the Girl Scout program and passed around a sign-up sheet a. Our program will be incorporated into their current badges b. 10 troops from Yonkers are registered to participate c. Volunteers will attend two meetings with one troop and help them earn a badge i. Each troop will be assigned an animal and natural history questions about that animal ii. 1st troop meeting 1. Keepers will introduce themselves 2. Explain the enrichment approval form and how the natural history is important 3. Design an ideal enrichment item 4. Build small enrichment items iii. 2nd troop meeting 1. Build more complicated enrichment items d. There will be bins in the enrichment trailer for each troop’s animal to collect materials e. There will be a Bronx troop leader meeting on a Saturday in March if anyone would like to go f. We hope to get the kids to the zoo and provide some kind of experience 3) Upcoming deadlines a. Please pay your BZAC dues as soon as you can! b. If you’d like to present a charity for Barnanza, please inform an officer by 1 March. c. Travel grants are due 1 April. 4) Officers will be visiting the city zoos in order to initiate branching out and to invite them to our 20 March Enrichment Bonanza!
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Bronx Zoo AAZK Chapter Meeting Minutes
20 January 2012 1) Cindy opened the meeting with an overview of tonight’s agenda. 2) Online Voting for inclusion of other WCS parks into BZAC a. Of the 21 BZAC members, 15 registered for online voting. 11 of them voted – 10 in favor, 1 opposed. b. It was proposed to accept the 15 members registered online as the total from which we can accept the vote in order to attain quorum. i. 11 of 13 members present voted in favor of this. 3 of 13 opposed. 1. The amendment therefore is passed, allowing keepers from the other WCS facilities to join BZAC. 3) Calendars a. Cindy reported that sales are going well and we still have some calendars available. i. Calendars are available for purchase from AAZK officers as well as at the Zoo Center. b. An email broadcast will be going out 21 January 2012 to staff about the sale of the calendars at the Zoo Center. c. Discussed the option of putting ads in the calendar to subdue printing costs. d. Efforts will be made to produce a final page to add to the calendars not yet sold as Vistaprint doesn’t allow for this in their formatting. i. This page will include Thank You’s to those involved in the production of the calendar, an overview of the photos included in the calendar, the BZAC and AAZK logos, as well as other pertinent information. e. We will be using a Groupon deal to reduce calendar costs for the next round of production. f. The vote to approve funding an additional $164 to purchase 50 more calendars was passed with 9 of 13 members voting in favor. 4) Travel Grant (TG) a. This year we will be awarding two grants, each worth $500. These values may change in the future based on our financial situation. b. Deadlines for submission are April 1 and October 1. The TG committee will narrow these down to ≤10 finalists who will give a presentation at the monthly meeting on the 20th of these months. The winner will then be selected. i. There was debate as to how the grant winner should be decided – membership decided to leave this decision up to the TG committee. c. Amy presented the guidelines for grant proposals i. It was recommended, and accepted by the membership to change the time limit for usage of the grant from 2 years down to 1 year. ii. The TG committee is allowed to eliminate grant finalists based on the merit of their proposal even if less than 10 proposals are submitted. d. The application will require a 500 word statement of purpose and a projected budget. e. Travel Grant Committee i. Responsibilities: Narrow down applicants, organize presentations of applicants for membership, collect post-trip report, award grant. 5) Enrichment Bonanza Committee a. Responsibilities: Organize supplies, plan event, find out departmental/installation enrichment needs, look into possible funding options from zoo. b. We can hold as many as the committee is interested in hosting. We are aiming for at least 2 this year, but hopefully more J 6) Membership Dues a. The deadline for membership dues is March 20, 2012 for this year. You must be a member of National AAZK organization to join our chapter. b. Membership allows you to vote on all matters, apply for the travel grant, to get discounts on certain BZAC events and merchandise, as well as other benefits. 7) Volunteer Committee a. Responsibilities: To plan and organize volunteer opportunities for the membership to participate in. b. These outings can be a one-time event or a regularly scheduled activity. 8) Presentation Committee a. Responsibilities: To plan and facilitate evenings for keepers to present their work/research, to preview all presentations for appropriateness, to plan panel discussions with management. b. Both the location and food will be provided by Jim Breheny. c. These will be open to WCS employees only. 9) National Keeper Week Committee a. Cindy reviewed last year’s Keeper Week events, which included a silent auction of keeper handiworks, an evening picnic and Keeper Olympics, keeper bestowed awards, and more. i. This year’s events are YTBD. b. Responsibilities: Plan and execute all NKW activities. 