Fall 2026: ACE for Wildlife Network Introductory Session

Join us for a brief introduction to fostering empathy for wildlife work, the ACE for Wildlife Network, and hear from Network leaders on empathy projects they’re working on in our last ACE for Wildlife Network onboarding session of 2026. In this session we’ll cover how we define empathy, empathy’s relationship to conservation and conservation action, and how to make the most out of your experience in the ACE for Wildlife Network. Leaders from the Network who serve on an ACE for Wildlife Network committee will also share some of the empathy related work that they are currently doing or have been a part of. Isabelle Bieser, the senior chair of the Membership Committee and Manager of Innovation and Community Engagement at the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, will discuss a fall conservation campaign centered on “Leave the Leaves”. By leaving leaf litter, the Milwaukee community can support overwintering pollinators. This campaign has been informed by empathy for wildlife best practices from activating imagination with a take-home craft to intentionally framing tiny critters benefiting from this conservation action. Sam Bellis, a current Strategic Learning Committee representative and Education Manager at Zoo Boise, will discuss how Zoo Boise conducts accessible and effective empathy evaluation aimed at younger children to better understand the impacts of different experiences.