The Remedial Action Committee (RAC) is a group of scientists and environmentalists, including the Zoo’s Director of Animal Health and Conservation Dr. Jeff Wyatt, that oversees progress restoring the Rochester Embayment EPA Area of Concern (AOC).
The AOC, including the lower 6 miles of the Genesee River adjacent to the Zoo and Lake Ontario shoreline between Bogus Point (Parma) and Nine Mile Point (Webster), was designated in 1987 by the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement as a heavily polluted area due to historic industrial activities. 43 other AOCs have been identified across all of the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada.
Photo by Charlie KnauffRochester AOC Map, provided by EPA
We have made tremendous progress restoring our impaired lower Genesee River & Rochester harbor environment, which has seen everything from beach closings to fish & wildlife losses due to pollution. Our thriving population of 5,000 lake sturgeon, reintroduced in the Genesee since 2003, best exemplifies a healthier river ecosystem for wildlife and people.
Sturgeon thriving in the Genesee, photo by Dr. Jeff Wyatt
A sturgeon and storm drain exhibit at the Zoo, photo by Dr. Jeff Wyatt
The RAC continues to work diligently gathering scientific evidence so the Rochester Embayment AOC may some day soon be delisted.
Find more information about the Great Lakes and Rochester AOC Restoration here.
In exhibits that include more than one of any given species, it can often be difficult to tell one animal from another. Ever wondered how keepers distinguish one from another?
One way keepers and Zoo visitors can distinguish between members of a species is the size of an individual. One good example of this is the elephants. Lilac is the smallest elephant, weighing a little under 8,000 pounds, while Chana and and Genny C weigh almost 9,000 pounds each! The elephants can also be identified by the size and shape of their tusks. Genny C has very long tusks, while Moki has short and stubby tusks.
Note all of the differences between the elephants. Photo by Lindsay Brinda
When looking at birds, we can sometimes tell them apart by their bills. Examples of this can been see in both the Scarlet Ibis and the Sandhill Cranes. One bird has a significantly longer bill than the other. If they are roughly the same size, the length of the bill can be a great way to tell them apart!
Notice the differences in bill lengths between each bird. Photos by Dan Frick
The color patterns on some animals can also help to identify an individual. Some of the frogs here at Seneca Park Zoo are very close in size, but their color or spot patterns can help us to identify them. Sometimes a zoo keeper will use pictures or diagrams of each frog to help identify them while weighing or examining an individual.
Can you see the different spot patterns on each frog? Photos by Dan Frick
Other ways to identify individuals can be the overall color of an animal. Even though they are the same species, often times their coloring is darker or lighter!
Some sturgeon are a brown color, while some are lighter and more grey colored. Photo by Dan Frick
Sometimes individuals can have very small differences that can help keepers and visitors identify them. With twelve baboons at the Zoo, some traits that are used include their size (height/weight), the color of their coat, coloration of their eyes or skin on their face, the length of their tail, or distinguishing traits like their teeth showing or a tongue sticking out!
Can you spot any differences between Pico de Limon and Samson? Photos by Dan Frick
All of these traits can help keepers and visitors distinguish between individuals of a species. This is important because zoo keepers need to be able to identify the animals they work with to make sure they are staying healthy. Being able to identify them, means we can make sure all animals are eating, drinking and acting normally.
Next time you are at the Zoo, see if you can find differences between animals of the same species!
On October 16, the Zoo’s Director of Animal Health and Conservation, Dr. Jeff Wyatt, gathered with staff from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Zoo supporters and members of the media at the City Boat Launch near Ontario Beach Park. A small group of those gathered boarded a boat and awaited the arrival of their fellow passengers: sturgeon.
Check out this video to see what happened once the sturgeon were loaded onto the boat and taken to a spot in the Genesee River near Seth Green Island.
Learn more about our continuing partnership with the DEC here and stay tuned for updates on how the reintroduced fish develop during the next year!
