DC Cheetahs!

Last fall I attended a fundraising event for the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) hosted by the DC chapter of CCF. The event included a wide array of art, photography, and package items that were auctioned, with benefits going to the many educational programs CCF uses to educate African farmers and families on coexisting with the cheetah. CCF is based in Namibia, Africa, with a growing program in Kenya. CCF raises funds and awareness to study as well as implement strategies to conserve this magnificent cat, and since I am very fond of cheetahs, I worked very hard last year to drive to DC for the event. I met Ro, an educational cheetah from the Cincinnati Zoo: 

I enjoyed meeting conservation enthusiasts as well as CCF Founder and Executive Director Dr. Laurie Marker and geneticist Dr. Stephen O'Brien (author of Tears of the Cheetah: And Other Tales From the Genetic Frontier). That being said, I received a wonderful email today from friend Liz Karch, who heads up the DC, MD and VA chapter, reminding me that this year's DC CCF event is right around the corner! I want everyone to take a moment and visit CCF's website and consider visiting the Georgetown area in DC for an amazing event for an amazing animal!

http://www.cheetah.org/ (Click on Events to learn about the DC event!)

Work with the bobcats is going well... this past week we had a particularly rough day fighting a tentacle-like plant called alder. We also nearly suffered cardiac arrest from a particularly clumsy hawk making excessive noise in the woods, but more on that later. These upcoming weeks include more searching for some elusive bobcats. Thank you for reading and for taking interest in conservation!