Black-Footed Ferret Conservation: From the Big Picture to the Itty-Bitty Picture
Written by Caleb Nelson on September 13, 2022
On Tuesday, September 27th, 2022, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and the Draper Natural History will host a panel of experts from around the country to discuss “black-footed ferret conservation.” Moderated by Pitchfork Ranch owner Lenox Baker, the discussion explores the “challenges, breakthroughs, and contributions” of these experts to the conservation of the endangered black-footed ferret in the Bighorn Basin region.
The doors open at 5:50 p.m. for the event in the Center’s Coe Auditorium. The panel discussion takes place from 6-7:30 p.m. A live black-footed ferret named “Dude” from the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Program at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center will be in attendance.
According to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, “the story of the 1981 re-discovery of a small population of black-footed ferrets near Meeteetse, Wyoming, is fairly well-known.” Biologists helped save black-footed ferrets from the brink of extinction through a captive breeding program. Less well-known is what has happened in the area of black-footed ferret conservation since then. This panel discussion will be titled, “From the Big Picture to the Itty-Bitty Picture.”
Panelists Include:
Ryan Phelan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Revive & Restore, with a mission to enhance biodiversity through the genetic rescue of endangered and extinct species.
Oliver Ryder, PhD, the Kleberg Endowed Director of Conservation Genetics with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Zack Walker, Nongame Supervisor with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department.
Steve Olson, Director of the government affairs program with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
