Cookie Ready for Another Birthday Party
© Oak Park Journal photo

Cookie wants this to be a special party with you there.
photo courtesy of Brookfield Zoo

Brookfield Zoo is having a birthday party that’s for the birds. Actually,
just for one special bird—Cookie, a Major Mitchell’s cockatoo who is turning 71. Bird lovers of all ages are invited to the celebration, Friday, June 25, at the Perching Bird House.

At 11 a.m., join zoo staff in serenading “Happy Birthday” to Cookie. Afterwards, he will receive a special cake prepared especially for him. 
The muffin-size treat is made with some of Cookie’s favorites, including carrots, apples, bananas, raisins, eggs, and various spices. Party goers 
will also receive a treat from down under—Australian coconut cookies. 
In addition, visitors can send birthday wishes by signing a gigantic card June 25-27 and creating drawings of Cookie. Animal keepers will be on hand to answer questions about the birthday bird or any other residents
in the Perching Bird House.

Cookie is the only remaining member of the zoo’s original animal collection, which dates back to 1934 when the zoo first opened. According to records, Cookie arrived at Brookfield Zoo from Australia, which is 
home to his species. The normal biological life span for these delightful birds is about 50 years, but some may reach 100. Over the years, 
Cookie’s popularity has soared and he has acquired quite a loyal 
following of zoo visitors who come out specifically to see him.

For more information, call Brookfield Zoo at 
(708) 485-0263, or visit its Web site at www.brookfieldzoo.org. 
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Brookfield Zoo will feature traditional Mexican music and dance June 18-20 in celebration of the opening of its Regenstein Wolf Woods exhibit
 The exhibit officially opens Friday, June 18, at 10 a.m. with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. Dr. Stuart Strahl, CEO and president of Brookfield Zoo, and other dignitaries will be on hand to welcome visitors
to the new state-of-the-art exhibit, dedicated to the conservation of endangered Mexican gray wolves—the most endangered subspecies of gray wolves in North America.

On June 18, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, two bands—Mariachi Juvenil Tenoxtitlan and Mariachi Postosino de Raul Aguirre—will liven up 
the plazas at the zoo’s north and south gates with their festive music. 
On The Living Coast Plaza, which is located just east of the new exhibit, members of Danzas Ceremoniales de Mexico will perform pre-Hispanic Aztec traditions of central Mexico, complete with authentic instruments
and colorful costumes. The dancers return June 19 and 20 for a special
11 a.m. performance.

Also joining in the opening day celebration of Regenstein Wolf Woods
on June 18 are two of Brookfield Zoo’s Spanish-language radio partners, WOJO 105.1FM—La Que Buena and VIVA 93.5FM/103.1FM.

During the weekend, young visitors can also participate in craft 
activities at Wolf Woods between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Regenstein Wolf Woods offers unforgettable viewing opportunities to see Mexican gray wolves in a naturalistic environment. Situated along the scenic south shoreline of the zoo’s Indian Lake, the 2.1-acre exhibit is surrounded 
by oak, poplar, and evergreen trees. Nearly three times the size of the former wolf exhibit, which displayed a different subspecies of gray 
wolves, this new, breathtaking setting features a stream, ponds, earth mounds, fallen trees, a wetland, and man-made beaver dams. Five
alcoves along the lightly forested Wolf Woods Trail provide visitors 
views of the animals digging, playing, chasing one another, or resting 
atop a denning mound.  The natural beauty of the exhibit is brought 
indoors in the Viewing Building, a structure covered with grass and plantings to blend into the landscape. Natural materials such as stone 
and wood give the feel of an airy lodge. The interior offers another spectacular view of the wolves through a 40-foot-long by 8-foot-high one-way window along a wall that curves out toward the wolves’
habitat.

The exhibit is designed with an array of engaging experiences, including hands-on interactives, to foster a better understanding of wolves, their behaviors, and why an ecosystem with wolves is a much healthier one
than one without them. For further information about Regenstein Wolf Woods, visit the zoo’s Web site at www.brookfieldzoo.org.

Open every day of the year, Brookfield Zoo is known throughout the
world for its innovative, naturalistic, multi-species exhibits, its
international role in animal population management and wildlife conservation, and its devotion to helping people develop a sustainable
and harmonious relationship with nature. The zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) 
expressways, just 14 miles west of downtown Chicago. The zoo is 
also accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter
line, and PACE bus service.
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New Born Cub and Mom
photo courtesy of Brookfield Zoo

Baby Bear gets the “Sweetest” Name
photo courtesy of Brookfield Zoo

Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Bears recently teamed up and held a naming contest for the zoo’s 6-month-old polar bear cub. Well, the wait is finally over. After receiving more than 6,500 name suggestions from people in all 50 states, Brookfield Zoo’s polar cub has a new name—Payton, after Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton. 

