February 2022 Edition
Membership ID:
IN THIS ISSUE
BZS Volunteer Officer on the AZA Board!
Don't let our Red Ruffs surprise you!
Donation from Harrington Hundreds
Oscar's Upgrade
Whale Watching Tours
Student Feature: Tre Wolffe
Bermuda Turtle Project In-Water Course
Register for Ranger School
Scholarship and Internship Opportunities
Register to help with the Phone-a-thon!
BZS VOLUNTEER OFFICER ON THE AZA BOARD!
Bermuda Zoological Society is proud to announce that our Volunteer Officer, Joanne Chisnall, has been appointed to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Volunteer Management Committee (VMC) for a term of three years starting in 2022.
 
The mission of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is to provide its members the services, high standards and best practices needed to be leaders and innovators in animal care, wildlife conservation and science, conservation education, the guest experience, and community engagement. AZA envisions a world where, as a result of the work of accredited zoos and aquariums, all people respect, value and conserve wildlife and wild places.
 
The VMC advances the mission of AZA by empowering volunteer management staff at member institutions to engage and mobilize a diverse and committed force of volunteers. Joanne has become an active member of the VMC on the Professional Development Committee.
 
How was Joanne chosen:
AZA makes an annual call for service asking for committee applications. All applicants are reviewed by the VMC Chair and Vice-Chair for recommendation on action. All committee members and advisors are appointed by the incoming AZA President. The areas of review include:
  • Demonstrated interest in serving
  • Commitment to active participation
  • Ability to attend committee meetings/call and participate in conferences (minimum of one per year required, preferably both the annual and mid-year meetings)
  • Leadership in the field or expertise in an area the committee leadership has identified as critical for accomplishing the Long Range Plan/Strategic Framework
  • A passion for volunteer management and elevating the profession
 
As a member of the Professional Development Team Joanne will engaged in the following:
  • "Webinars - Under this project we are developing a way to use a live webinar format (like Zoom) to create an ongoing conversation between those who work with volunteers and the VMC. The hope is to offer a platform to offer help to those new to working with volunteers using the expertise of those who have been a part of volunteerism longer. The conversation will also include more complicated questions and solutions for seasoned volunteer managers.
  • Conference Planning - This project area plans the conference for Volunteer managers. From deciding what topics should be made into poster presentation, evening buzz or panels, this committee looks to provide the most relevancy to the most attendees. They also kick off the conference with Professional Development Day. " - Association of Zoos and Aquariums
DONATION FROM HARRINGTON HUNDREDS
The Bermuda Zoological Society recently received a donation of $5,000 from Harrington Hundreds supermarket, through their “Bring your own bag” initiative. This is the second time Mr. Anthony Aguiar, owner of Harrington Hundreds, has donated to the BZS through this initiative.

From November 2019, Harrington Hundreds, began charging customers 10 cents for plastic and store supplied bags. This was their commitment to climate change, with the aim to reduce the use of plastics and other single-use bags littering our environment.

This donation will directly support the BZS conservation and education programmes, which are focused on educating future generations on the importance of climate change and encouraging them become stewards of the natural world. 
OSCAR'S UPGRADE
If you’ve visited BAMZ over the past few days, you may have noticed some work taking place at Oscar the Alligator’s enclosure.

Bermuda Longtail Construction and Maintenance Ltd. have been working to replace the fencing surrounding the exhibit. The BAMZ staff took advantage of the fact that Oscar was cordoned off, by cleaning his pond, cutting the grass and trees and removing invasive Brazilian Pepper.

As the fencing work continued, Oscar enjoyed the sunshine, laid out on his freshly cut grass.  
STUDENT FEATURE: TRE WOLFFE
Meet Tre Wolffe. He is currently a student and has been a Junior Staff member at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) for three years. Due to his flexible school schedule, works with the animal husbandry staff on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Tre started his journey at BAMZ as a Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) Junior Volunteer (JV) in 2017. At the time, Tre was 14 years old and attended Berkeley Institute. He decided to become a JV because of his fascination for animals.
During his time with the BZS, Tre and seventeen other JVs enjoyed the three-week “trip of a lifetime” to the islands of the Galapagos. They traveled across nature reserves both terrestrial and marine to work with Galapagos tortoises, plant trees, and scuba dive or snorkel with sealions, turtles, and sharks. They interacted with school children and observed marine iguanas, birds as well as the amazing geology of the island – walking in the footsteps of Charles Darwin, soaking the clues that led him to his theories on evolution.

After he completed his year with the JV programme, he was given the opportunity to stay on as a Junior staff member at BAMZ. Within this role the husbandry staff entrust him to work independently in the different sections of the zoo and with most animals. His responsibilities include providing training and enrichment for the animals and reorganizing exhibits when needed.

When asked about Tre, the Zookeepers remarked that he is hard-working, jovial and great addition to the team!
SCHOLARSHIP & INTERNSHIP OPPOURTUNITIES
The BZS invites Bermudian university students to compete for an environmental-related scholarship or internship.

The BZS Steinhoff scholarship provides educational opportunities for Bermudian students studying environmental sciences at accredited institutions. To be considered, applicants must be in the final two years of a bachelor’s degree or working toward a master’s or doctorate in their chosen field.

The Ernest E. Stempel Foundation Summer Internship Programme provides a six-week stipend from June to August for interns to work on projects relating to conservation, education, or research issues in Bermuda. Interns gain valuable experience and acquire a greater understanding of delicate island ecosystems.

The BZS education programmes support the national science curriculum for thousands of Bermuda students, from pre-school to college. BZS conservation initiatives include projects to protect endangered sea turtles, skinks, coral reefs and killifish, while BZS scientists work with colleagues worldwide to share research vital to international conservation programmes. The BZS strives to encourage and support young generations of Bermudians to become stewards of our natural environment.
 
There are two week left to apply for the Internship programmes. Register now!

To register or to find out further information, please click here.
Support the Bermuda Zoological Society Education Programmes