FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Oxford, Ohio (October 2, 2020) – Project Dragonfly at Miami University is excited to announce that we have been named the recipient of Cheetah Conservation Fund’s (CCF) Distinguished Conservation award in celebration of the Africa-based conservation organization’s 30th anniversary.  

“I am so pleased to have the opportunity to honor CCF’s supporters like Project Dragonfly and Miami University in our 30th anniversary year,” said Dr. Laurie Marker, CCF’s Founder and Executive Director. “We planned to create a gala celebration to mark this milestone and welcome our award recipients in-person, but as a result of the pandemic, we decided very early in the year to move to an online-virtual event so that we could focus on making it really significant for everyone.”  

Project Dragonfly supports CCF’s frontline conservation strategies because CCF’s work in managing long-term conservation strategies for the cheetah aligns with Dragonfly’s vision of engaging grassroots conservation, sustainability programs and participatory education in action.

“Through Dragonfly’s partnership with CCF, our Miami University students have learned firsthand what it takes to create and sustain positive collaborative conservation action with local communities in Namibia,” said Dr. Jill Korach, Dragonfly’s field programs assistant director. “We are proud to accept this award and congratulate the entire CCF team for 30 years.”

This year marks 17 years of a long-standing relationship between CCF and Miami University’s Earth Expeditions program created by Project Dragonfly. Every year for the past 17 years, CCF has hosted Miami University students and instructors from Earth Expeditions, in some years hosting two groups that each stay for 10 days. The course is primarily based at CCF headquarters and explores how conservation organizations can succeed while partnering with local communities to save wildlife. Ongoing research projects at CCF include radio tracking, cheetah physiology, ecosystem management, and the design of school and community programs in Namibia. Students participate in hands-on learning and research over their time in Namibia and through semester-long web-based coursework.

To join Project Dragonfly and the other award recipients in celebrating the cheetah and the 30th anniversary of CCF, you can reserve tickets to Cheetah 2020 – Focus on the Future​ Benefit on Saturday, October 3, 2020. Tickets are available now for the full day of free content, as well as a paid access live-streaming event with silent and live auctions. 

For more information on Cheetah 2020 – Focus on the Future​​, the registration, or to make a donation to CCF—visit: https://www.betterunite.com/CheetahConservationFund-cheetah2020focusonthefuture

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About Project Dragonfly and Miami University

Project Dragonfly’s Earth Expeditions graduate courses engage people in firsthand educational and scientific research at critical conservation field sites in Africa, Australia, Asia and the Americas. Dragonfly, which is celebrating 25 years this year, is located in the department of biology at Miami University, a state university in Oxford, Ohio, USA. Miami was established in 1809 and is listed as one of the eight original Public Ivies. https://projectdragonfly.miamioh.edu 

About Cheetah Conservation Fund  Conservation Fund (CCF) is the global leader in research and conservation of cheetahs and dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. Founded in 1990, CCF is an international non-profit organisation headquartered in Namibia with an outpost located in Somaliland. CCF is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2020, making it the longest running and most successful cheetah conservation organisation. For more information, please visit www.cheetah.or​g.​