October 22-26, 2008

Saint Louis Zoo, St.Louis, Missouri

The Saint Louis Zoo will proudly host the 2008 ZRA Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, Wednesday, October 22 through Sunday, October 26, 2008. A pre-conference tour will be held by the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City, Missouri, on Wednesday, October 22, followed by the Icebreaker hosted at the Butterfly House in St. Louis.

Jack Grisham, Vice-President of Animal Collections, Saint Louis Zoo, will present a keynote presentation to open the conference, followed by the President's State of the Association Address, paper sessions and panel discussions, the ZRA Recognition Ceremony and the organization's first Leadership Program for officers, directors and committee leaders.

Zoo Day will be held on Friday, October 24 and will include breakfast and morning sessions about the Saint Louis Zoo's Wildcare Institute and its Conservation Centers. Interested attendees will then have an opportunity to participate in a Certified Records Manager (CRM) workshop presented by Deb Gearhardt, CRM, FAI, Board of Regent for Exam Development for the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM). Those choosing not to participate in the workshop will have additional free time to tour the grounds of the Saint Louis Zoo. Lunch will be provided, followed by Behind the Scenes tours all afternoon, culminating in a special animal presentation at the Herpetarium and then cocktails and appetizers, Silent Auction and dinner.

The ZRA Annual Business meeting will be held Saturday, October 25, as well as a full day of educational sessions. The conference will close with a special program on Sunday that includes ZIMS sessions and presentations on disaster preparedness, the Safe Haven Zoo Program and crisis management, all hosted by the hosted by the St. Louis Chapter of American Association of Zoo Keepers (St. Louis AAZK) and ISIS. The Saint Louis Zoo, the Butterfly House and the Sheraton Westport Chalet welcome ZRA members to St. Louis. To register with the hotel, please use the link provided:

Hotel Registration

Welcome to St. Louis,

Rae Lynn Haliday, Conference Host, ZRA President
Stephanie Huettner, Conference Program Chair, ZRA Director
Krista Adelhardt, Conference Assistant