Presentations, Prom, and Polar Bears

Hey People,

Hope life is treating you well. My life is awesome. I am nearing the end of my high school years. WHOAAAAH! So, I needed to update you all. First I will begin with some awesome news. I won two scholarships. One is from the Illinois Conservation Foundation, and the second one I won from the Women's Board at Brookfield Zoo/ The Chicago Zoological Society! I am really excited! I also went to the senior awards banquet at my high school and won the Science Academic Achievement award! So that was an awesome surprise! I had my presentation on Wombats with Science Track Year 2. It went well. I actually had prom the same day as my wombat presentation. So I went to the zoo in my dress, then went to prom right afterwards. It was ok though because my dress fit the zoo theme. Yes, I put a polar bear on my dress. Why? Because the zoo has been a huge part of my life. Each day I remember my expedition to Canada to study the bears and I remember that I am a conservation leader. The polar bear resembles everything during my high school years. I spend more time at the zoo than any friend's house. Another reason why I had a polar bear painted on my dress is so that I could continue to educate. People at the dance would notice the bear and ask about it, or be reminded about protecting this species. Anyway thats a basic sum of what has been going on. Prom was an awesome night and my presentation was fun. I will catch up again later when I don't have senior banquets all week! CAIO! ~Wildlife Katie

Great Bear Wilderness

(Image from Brookfield Zoo/ Chicago Zoological Society)
Hey family, friends, and fans!

Great Bear Wilderness finally opened May 8th! It was amazing. There were Native American dancers, flute players, and story tellers available to participate in the grand ceremony. Robert Buchanan of Polar Bears International was there, as well as Bill Watkins from Manitoba Conservation. Stuart Strahl the CEO of Brookfield Zoo/ Chicago Zoological Society gave a grand opening speech. I have never seen so many excited guests. I was very excited as well. I had already seen the exhibit, but this time I was able to see the reactions of the guests which to me was the most important thing. Now finally I can see the people get connected to the polar bears in the underwater viewing area. The children would put their hands up on the glass and the polar bears would swim to them and put up their paws. It was beautiful watching these connections between humans and wildlife. In the corner of the exhibit I found my rock. The rock was my tundra rock that I picked up while on my adventures in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada with Polar Bears International's leadership camp back in 2008. I risked my life for that rock. I was amazed that it was in the exhibit. Now the bears can be connected back to the wild through my representation of the tundra rock. I hope all of you can have to chance to visitBrookfield Zoo to see Great Bear Wilderness. The bison, bald eagles, polar bears, brown bears, and wolves are a part of this amazing exhibit. If you do happen to check it out, let me know about your experiences. I really care about the bear. I really care about your connections to nature and becoming conservation leaders. You all make the biggest difference. I will talk again soon~ Wildlife Katie