Public Relations and Events

Launch of the Lemur Conservation Network

On March 19, 2015, Dr. Kim Reuter and I launched the Lemur Conservation Network (LCN) at Right Proper Brewery in Washington, DC. The launch was planned to coincide with the one year anniversary of the release of the 2014 Lemur Action Plan, a report from the IUCN Species Survival Commission. We welcomed over 150 guests, including staff from Conservation International, the Duke Lemur Center, ConservationX Labs, and Centre ValBio.

Publicity for the Launch

Prior to the launch, we publicized both the event and the founding of the network with national, international, and local press. We received press in The Guardian, Mongabay, TakePart, The Independent, BBC, and more. A sampling of the articles is below. 

• $7 Million Could Save Lemurs From Extinction
  “The site empowers the individual supporter of conservation,” said Venart. “Without a doubt, the work in the lemur action plan needs scientists and dedicated people working on the ground in Madagascar. But how does someone else who cares about Madagascar and lemur conservation help? The site helps people learn more about what is really happening in lemur conservation and who is working to save lemurs.”
   
• Appeal to Save Endangered Lemurs is Falling on Deaf Ears, Say Campaigners
  "Dr Christoph Schwitzer, project advisor of the newly founded Lemur Conservation Network, said the situation was getting desperate. 'The fact is that if we don’t act now, we risk losing a lemur species for the first time in two centuries. The importance of the [conservation] projects … simply cannot be overstated,' he said."

Sampling of Other Press Coverage

• Adventurer Walking 1,800 Miles to Find Madagascar's Rarest Lemur
  "Venart said that many of Madagascar’s once-vibrant forests have been chopped or burned down over the past decade, a time of economic and political turmoil. Habitats for the northern sportive lemur and many other species have been dramatically reduced or completely destroyed."
   
• In a Remote Corner of Madagascar, A New Hope for Endangered Lemurs
  "With the creation of Makira, the government has taken a step in the right direction for lemurs, said Lynne Venart, project manager and creative director for the Lemur Conservation Network. 'In Madagascar it’s important in general to preserve all the [rainforest] land that’s left, because 90 percent of lemur habitat has been destroyed,' she said."

I introduce the Lemur Conservation Network and discuss raffle prizes.

Over 150 conservation leaders and lemur fans attended the Washington, DC launch party for the Lemur Conservation Network on March 19, 2015 at Right Proper Brewery.