Several hundred people submitted entries that captured various aspects of Walter Payton’s name. In order to select a winner, judges had to consider the reasons people chose Payton. 

The winner, Angie Buratto of Mokena, Illinois, wrote, “Payton signifies strength, determination, and cherished memories. What better name for a ‘Chicago Bear’?” On hand during a special presentation on May 22, was Michael Haynes, defensive end for the Chicago Bears. During the event, Haynes and Buratto unveiled the cub’s new name.

As the winner, Buratto will receive a free day at the zoo that includes a behind-the-scenes tour and lunch with the zoo’s director and bear
keepers as well as receive a Payton Polar Bear Share the Care package.
In addition, the prize package includes four tickets to a Chicago Bears football game at Soldier Field and an opportunity to go on the field with 
the players during the pre-game warm-ups.

Payton was born in November 2003 and made his public debut this past March. At birth, polar bear cubs weigh approximately 1.5 pounds and measure less than 10 inches long. But, Payton is growing fast and now weighs a little over 150 pounds. When full grown, he could weigh up to 1,200 pounds. In the meantime, he is beginning to display his 
namesake’s trademark agility as his animal keepers give him more and more behavioral enrichment “toys.” He interacts with sticks daily and 
has just begun to chase “boomer balls” around his exhibit. When Payton
is not playing with his toys, he is enjoying his pool. Keepers recently 
filled the pool in the grotto and Payton has taken to the water, as you
would expect the most aquatic bear species to do. Payton, and his mom, Arki, can be seen on exhibit daily at Brookfield Zoo’s Bear Grottos.

Like Buratto, the general public can also help share the care of Payton.
A $25 annual contribution includes a color photo of Payton, a
personalized certificate, a polar bear fact sheet, an invitation to
Brookfield Zoo’s Polar Bear Cub has the “Sweetest” Name
Brookfield Zoo’s Share the Care evening in August 2004, and a window decal. A $40 package also features a polar bear plush. To purchase a 
Share the Care package, call (708) 485-0263, ext. 341, or visit www.brookfieldzoo.org.

Open every day of the year, Brookfield Zoo is known throughout the 
world for its innovative, naturalistic, multi-species exhibits, its
international role in animal population management and wildlife
conservation, and its devotion to helping people develop a sustainable
and harmonious relationship with nature. The zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) 
expressways, just 14 miles west of downtown Chicago. The zoo is also accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, and PACE bus service.
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Brookfield, IL—Brookfield Zoo’s Every Student is a Scientist: Using Technology to Foster Inclusive Learning (ESS) pilot program partnership with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) was recently named to the prestigious InfoWorld 100—a list of the most innovative technology programs in the nation. ESS uses tablet personal computers with wireless connections to allow CPS students with visual, hearing, or physical impairments to 
actively explore conservation concepts and work alongside classmates 
who are not disabled. 

The project strives to give students with disabilities increased access
to the same experiences that their general education counterparts have 
at the zoo, and  technology helps fill that gap. Beta testing for the first
ESS offering titled “Primate Populations” has concluded with rousing success. The curriculum unit focuses on primate behavioral research 
and allows all students to use the same techniques that Brookfield Zoo’s animal keepers and field scientists use to track the activities of baboons, monkeys, and gibbons at the zoo’s Baboon Island and Tropic World exhibits. Students record their observations on tablet PCs, which transfer the information to the zoo’s wireless network servers. It is then available via the Web for classroom activities after the zoo visit. Several of Brookfield Zoo’s educational award-winning Connections curricula will 
be modified for future phases of this project. The Every Student is a Scientist leadership program is supported by the Chicago Zoological Society, an Institute of Museum and Library Services National 
Leadership Grant, Polk Bros. Foundation, and Microsoft Corporation. 

