Chicago Zoological Society Presents Freese with
George B. Rabb Conservation Award

            Brookfield, IL—A biologically and culturally significant milestone occurred recently: wild bison were reintroduced onto a prairie reserve in eastern Montana, marking the first time in 120 years that America’s largest mammal roamed these lands. During an upcoming lecture, Dr. Curtis Freese, managing director of the Northern Great Plains (NGP) program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the 2007 recipient of the George B. Rabb Conservation Award, will share this story of renewal for bison and the Great Plains and what it means for conservation and the American public.

            The lecture will take place on Wednesday, February 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Brookfield Zoo’s Discovery Center and will be followed by a wine and cheese reception. Tickets are $16 ($13 for zoo members). For further information or to register, visit www.BrookfieldZoo.org or call (708) 485-0263, ext. 297.

            Dr. Freese will talk about how bison, the largest land mammal in the Americas and an icon of the Great Plains, have never repopulated to the massive herds that nurtured Native Americans and so stirred early explorers such as Lewis and Clark. Under Dr. Freese’s leadership, WWF’s Northern Great Plains program has grown to work on the conservation of imperiled species and native prairies in places ranging from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan to South Dakota and Nebraska. In Montana, WWF and American Prairie Foundation recently created the American Prairie Reserve to bring back bison on a grand scale. The long-range goal for the American Prairie Reserve, which is the program’s flagship project, is to create through partnership with public lands a 3-million-acre reserve where thundering herds of bison and other abundant wildlife are restored.

            Elsewhere in the Great Plains, WWF is also working with other organizations to build vast prairie reserves that could again nurture local communities and economies and could harbor a wildlife spectacle of national and global importance. With the support and cooperation of public agencies, other conservation groups, local communities, Native Americans, and people from across the country, some of the most intact and wildlife-rich prairie lands in North America are being conserved and restored for future generations.

            Dr. Freese’s concern about American bison, which were driven nearly to extinction by the end of the 1800s, spurred his regionwide planning and policy work, as well as direct action. In addition to the American Prairie Reserve project, he and his staff are responsible for the development of two other major conservation initiatives over the past four years: the U.S.-Canada Transboundary Prairie Conservation Project and the Grasslands 2010 Project. Dr. Freese and the WWF’s NGP program are also supporting and working with the IUCN North American Bison Specialist Group, government agencies, conservation organizations, and bison experts from across North America in preparing a North American Bison Conservation Strategy, due to be released this year.

For these and other projects to restore and conserve the biodiversity of the Northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada, Dr. Freese has been named the recipient of the 2007 George B. Rabb Conservation Award. Presented by the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, the annual award is given to an individual who exemplifies conservation science and the need to live harmoniously with nature.

During the evening lecture, Dr. Stuart Strahl, CEO and president of the Society, will announce Dr. Freese as the award’s recipient. “Dr. Freese’s unparalleled dedication to saving the unique life structure of the Great Plains is an example to all of us who strive to live sustainably,” says Strahl.

            The George B. Rabb Conservation Award was created in 2005 by the Board of Trustees of CZS to honor the lifetime accomplishments of Dr. George B. Rabb, president emeritus of the Society. Past recipients include Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, director of the Science and Exploration Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society and preeminent wildlife scientist known particularly for his conservation and protection of big cats native to Asia and South America; and Dr. Carl Safina, co-founder of The Blue Ocean Institute, for his life’s work and commitment to protecting the world’s oceans and marine wildlife.

            The mission of the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, is to inspire conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature. Open every day of the year, the zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways and is also accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, CTA, and PACE bus service.