I will remember November 3rd, 2008 as one of the most memorable days of my life. I was honored to not only meet Dr. Jane Goodall personally, but I was afforded the opportunity to spend some extended personal one-on-one time with her and to share and be part of an event that was in her honor. Her very personable demeanor and her pleasant personality turned my awe of being in her presence into a very enjoyable and comfortable experience.

 

It was a torrential rainstorm in San Francisco. I ran from my car to the lobby of her hotel where we were to meet. I was soaked. About 15 minutes later she arrived and experienced the same. I accompanied her and her assistant Mary Lewis to their rooms. There, Jane sat on her bed and I on the chair next to her. We proceeded to have a very pleasant and informative conversation. I originally wanted to talk with her about what she perceived as the similarities and differences of the sociological behavior of wolves and primates. But prior to meeting with her I did a significant amount of research about this and managed to find the answer to many of my questions. This information will be used in the book that I am writing (and have been writing for 13 years). Our conversation then shifted to finding out about each other and our organizations. I gave her an explanation of what U.S. Wolf Refuge is all about, how it got started, and where I want it to go. She in turn explained to me all about the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI). I was “hooked.”

 

The focus of the JGI is to empower its members to take whatever action they can to make this world a better place. This includes educating the youth all around the world on the things they can do to make things better for all humans, animals, and the environment. It inspires everyone involved to take action – to do something – anything to make some aspect of our world better. The feeling of accomplishing a task that improves the lives of a group of people or animals or the place where they live is inspirational. It motivates you to want to do more.

 

Dr. Goodall was to be the guest speaker at an event at the Oakland Zoo that night. She invited me to come along. The Oakland Zoo had a vehicle and a driver that was to transport Dr. Goodall and her assistant to the event and I was going to follow. The rain continued hard. I went to my car and proceeded to get ready to go. I then looked out the passenger window to see that Dr. Goodall wanted to get in and ride with me. What a thrill! The trip to the Oakland Zoo is about 17 miles and should have taken about 20 minutes. The traffic was unbelievable! It took us over 2 hours. We spent most of that time just sitting in traffic. This gave us the opportunity to continue our spontaneous conversation. It was most enjoyable.

 

Once we arrived at the zoo, we were escorted in and were seated at the table located front and center. I was seated with Dr. Goodall to my left with the zoo director Dr. Joel Parrott to my right. The event honored many of the zoo staff. Then came the main event - Dr. Goodall was to speak. She spoke of some her adventures when doing her 40 years of chimpanzee research in Gombe National Park in Tanganyika, Africa. She did her well-recognized “pant-hoot” which is the typical chimpanzee greeting. She even acknowledged the U.S. Wolf Refuge, and me which is a moment I will cherish always.

 

After the event concluded and we said our good-byes, I knew that this was not going to be the last time I see this remarkable woman. I had a hard time sleeping that night thinking of how I could best advance the mission of both the Jane Goodall Institute and the U.S. Wolf Refuge.

 

I have since become a member of the Jane Goodall Institute and am also a Group Leader Member of the “Roots and Shoots Network.” This is the youth education portion of the JGI that educates the youth all around the world on the things they can do to make things better on earth for all humans, animals, and the environment. With this newfound endeavor, I plan to join the forces of the U.S. Wolf Refuge and the Jane Goodall Institute in an alliance that will create a movement that will reach all walks of life and will give them the tools and the inspiration to make the world better for humans, all animals, and our environment.

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr. Goodall’s pioneering research of chimpanzee behavior—research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and the Roots & Shoots education program, which has groups in almost 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.janegoodall.org.

 

Founded in 1991 by Dr. Jane Goodall and a group of Tanzanian students, the Roots & Shoots program is about making positive change happen—for our communities, for animals and for the environment. With tens of thousands of young people in almost 100 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages who share a desire to create a better world. Young people identify problems in their communities and take action. Through service projects, youth-led campaigns and an interactive website, Roots & Shoots members are making a difference across the globe. For more information, please visit www.rootsandshoots.org

 

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