FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2005

CONTACT: Thomas Rosburg, (515) 271-2920, thomas.rosburg@drake.edu
Daniel Finney, (515) 271-2833, daniel.finney@drake.edu

DRAKE CONDUCTS BIRD SURVEY AT GREAT APE TRUST OF IOWA

Scientists and students from Drake University have discovered there's more to Great Ape Trust than orangutans and bonobos. The survey team conducted the 1st Annual Great Ape Trust – Drake University Bird Survey on Sunday, April 17.

From bluebirds to great blue herons, the scientists observed nearly 30 species typically associated with floodplain forests and small lakes. Approximately 150 species live in Iowa at least part of the year while historically, 400 species of birds have been observed either occasionally or during brief migratory stops in the state.

The project is the first step in understanding the ecology of the Great Ape Trust campus and developing long-term environmental and conservation programs for the site. Similar surveys will be conducted throughout the year on water quality, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and plants.

"We need a baseline of knowledge in order to assess our effectiveness as environmental stewards of our campus," said Benjamin Beck, director of conservation at Great Ape Trust. "We're extremely pleased to have a partnership with Drake University in this important endeavor."

Thomas Rosburg, associate professor of biology at Drake, supervised the bird survey and said it provides students beneficial "real world" experience.

"This is an opportunity to get Drake students into a situation where they see the entire process of land management – from detailed inventories of natural resources to the development of an eco-system management plan," he said.

Richard Wacha, professor and chair of Drake's biology department, and Keith Summerville, assistant professor of environmental science at Drake, also took part in the 1st Annual Great Ape Trust – Drake University Bird Survey.

Wacha described the project as a continuation of collaborative efforts between the two institutions. "This provides an opportunity for us to enrich our own culture on campus while interchanging our efforts to help with the environmental management needs on the Great Ape Trust site," he added.

Great Ape Trust began as the Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary in early 2002. In June of 2003, work crews began developing the former sand and gravel quarry near the Des Moines River. Located about five miles southeast of downtown Des Moines on more than 230 acres of lowlands, river forest and lakes, Great Ape Trust of Iowa will be the largest great ape facility in North America and one of the first worldwide to include all four types of great ape – bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans – for noninvasive interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities.

To learn more about Great Ape Trust of Iowa, go to www.GreatApeTrust.org.

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