GENERAL MEETINGS
Open to members and their guests
Place Green’s Farms Church, 71 Hillandale Road, Westport
10:45 am Coffee and Conversation
11:30 am Meeting and Speaker
March 13 – Detective Erin Shaw, Scams, Fraud & Local Crimes
In this exceptionally relevant presentation, the Westport Police Department’s Detective Erin Shaw will discuss various types of scams (phone, online, in-person), fraud (credit card, check, identity theft), and other crimes being committed in this area. She will share with us preventative measures to take when presented with these crimes, along with an explanation of how they are investigated.
Detective Shaw joined the Town of Westport’s Police Department in January 2008. She was promoted to the rank of Corporal in 2015 and to Detective in 2017. She is a member of the Accident Reconstruction Team and is a Crisis Negotiator for the Southwest Regional Emergency Response Team. She holds a BS degree in Therapeutic Recreation with a minor in Health Studies from the University of Southern Maine.
March 27 – Zoologists Jim Knox and Carolyn Rinaldi, Saving Animals from Extinction
Jim Knox and Carolyn Rinaldi of the Beardsley Zoo discuss their work with Species Survival Plans and wild species reintroductions in Connecticut and be. They will explain how 21st-century science is extending the reach and achievements of field conservationists and how Connecticut citizens can become involved in recovery efforts to protect our planet’s most imperiled and majestic creatures.
Jim is the Beardsley Zoo’s Curator of Education, where he directs educational programming and conducts field conservation. A graduate of Cornell University with degrees in Animal Science and Applied Economics, he has conducted field research on Alaskan brown bears and Atlantic salmon, and written for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Natural History magazine. He has served as an on-camera wildlife expert for “The Today Show” and the “CBS Early Show” and has lectured for the Yale School of the Environment and the Harvard College Conservation Society. He writes a column, “Wildly Successful,” for The Greenwich Sentinel.
Carolyn, Associate Curator of Education, leads Beardsley’s Education and Conservation initiatives on and off grounds. A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in Anthropology and Archeology, she has experience as a veterinary technician and a birds of prey handler. Carolyn directs the Zoo’s award-winning Teen Volunteer program. She is the host of the radio show “Zoonami – Adventures from Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo” on CRV Radio in Ivoryton, CT and has had guest spots as a zoologist on Connoisseur Media’s Star 99.9 FM “Anna & Raven Show.” Carolyn also teaches Karate and Self Defense at Yale University, and as a member of the National Karate Team, she has competed in the Karate World Cup in Ireland, representing the US.
LUNCHES WITH SPEAKERS
We encourage a small group of members to have lunch with the speakers, at a Westport restaurant, following their presentation. If you would like to join us, please contact Vera DeStefano at vera@dcstructural.com.