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Orange County Land Trust Executive Director Invited to Panda Preserve in China Middletown, NY — June 11, 2008 James Delaune, the Executive Director of the Orange County Land Trust, leaves this week to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, located in the Sichuan province of China. Delaune was invited by Dr. Sarah Bexell, Director of Conservation Education, and Base Director Dr. Zhanag Zhihe, to visit the Research Base to learn about the work they do in breeding giant pandas and to share strategies and learn new ways to preserve land and critical wildlife habitats. Although separated by continents, the Orange County Land Trust and the Chengdu Research Base have similar land conservation goals. "The work that both your organization and ours does is to encourage people to preserve land and healthy forests while instilling an appreciation of nature and a conservation ethic which is critically important for biodiversity and ecosystem services that sustain all life on earth," Dr. Zhihe wrote in a letter to the Land Trust. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding facility and surrounding area was affected by the May 12 earthquake. In addition to helping in the human relief effort, the center serves as the headquarters for injured pandas throughout the province. More information about their work can be found on their website, www.panda.org.cn. The Orange County Land Trust is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the fields, forests, wetlands, ridgelines, and river corridors, as well as working farmland, in communities throughout Orange County. The Land Trust collaborates with many conservation and planned growth organizations and partners with Orange County in implementing the county's open space plan. For more information and volunteer opportunities, please visit our website at www.oclt.org. |
