Chehaw launches conservation series Thursday

ALBANY — In an effort to broaden its conservation efforts, Chehaw is kicking off a new monthly lecture series Thursday night aimed at educating the public on global conservation initiatives supported by the Southwest Georgia wildlife park.

According to Executive Director Doug Porter, Chehaw has long promoted animal conservation within the park and in recent years has gotten more involved in conservation efforts on a larger scale.

“This is kind of the next step in a progression,” said Porter. “For the past few years, we’ve hosted the Through the Zoo fun run to raise money for conservation organizations around the world. We want to help people focus on various conservation issues.”

Porter said the idea to host the lecture series came about through the efforts of Chehaw staffers who wanted to share what they were learning with the public. With the different park areas working together, staffers have been able to put together a monthly series, one that’s free to the public.

“Our mission is conservation,” said Chehaw Public Relations Coordinator Morgan Seegmueller Burnette. “This is very close to us. We don’t get anything out of it except educating the public.”

The Thursday lecture will begin at 7 p.m. at the park’s Creekside Center and will feature Cheetah Conservation Fund Research Technician Eli Walker, who will be sharing his experiences working with cheetahs in Namibia, Africa.

The Cheetah Conservation Fund is the world’s leading organization dedicated to saving cheetahs in the wild, something that is to close to the hearts of the Chehaw family, which includes three cheetahs that came to the park nearly a decade ago. The big cats have become one of the park’s most beloved attractions.

“The three sisters are near and dear to everyone here,” Burnette said. “We’ve had them about nine years and had them since they were babies.”

Burnette said thgis will be the first of five monthly lectures that have been planned for the next few months. The next lecture, scheduled for July 11, will feature Dr. Terry Norton of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

Following July’s lecture, the park will feature Brad Locke, a representative from Zoo Atlanta, who will discuss the endangered beaded lizard; a representative from Jones Ecological Research Center in Baker County who will discuss the gopher tortoise, and a Department of Natural Resources representative who will present a lecture on bats. While those guests have been confirmed, Chehaw has not released the dates for those lectures.

For now, park officials are just pleased to offer more educational opportunities to patrons and to be able to do so free of charge.

“It’s kind of a big deal for us,” Porter said. “It’s going to be a good thing.”