10) Bowling for Rhinos Committee a. Responsibilities: Plan and hold BFR event, get sponsors and donors for additional fundraising, advertise. 11) Barnanza a. We are looking to hold this event again and are holding a call for a charity to support. i. Charity suggestions are due by March 1. At the March 20 meeting, those advocating a charity will present on this organization and why we should support it. Voting to select a charity will occur at this meeting. 12) Chopsticks for Salamanders a. This is a conservation initiative by Lauren Augustine (former Bronx zoo Herpetology keeper and former BZAC Treasurer). b. We are looking to sell stainless steel chopsticks to reduce the number of trees chopped in the Appalachian Mountains to make wooden chopsticks. The set of sticks will be sold with a brochure explaining the mission of the project and educate public. c. We do not yet know the cost our chapter may incur in order to participate in this until a grant request is decided upon to help fund the project. i. All money from our sales will go completely towards this conservation project. 13) Merchandise committee a. Dawn suggested that we add another committee whose responsibilities will be to sell BZAC merchandise to help support our chapter. 14) Guest Speakers a. Sara will be in charge of organizing guest speakers to come to our meetings and talk on various topics pertaining to our field. b. If anyone has suggestions, please forward them to Sara ([email protected]). Consider researchers at the CGC or professors. Bronx Zoo AAZK Chapter Meeting Minutes
20 December 2011 1) Voting for amendments and officers will be reopened. Not enough votes were placed to move forward. Please make sure to register and vote online for: a. The amendment to expand our AAZK chapter to other zoos b. Officers 2) The silent auction was a huge success! Many thanks to all who participated. a. We made over 1,000 dollars b. Generated a lot of buzz c. We may hold a second one each year, but no more than that 3) Cindy had a great meeting with Jim Breheny a. We have his permission to hold BZAC meeting events behind the scenes at all parks b. We have his permission to have animal presentations i. We must still receive permission from heads of the city zoos/ individual Bronx zoo installations to proceed c. The AEP presentation night was a great success- Jim would like to see BZAC involvement in similar, less formal events with more diverse subject matter i. It was expressed that having less oversight for every detail of presentations was important for keeper participation 4) Travel grants upcoming! a. BZAC members will have final decision on grant recipients b. We discussed payment methods for grant money 5) Calendars are in! a. 20$ for non-members, 15$ for members, 10$ for those that submitted photos b. Could they be sold in the Bronx Zoo store? c. Could we sell posters at the Bronx Zoo store 6) Keeper talks a. Wild Asia’s new squeeze b. Tundra the polar bear c. Kiani update! Bronx Zoo AAZK Chapter Meeting Minutes
20 November 2011 1) Membership voted to approve online voting a. Online voting will be available for votes requiring information 30 days in advance including amendments and elections 2) Cindy proposed an amendment to include the city zoos in our chapter a. We are still working on ideas to make this possible and fun b. i.e have events at different parks along with a meeting? c. Perhaps meet at a central location and have dinner with the meeting? d. Voting for/against this amendment will be available online- membership will receive an e-mail telling them to do this, the cut-off will be 20 December 2011 3) We are working out the detail to hold a fundraising holiday silent auction at the staff cafeteria a. Submissions are requested from all and any, please contact an officer if you or someone you know would like to donate or send an e-mail to [email protected] 4) Cindy talked about surveys 5) Calendars are coming! a. Pictures have been narrowed down from 18 to 12 b. They should be available by next meeting 6) Elections for officers are upcoming and will conclude on 20 December 2011 7) Training talks! a. Painting with capuchins b. Training with Chiani the sea lion before and after his surgery c. Komodo dragon training d. Ella the rhino and new white rhinos in Zoo Center Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Bronx Zoo AAZK Chapter Meeting Minutes
