FEBRUARY ENRICHMENT

The Bi-monthly meeting was very well attended and a busy one.  Bev Scott talked about the new software. Those of you who have laptop computers will find that the new program is very easy to do on your computer out in the preserve and each observation can be finished and sent to ChimpanZoo in Arizona right after completion. The one problem is the light on your screen. Bev has found that she mostly has to sit in her car to see the screen. Maybe we can ask for some really cloudy days!!!

Terry Wolf was at the meeting and brought the new manuals. They are very nice, but very expensive. Bev Scott just found out that there are already revisions to be made and they are sending her a DVD of the revised manual. We decided that she would make everyone a copy of the DVD and we can each print out our own manual with the revisions in it once the few printed ones are gone.

There was a lot of discussion at the meeting about the need for a PowerPoint projector, to help Bev with the teaching of the class. If she is taped giving the class, then when we have a new group who need to be taught how to use the software, she will not always have to be available. Bev suggested that since we have some money in our treasury and no immediate need for it, would LCS be willing to go in on it with us so that neither one puts out a lot of money. Terry sees a big need for one for Lion Country so he is proposing this to them.

The gentleman who designed the new software is now putting our ChimpanZoo unit on the program so that should be ready very soon, as Bev has sent him all the material he needs for our chimps. 

Please remember that we all must take the new class and pass the reliability test before we can send our observations to Arizona. There is a test we can take ourselves to see how we are doing. One must have a 0.7 score to be considered reliable. We will be announcing the class as soon as Bev is ready.

Please try to check in to the message board at least once a week and read it all so you don't miss anything that is going on or that you need to know about. The address is: www.chimpsnstuff.org/forum. Myra asked me to remind you that you have to register to be able to use it. So please follow the instructions that she sent to everyone "how to register" that are copied on the Help Section's "Message Board FAQ", and get on so you can put up your narrative observations and find out what is going on within the group. We have this wonderful new website and it needs to be looked at to get information you need to know. We will put everything that's happening on the website as soon as possible and it will be each persons responsibility to keep checking to see what's new. You are all welcome to make suggestions or tell us something we would appreciate knowing on the message board. Don't be afraid of it, it won't bite and Myra is willing to give you all the help you need if you get stuck and don't know the next step.

Everyone has been sent the address for the new software: www.chimpanzoo.org/dbs so please get it put on your laptop or computer so that you can start practising using it before the class begins. Until LCS chimps are entered into the software, you can use the Sedgewick Zoo to practise.  I understand that some of you are having difficulty getting the program up and running. If you will let Bev or me know who you are, we will try to help.

Terry Wolf is working on a BlackOut Calendar for ChimpanZoo but until we have that please mark on your calendars that President's Weekend, February 14, 15, 16, will be our only BlackOut days in the month, so please do not go out to observe any of those days. It is a privilege we have to observe out in the preserve and we must not jeopardize that privilege by being there when we are asked not to be. Thank you for your cooperation on this issue.

Try as I have, I couldn't put any pictures on here so just bear with me. I will try again next month.  Eloise

SEE YOU ALL IN THE PRESERVE