September 13, 2010 Cheetah Conservation Is Topic of Sept. 29 Lecture

Reaching speeds of 70 mph, the cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal. One of the most unique members of the cat family, the cheetah is also its most endangered breed. Conservation of the cheetah population in the Republic of Namibia--the breed’s last stronghold--will determine if the species will survive for future generations.

Laurie Marker, founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), will deliver a lecture titled “The Cheetah: A Race for Survival” at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 29 in the Mumford Room, located on the sixth floor of the Library’s James Madison Building at 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Sponsored jointly by the African Middle Eastern Division and the Science, Technology and Business Division, the event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required.

Marker is an award-winning biologist, who has been recognized as one of Time Magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet.” She received the Zoological Society of San Diego’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. More recently, she was awarded the 2010 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement and was a finalist for the BBC World Challenge.

CCF was founded in 1990 with a mission to be the world’s resource charged with protecting the cheetahs and ultimately ensuring their future on the planet. CCF is based in the Republic of Namibia, the country with the world’s largest and healthiest population of cheetahs. For more information, go to www.cheetah.org External.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

The Library of Congress maintains one of the largest and most diverse collections of scientific and technical information in the world. The Science, Technology and Business Division maintains the country’s largest collection of technical reports and standards, totaling nearly 4.5 million items. For more information about the division and its resources, visit www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/.

The Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division serves as the center for the study of some 78 countries and regions from Southern Africa to the Maghreb and from the Middle East to Central Asia. For more information on the division and its holdings, visit www.loc.gov/rr/amed/.