20 October 2010 1) Bowling for Rhinos was a big success a. We earned over 3,000 dollars b. Paypal was very successful and we should use it next year 2) We discussed the Girl Scout outreach program a. Plans are to move forward in January based on previous model sessions b. BZAC members will be able to sign up to work with troops on days they are available and will visit troops twice c. Please send photos of enrichment to Joanne to use in posters 3) Cindy spoke about the National AAZK conference a. San Francisco has 11 facilities incorporated into its chapter and could help serve as a model for incorporating the city zoo into BZAC i. Moving meeting location around and having a special event at the meetings 4) We talked about incorporating other zoos a. Video conferencing? We’re looking into it but AAZK National did not recommend it. b. Meetings may have to be later for travel time c. We may want to have liaisons to other zoo; VP of BZAC may serve as liaison to other zoos 5) We discussed online voting- online voting will be held for votes that require information to be received 30 days in advance (i.e. elections, amendments) a. Unfortunately we did not have enough members to vote for approval of online voting and will vote at next meeting 6) We discussed changing the meeting venue 7) Elections for AAZK officers will occur on 20 December a. If you are interested in running, please inform a current officer; candidates will be given a chance to address membership on 20 November 8) An election bonanza will be held in November or December- members should think of ideas for large group projects 9) Keepers chatted about some of their training projects a. Mike talked about training Tuco the gorilla to target train HIM b. Joanna talked about training a silver langur to target himself c. Amy talked about sea lion training; she has finally gotten a successful flip performed! 9/20/12 Online General AAZK Chapter
- This was our 1st Web Ex meeting. We hope to hold more business meetings through the use of web conferencing tools. We also would like to continue having events held at our different facilities as well. If you are interested in holding a small or large event at your facility please contact your facility’s liaison or officer. Examples of past events are a tour of the Queens Zoo’s aviary, a shark training season teamed up with a presentation on pinnipeds at the NY Aquarium and Enrichment Bonanzas at the Bronx Zoo. - The Bronx Zoo’s wild animal keeper, Danielle Steele gave an engaging and informative summary of her work assisting in research on wild populations of spotted dolphins in the Bahamas. The flight was funded by The Chapter’s Travel Grant. - We are currently accepting applications for the next travel grant! The deadline to give in your application is Oct 1st. Members whose applications were accepted will have the opportunity to give a short presentation to attending members at the Oct 20th general meeting. Attending members will vote on who will receive the $500 travel grant. This meeting will also be held as a Web Ex online meeting so members from all facilities can attend the meeting easily. The travel grant application and guidelines are posted on our chapter’s blogspot at www.bronxzooaazk.blogspot.com - Attending members voted on spending chapter money to purchase an AAZK conference week registration for members to use. Members unanimously voted to spend the money. The cost of the week registration is $250. Members who will be using the registration will be responsible for their own transportation and accommodations. - We had a call for committees. Anyone interested in joining or assisting with the following committees, please contact any of the officers ASAP. -Travel Grant Committee- Committee members will be in charge of managing the applications for the upcoming travel grant opportunity available for chapter members. -Calendar Committee- Committee members will be responsible for coming up with a calendar theme, collecting photos, creating the calendar layout and printing calendars before the holiday season. -Bowling for Rhinos- Committee members will plan the next BFR event with responsibilities including securing a location, soliciting vendors for donations and selling tickets. -National Zoo Keeper Week- Committee members will plan events surrounding NZKW which takes place during the 3rd week in July. Past events have included keeper talks, collages, artist showcase, silent auctions, keeper appreciation awards, potluck dinners, a scavenger hunt, and keeper olympics. - Here is a list of upcoming events for our chapter: -Panel Discussion- November -Holiday Silent Auction- We are looking for items for donation!! Contact an officer if you would like to donate -Holiday Season Casual Night out- December -Elections!!!- December -Chopsticks for Salamanders Sushi Night- February-March Please Note: We are looking for officers for our chapter. Being an officer is a unique opportunity for personal professional growth as well as it is a unique opportunity to be an active facilitator of progress in our chapter and in WCS. If you are interested in becoming a chapter officer, please contact one of the current officers ASAP. Also to note: We are hoping to lower chapter membership costs. The extent of a discount has not been decided yet, as we have to look over our expenses more closely. As soon as a decision is reached, we will take it to our members to vote on. We hold events periodically to help fund the chapter, giving us the ability to provide a travel grant twice a year and now to fund a conference registration. Thank you to all of our members’ and supporters’ generous donations for our silent auctions. We hope our members and supporters continue this generosity so our members can continue to benefit by having opportunities available for professional growth. In Attendance: Michelle Medina, Robin Sutker, Amy Golden, Mary Gremler, Dawn Davis, Danielle Steele, Katelyn Massarone, Sara Koplish, Mike Wrubel, Cindy Maur, Sara Parker, Ronnie Thomas Minutes from Bronx Zoo AAZK Chapter