When students from participating CPS inclusion classrooms visit Brookfield Zoo for the field trip portion of the zoo curricula, they are divided into groups. Each group is outfitted with a stopwatch and a 
tablet PC. Tablets include harness cases for easy handling, and can be mounted to wheelchairs, if necessary. Each student team then works together to collect data on primate activity. The tablet PCs are 
outfitted with software that adjusts for a variety of visual, hearing, and physical disabilities. For instance, students with visual disabilities can choose to enlarge type fonts, view high contrast images, listen to descriptive narrations of video clips, or engage a screen reader to 
“read” text on the screen. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students are 
able to convert all audio to text or increase the volume of audio clips. Students who have difficulty holding the tablet’s stylus can make 
choices using a scanning software and a common access instrument referred to as a switch.

“It is really exciting to watch the kids work together as a team,” 
said Ann Roth, Brookfield Zoo access coordinator. “On a tablet PC, students can choose how they access information. No matter what 
happens, the student is right in the middle of the action.”

Though still in the pilot phase, more than 400 students and nearly
20 teachers have already used Every Student Is a Scientist and gave
it rave reviews. The prospects for the project are enormous. Wireless technology allows students to upload their collected data, analyze it
at their schools, and even compare their findings with those of other students in their class, other schools, or Brookfield Zoo researchers. 
As the technology is incorporated into more Brookfield Zoo exhibits, student data collection and animal observation opportunities will 
increase.

ESS was listed among the most innovative information technology programs in America by InfoWorld magazine for the novel use of 
three new technologies—Wi-Fi, the tablet PC, and the .NET platform
—to vault over a variety of accessibility barriers.

This year, the InfoWorld 100 list of technologies implemented by
winning companies ran the gamut from Web Services to Wi-Fi, 
with project budgets ranging from as low $35,000 to more than
$50 million. The full list is available at: http://www.infoworld.com/565.

“The InfoWorld 100 recognizes companies and institutions like 
Brookfield Zoo that made the best use of technology to enhance their business and mission,” said Steve Fox, editor-in-chief of InfoWorld. “Brookfield Zoo built an innovative wireless and tablet PC solution
to meet essential technical and accessibility objectives.”

Additionally, the project received one of the Inaugural Microsoft Public-Sector Partner Awards. ESS was named runner-up in the “Best Innovation in Education” category.

This first phase of Brookfield Zoo’s ESS program is the result of a broad and unique partnership, at times involving zoo staff, CPS instructors and Subject Matter Experts, assistive technology experts at University of Illinois Chicago, evaluators from the Illinois Institute of Technology, 
and ongoing project management and solution consultation from 
Quilogy. The result is a groundbreaking project. “It really is a 
remarkable program,” said Kambri Hauser-Zielinski, a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at Bell School whose students were among the 
400 who helped pilot the program. “Not only did my students enjoy observing and recording animal behaviors, ESS allowed them to truly
work as a team.”

The Chicago Public Schools is the nation's third-largest school district
and the second-largest employer in Illinois, with more than 46,000 employees. The school system operates 600 schools and serves 
434,000 students.

Quilogy, a Microsoft Managed Regional Systems Integrator, empowers clients to solve complex business problems through the innovative use 
of emerging technologies. Headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri,
Quilogy has 14 offices for the nationwide delivery of consulting services and training. With a special focus on healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and the public sector, Quilogy solutions include Application Development & Infrastructure; Business Intelligence & Integration; Business Operations & Productivity; Customer Relationship 
Management; Interactive & E-Learning; Portals & Collaboration; Managed Hosting; and Technical Training. For more information,
go to www.quilogy.com.

Brookfield Zoo is known throughout the world for its innovative, naturalistic, multi-species exhibits, its international role in animal population management and wildlife conservation and its devotion to helping people develop a sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature. Open every day, Brookfield Zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways, 
just 14 miles west of downtown Chicago. The zoo is also accessible 
via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, and PACE
bus service. For more information about Brookfield Zoo, visit www.brookfieldzoo.org. 
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This summer, Brookfield Zoo will be all aflutter with hundreds of beautiful winged wonders. The zoo’s popular Butterflies! exhibit is open daily from Memorial Day weekend through mid-September from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

Inside the screened-in exhibit, visitors can get up-close views of more than 20 species of butterflies native to North America, including swallowtails, sulphurs, question marks, painted ladies, Julias, and great southern whites.
Every week, hundreds of new butterflies emerge from their chrysalis in an off-exhibit area that is closely monitored by zoo staff. When the butterflies are ready to take wing, they are released into the beautifully landscaped exhibit featuring a winding path past bubbling waters amidst a wide variety of regional grasses and flowering plants. Zoo staff and volunteers are on hand to answer questions, and they may even have a caterpillar or moth cocoon to view.

