About
Amy Gotliffe is Conservation Manager at the Oakland Zoo. She is a Detroit transplant, enjoying the good Bay Area life for 17 years. She has a degree in communications, holds several teaching credentials and has a Masters Degree in Environmental Education. She has worked at various Bay Area educational and environmental institutions, teaching second grade, working on campaigns, planting pollinator gardens, producing earth day events and generally spreading the word about wildlife and green living. She currently works at The Oakland Zoo where she serves as the Conservation Manager. There, she coordinates support for international, national and local conservation efforts, produces a Conservation Speaker Series, produces the zoo's Earth Day event, leads eco-trips, teaches the various educational programs and heads up an on-site Green Team. On her list of other passions are travel, photography, music and the lindy hop. :-)
Website: http://www.oaklandzoo.org
All Contributions by Amy:
Chickens in the House
Raising chickens offers a good life for our feathered friends, a sense of peace, a connection to nature and our food source, eggs with high nutritional value, a composting and fertilization system, free entertainment and another reason to rise and shine.
Post on May 19, 2010
Can We Live With Wolves?
I fell in love with wolves after reading Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat ten years ago. Their grace, playfulness, loyalty, keen sense of hearing and smell, and beauty made my heart bow low in respect.
Post on Apr 21, 2010
An Urban Layover for Birds: MLK Jr. Regional Shoreline
Squeezed between the Oakland International Airport and the Coliseum lies one of the best kept secrets of the bay: Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline Park, a birding hot spot. I had no idea.
Post on Mar 15, 2010
Wonderin' Where the Lions Are
North Beach was my first SF home, and going to sleep while listening to the distant barks of the sea lions let me appreciate the fact that I was living in a magical town by the sea, on a pretty cool planet called Earth.
Post on Feb 11, 2010
When It Comes to Birds, Oil and Water Don't Mix
The International Bird Rescue and Research Center has been working non-stop to save wildlife that suffers from oil spills and other disasters. Their work includes training volunteers, consulting with the petrol industry, and managing a professional emergency response team.
Post on Jan 13, 2010
Working Dogs for Conservation
With unemployment at an all time low, it seems controversial that some very solid jobs are going to non-humans, but there are just some things that humans will never be qualified to do.
Post on Dec 09, 2009
Fostering Sustainable Behavior – A Powerful, New Perspective
What would it take you to change your shower to a low-flow shower head? Be honest.
Post on Nov 11, 2009
Wildlife + Creative Thinking = Hope: A Day at the Wildlife Conservation Expo
This year's Wildlife Conservation Network Expo in full swing at the Mission Bay Conference Center. It’s a sunny, fall day in October and I am driving into San Francisco. I pass the colorful Love Parade floats revving up without a glance of longing. I pass the turn towards Golden Gate Park for Hardly Strictly Blue [...]
Post on Oct 21, 2009
Repeat After Me: Monkeys Have Tails.
If you leave the zoo learning one thing about primates, learn that monkeys have tails and apes do not.
Post on Sep 09, 2009
The Cove
The Cove is a new documentary about dolphins that might just make you an activist.
Post on Aug 12, 2009
Nature Play: Notes from the Field
At Nature Play, a new Oakland Zoo camp, campers need little guidance to make peace with Nature, and each other.
Post on Jul 01, 2009
Holistic Help for Hornbills
They're handsome, they're huge, they mate for life and they are endangered.
Post on Jun 03, 2009
What's the Scoop on Kitty Poop?
I am a cat owner who cares about the environment. What to do about their poop presents quite a conundrum.
Post on May 06, 2009
Predators in Peril in Uganda
Last October, I gazed out at the expanse of Queen Elizabeth Park, in Uganda, close to the comfy Mweya Safari Lodge where we were staying. The landscape was beautiful, peaceful…and kind of empty. Though we had seen a large and lovely herd of elephants the evening before, on this fine, clear morning, the habitat was clearly missing one of the most important parts of the eco-system: predators. All we could find were tracks.
Post on Apr 08, 2009
What Makes Us Care About Nature?
This question comes up endlessly in the world of environmental education. How do you inspire a person to learn, care and then take action for the environment? As someone whose professional goal is to inspire earth stewardship, I often ask anyone who will answer this big question.
Post on Feb 25, 2009
Gorilla Cough
Forgive me for being Gorilla-Crazy and writing yet another blog about these creatures, but anyone who has completed a gorilla trek understands the obsession and concern. One issue: We make them sick.
Post on Feb 05, 2009
Zoos as Centers for Conservation
When you think of a zoo, what comes to mind? Animals in habitats? Children? Goat petting? Have you ever thought of zoos as supporters of wildlife conservation in the field?
Post on Jan 29, 2009
Mountain Gorillas and their Human Guides: A Symbiotic Relationship
In the natural world, there are many symbiotic relationships, those in which two species benefit from each other. Humans, it seems, are rarely part of such a partnership, so it was all the sweeter to believe I had discovered one.
Post on Jan 08, 2009
No Pond Turtle Left Behind
By creating the best possible environment for the turtles, they grow 3-4 times faster than they would in the wild.
Post on Sep 10, 2008
Not Just a Cup but a Just Cup
Good morning! Any coffee lovers out there? It gives me great pleasure that my cup comes from Thanksgiving Coffee Company, Oakland Zoo's caffeine supplier. Not only is the coffee delicious, but their like-minded mission makes them a great match for Oakland Zoo.
Post on Aug 01, 2008