20 August 2011 1) We began meeting with an update on Bowling for Rhinos planned for 3 October 2011 beginning at 6 p.m. at 300 New York. A. Pricing i. Members will be charged $25 or $26 through paypal ii. Non-members will be charged $30 in advance or $31 through paypal; $35 at the door iii. Entrance fee includes: 1. Bowling from 7-9:30 2. A $5 arcade game card 3. Two beers or sodas 4. Pizza 5. Shoe B. Parking has generally been available on the street, the subway is close C. Volunteers were signed up to man ticket sales tables in the staff dining room D. Bowling for Rhinos committee is looking for pictures of zookeepers for a slideshow E. We discussed donations for merchandise/pursuing company sponsors F. Sheets will be handed out for individuals to raise further donations G. Bowling for rhinos requested up to $150 from chapter budget; these funds will include the purchase of a banner to use at ticket sale table and will be BZAAK generic for reuse i. Members approved the funds 2) We discussed the Officer position of Secretary 3) We discussed the two proposed amendments the to Bronx Zoo AAZK chapter constitution; amendments will be voted on at the next meeting A. When there is a tie in a decision made by ballet, the tie-breaking decisions will be made by the current officers B. If an officer resigns from their position during their term, they are not to run in the mid-term election for the position they resigned from. They will be able to run for other positions mid-term or for officer positions during the yearly elections 4) National Keeper Week received lots of positive feedback A. Event night went well i. The chapter raised about $600 B. Ideas for next time: i. The poo was unmanageable in a bag; a plate, perhaps? ii. Hold the silent auction throughout the week in the staff dining room iii. Have categories to nominate keepers for recognition iv. Hold the event earlier in the summer and in a better location C. We hope to organize a holiday event/party 5) We discussed Turtle Survival Alliance 9th Annual symposium A. TSA received several thousands of dollars from AAZK this year! B. This led to the suggestion of fundraising for one year for an organization i. We could place this information on our Facebook page to promote awareness ii. Members would present possible organizations to the group and the group would vote for the winner 1. Further discussion needed for how to narrow the field, how presentations would work, etc… 6) We discussed the calendar A. The calendar is ready to print and we hope to have it ready to sell with Bowling for Rhino tickets B. It will be shortened to a 12 month calendar C. We need to confirm sponsorship for the calendar D. We discussed how many we will need to order; discussed a preorder E. There are various options for the printer 7) General A. We discussed voting online or by proxy for members who can’t attend meetings where a vote by ballot will occur B. We discussed skyping with city zoos to allow voting by AAZK members there C. We discussed integrating the Ornithology department D. We discussed some preliminaries for the next enrichment bonanza i. We discussed organizing stations for specific projects BZAAZK Meeting Minutes July 20, 2011
In attendance: Danielle Steele, Amy Golden, Megan Baumer, Paul Kmiotek, Vanessa Jones, Mike Wrubel, Linda Edge, Dawn Davis, Cindy Maur, Sara Koplish, Alexis Amann, Michelle Medina, Jason Castro, Florence Klecha, Roxy Watts Committee updates- NKW and BFR Detailed plan of NKW night event discussed Treasurer candidate introductions Treasurer candidate vote and results- Megan Baumer and Amy Golden were tied and it was agreed by all members at the meeting that they should be co-treasurers BZAAZK Meeting- June 20, 2011
In attendance: Lauren Augustine, Sara Koplish, Mary Gremler, Linda Edge, Sabrina Squillari, Avril Armstrong, Megan Baumer, Alyssa Borek, Vanessa Jones, Cindy Maur, Dawn Davis -Lauren Augustine, treasurer, announced her resignation from the chapter since she is no longer going to be working at the zoo -Linda Edge, vice president is the interim treasurer -Election for the treasurer position discussed, including responsibilities -The vote will take place at the next monthly meeting- all interested parties are to contact Linda via email -Megan Baumer gave our first informal training talk on komodo dragon crate training -Committee updates- NKW, BFR -Discussed chapter details- membership, $ in bank account -Talked about us being in the AAZK Forum magazine -Discussed membership benefits -Please send ideas for the chapter to us via email BZAAZK Meeting Minutes- May 20, 2011
In Attendance: Lauren Augustine, Jason Castro, Cindy Maur, Rebecca Yee, Dana Canton, Tony Buffill, Jessica Chin, Michelle Medina, Giselle Guadalupa, Danielle Steel, Mike Wrubel, Amy Golden, Sara Koplish, Daphne Revie, Mary Gremler, Stephen NKW Committee Updates were discussed Enrichment bonanza items made: small monkey toys, monkey fist rope toys, ladders, pvc pipe toys, pvc pipe and firehose swing, firehose carwash… please add to the list if an item you made is not listed Pasta Challenge Winner- Mike Wrubel Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest |
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