April 2010 Archives

Want to help support Washoe's family and educate others about chimpanzees?  If you have weekends free we'd like to encourage you to become part of our weekend workshops, the one-hour chimposiums, by becoming a docent.   

What is a Docent?

Docents are volunteers who support the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI) by conducting Chimposium workshops for K-12 students, CWU classes, and the general public on weekends and weekdays.

Docents work as greeters, gift shop attendants, presenters and/or observer guides during the program. Docent shifts usually last about 3 ½ to 4 hours on weekends and about 1 to 2 hours during the week.

Here are some examples of the jobs you'll be involved in:

What is a Chimposium?

Chimposium is a play on words, combining chimp and symposium. CHCI believes that education is one of the most effective ways to help chimpanzees, and therefore offers one-hour educational workshops (Chimposiums) to the public on weekends, as well as Group Chimposiums on weekdays. The mission of CHCI is to protect and care for Washoe's family of chimpanzees and educate the public regarding captive and free-living chimpanzees.

How much time is required? 

The minimum time commitment of a docent is four Chimposiums per month. One weekend Chimposium shift (approximately 3 - 4 hours) includes two Chimposiums, and weekday shifts typically include one Chimposium (1 - 2 hours). Docents are also expected to attend mandatory monthly meetings, which take place on the first Wednesday of each month and last approximately one hour. Chimposiums are held regularly from March through November on weekends and are scheduled throughout the year at arranged weekday times for larger groups. 

How do I become a Docent?

Contact Lisa Schuster Lyons(docent@cwu.edu or 509-963-2244) for an application. Attend a scheduled orientation/training workshop, and sign a docent letter of agreement. Join your fellow docents in volunteering at Chimposiums and be an active voice for all chimpanzees.

You can also download and print a PDF version of the application from the CHCI webpage, fill it out, and return it to CHCI.

Friends of Washoe has been added to the list of charities on the GoodSearch website. What is GoodSearch? It is a search engine powered by yahoo that donates money (50% of its revenue) to participating non-profit organizations (like FOW). For every internet search you conduct using this engine (within the guidelines) you generate pennies towards your chosen cause. 

Check it out online here: http://www.goodsearch.com/about.aspx

If you like what you see you can use it to support us by entering "Friends of Washoe" into the search box labeled WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR?. Next, click the verify button to confirm your entry as a participating non-profit.  Once this is completed you can use the GoodSearch search box to search the web all while donating money to support Washoe's family!

Want to make using this search engine easier and more convenient? Just click on the links provided on their page to get a GoodSearch toolbar, to add GoodSearch to your search box, or to make GoodSearch your homepage. Make your search engine a GoodSearch and encourage others to do the same!

St. Patrick's Day at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute was a day of celebration! Thanks to a sponsorship by Katie Dobkowski, the chimpanzees enjoyed an elaborate feast of treats in the morning and a special evening meal. The morning's festivities were so exciting, in fact, that neither Tatu, Loulis, nor Dar came in for lunch!

The interns on staff the morning of March 17^th put out decorations and all kinds of treats for the chimpanzees to enjoy. On party days, special food items are scattered around one of the playrooms and hidden in enrichment items to allow the party to last all day! For this party, food was hidden in small envelopes, sealed containers, purses, bags, and even scattered over the high climbing structures! Sometimes the chimpanzees are still munching on morning treats on their way in for dinner in the afternoon! For St. Patrick's Day, Tatu, Loulis, and Dar enjoyed raisins, figs, mixed dried fruit (including prunes, pears, apples, and apricots), peanuts, sunflower seeds, and even some peanut butter-filled pretzels. Some extra-special treats included cheese crackers, some pieces of candy, and apple juice boxes. The feast was met with excited food grunts and squeaks from all three chimpanzees. Loulis especially enjoyed the pretzels with peanut butter, while Dar ate many of the "Fig Newton"-style apple bars. Tatu tasted a little bit of everything, especially enjoying the juice boxes and cheese crackers.

The chimpanzees are always served a carbohydrate-based dinner, and its ingredients vary each day. On St. Patrick's Day, the chimpanzees were served sandwiches with peanut butter and bananas. Sandwiches are a favorite around CHCI, and these sandwiches were served with a side of potato, carrot, and onion casserole prepared by CHCI technician Lisa Schuster-Lyons.

Thank you to Katie Dobkowski for providing support for this celebration! The decorations looked great and the food was delicious! Parties are a very special way for the human caregivers to make captive life more interesting for Tatu, Loulis, and Dar. To find out how you can sponsor a party, please visithttp://friendsofwashoe.org/party_sponsors.shtml.