Lincoln Park Zoo and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) will host the First International Wildlife Reintroduction Conference on April 15–16, 2008. By releasing animals into natural habitats, reintroduction programs improve the prospects of survival for wild populations. Conservation biologists from around the globe will convene at Lincoln Park Zoo to share information on the successes and failures of these high-profile conservation endeavors.

The conference will close with a special public lecture offering an inside look at the triumphs and tribulations of restoring species to the wild. Lincoln Park Zoo’s Steve Thompson, Ph.D., will open with an overview of the up-to-date knowledge presented during the conference, including innovative approaches, challenges and the latest progress in well-known reintroduction programs. Mike Phillips of the Turner Endangered Species Fund will conclude the public lecture by highlighting stories from the field, notably the reintroduction of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park and red wolves to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.

For more information on the First Annual Wildlife Reintroduction Conference, visit www.reintroduction.org.

Parking: Paid parking is available in the zoo parking lot at Cannon Drive and Fullerton Parkway. The Lester E. Fisher Bridge at the south end of the parking lot provides a direct path to Café Brauer. Signage will be available to direct lecture attendees.

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About the Speakers

Steve Thompson, Ph.D., is Lincoln Park Zoo’s senior vice president for conservation programs, guiding zoo efforts in animal collections, education, and conservation and science. Thompson received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Irvine, where he studied the ecology and biodiversity of desert rodents. In 1990, he was named head of Lincoln Park Zoo’s Conservation & Science Department, a position he held until 2007. During his tenure, the zoo’s research staff grew to become one of the largest zoo-based science and conservation programs in the country. Thompson’s research interests include population biology, demography of small populations, evidence-based conservation science and the evaluation of conservation initiatives to gauge their success. He is regional studbook keeper for the Bali mynah and heads the AZA’s Population Management Center at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Mike Phillips has served as executive director of the Turner Endangered Species Fund, overseeing all activities, since Ted Turner launched the effort in June 1997. After receiving his master’s degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Alaska in 1985, Phillips served as the field coordinator of the Red Wolf Recovery Program from 1986–1994 before serving as project leader for the Yellowstone gray wolf restoration effort from 1994–1997. He has conducted wildlife research, with an emphasis on large carnivores, throughout the United States, Alaska and Australia. His professional interests include the conservation and restoration of imperiled species, the integration of private land in conservation projects and the privatization of endangered species recovery programs.