Habitat 42 Fall 2015

H ABITAT Celebrating and Saving Wildlife T h e M a g a z i n e o f t h e D e t r o i t Z o o l o g i c a l S o c i e t y Habitat is produced quarterly for Members of the Detroit Zoological Society. EDITED BY Graphinity, Inc. CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jennifer Thomas PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT ArborOakland Group GRAPHIC DESIGN Graphinity, Inc. Copyright © 2015 Detroit Zoological Society All rights reserved. PLEASE CONTACT: Detroit Zoological Society 8450 W. 10 Mile Road Royal Oak, MI 48067 Phone: (248) 541-5717 Fax: (248) 541-2489 www.detroitzoo.org For questions about membership, please contact: info@dzs.org. facebook.com/detroitzoo youtube.com/detroitzoo twitter.com/detroitzoo instagram.com/detroitzoo The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo. Printed in the USA. The Detroit Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. 2 | September/October/November 2015 Gail Warden was elected chairman of the board of the Detroit Zoological Society in 2005 at a time of significant change and growth for the organization. He was instrumental in the Detroit Zoo’s transition from city governance and management, the success of the regional millage effort, building a tremendous board of directors and supporting many improvements at the Society. Over the past decade, Gail’s contributions have been remarkable – and the DZS has become an extraordinary institution under his leadership. He reminds me of Harry Truman – wise, thoughtful, steady, no ego and an exceptional work ethic that was developed growing up on a farm. He has done whatever the DZS needed him to do. I would vote for him as President! This past June, Gail handed the chairmanship off to Lloyd Semple and became chairman emeritus. He continues to work closely with the DZS board and staff and remains a very special confidant of mine, continuing to share his wise counsel. He also remains passionate about the DZS’s mission and is dedicated to helping us continue to flourish and prosper. While Gail’s “chairman” shoes are big ones to fill, he is passing the baton to another exceptional individual. Lloyd is one of our longest-serving board members and also sits on the DZS Executive, Greenprint, and Community and Government Relations committees. He loves the Zoo and is excited to step into this new role. Lloyd is very accomplished both professionally and as a civic leader. He practiced law for more than 40 years at one of the region’s top law firms – and served as its chairman and chief executive officer – before “retiring” in 2004. He then taught courses on corporate governance and director responsibilities at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and later became dean of the law school. In addition to devoting his time to the DZS, Lloyd’s public service has included positions as chairman of the board of the Detroit Medical Center, vice chairman of the National Audubon Society and chairman of the Michigan Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. We are fortunate to have an individual with Lloyd’s commitment, experience and abilities assume the chairmanship, and we look forward to his leadership. I am fortunate and honored to work with extraordinary people. Civic leaders like Gail and Lloyd are the reason the Detroit Zoological Society and many other regional nonprofit institutions do so much good. From the Director Ron Kagan Executive Director Detroit Zoological Society