Adjacent to the exhibit is a gift shop featuring items such as flower seed packets, butterfly nectar, and butterfly houses, which can be used to attract these spectacular creatures to visitors’ own backyards. The shop also has a wide range of decorative and functional items for both indoor and outdoor environments such as wind chimes and wind socks that will beautify any garden. 

The price of admission to Butterflies! is $2.50 for adults and $1.50 for children and seniors 65 and older. Zoo members pay $2 for adults and
$1 for children. For more information, call Brookfield Zoo at 
(708) 485-0263, or visit its Web site at www.brookfieldzoo.org. 
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With more than 400 species of animals and beautifully landscaped grounds, Brookfield Zoo is a great place to take photos. So, grab your camera, take your best shot, and enter it in the zoo’s annual Photo Contest for a chance to win the grand prize—a Nikon Coolpix 8700 digital camera, courtesy of Calumet Photographic.

Photos must feature an animal or outdoor landscape (no people in photos will be accepted), and should be an 8- x 10-inch, color or black and white print. Photos should not be framed or matted. To enter, fill out an entry form and tape it to the back of the photo (one entry per person). Forms 
and the official photo contest rules may be downloaded from Brookfield zoo’s Web site, www.brookfieldzoo.org, or Calumet Photographic’s Web site, www.calumetphoto.com. Forms are also available at the zoo’s north and south information kiosks, by calling (708) 485-0263, ext. 608, or at Calumet Photographic locations in Bensenville (890 Supreme Drive) or Chicago (1111 North Cherry Street).

 Send entries to Brookfield Zoo, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL 60513. Photos may also be dropped off at the zoo’s Administration Building, 
which is located near the south gates. All entries must be postmarked by Friday, September 3, 2004, and received by Tuesday, September 7, 2004. Entries will not be returned and become the property of Brookfield Zoo.

Judges will select one grand prize winner from all entries. In addition,
a first-, second-, and third-place winner will be selected in three age categories—adult (18 and older), young adult (12-17), and child (11
and under). 

Photo Contest winners will be notified by phone and invited to an awards reception Saturday, September 18. Winning photos will be displayed in
the zoo’s Discovery Center lobby through the month of October. To view last year’s winning photos and to get some tips from the zoo’s staff photographer, visit the zoo’s Web site. 

Open every day of the year, Brookfield Zoo is known throughout the world for its innovative, naturalistic, multi-species exhibits, its international role in animal population management and wildlife conservation, and its devotion to helping people develop a sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature. 

The zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways, just 14 miles west of downtown Chicago. The zoo is also accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, and PACE bus service.

For more information, call Brookfield Zoo at 
(708) 485-0263, or visit its Web site at www.brookfieldzoo.org. 
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 Whether you are a novice or skilled photographer, Brookfield Zoo’s Calumet/Nikon Photo Safari Weekend offers an opportunity for 
everyone. On Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27, from 10 a.m. to 
4 p.m., zoo visitors will have the opportunity to sample the latest 
technology in camera systems and get some photography tips from
the experts.

With more than 2,500 animals and its beautifully landscaped grounds, Brookfield Zoo is a perfect place to try the latest in camera equipment.
At the Discovery Center, more than 100 Nikon digital and film cameras, including the D70, Coolpix 8700, and F100, will be available to check-
out. There is a one-hour limit per person and a valid driver’s license and credit card are required. Those interested in participating should bring 
their own film or CF card. (A limited supply of film courtesy of Fuji Film
will be available.)

In addition, each day visitors can attend 20-minute seminars in the zoo’s Discovery Center classroom 1A/B. Topics being discussed are “Camera Basics” at 12:30 p.m., “Auto Focus” at 2:30 p.m., and “Lens Technology” at 3:30 p.m. At 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., representatives from Calumet Photographic and Nikon will be stationed at the north side of the giraffe yard at Habitat Africa! The Savannah. There, visitors can try out super telephoto lenses using their own Nikon camera bodies.

So, venture out and click away because one of your photos may be the picture perfect image to enter in the zoo’s annual Photo Contest. For further information about Calumet/Nikon Photo Safari Weekend or Brookfield Zoo’s Photo Contest, call (708) 485-0263, ext. 608, or visit www.brookfieldzoo.org or www.calumetphoto.com.

Calumet Photographic, Inc. leads the world in supplying high-quality professional imaging equipment products. For more than 60 years, it has catered to the needs of all photographers, from commercial and catalog specialists to portrait and wedding photographers to outdoor and fine-art aficionados.

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