WCS Gala Honors Samper, Raising $2.5 Million

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) held its annual gala on Thursday night at the bucolic Central Park Zoo. The evening honored Dr. Cristián Samper for his lifelong commitment to conservation. Samper, who is currently the Managing Director at the Bezos Earth Fund, was the former President and CEO of WCS where he was revered for his leadership and his global conservation work.

The gala raised $2.5 million; proceeds will support WCS’s ongoing efforts to protect critical ecosystems and foster a deeper connection between people and nature.

Samper has been instrumental in shaping global conservation efforts, including the Protecting Our Planet Challenge, a $5 billion initiative aimed at protecting 30% of the planet by 2030.

“Conservation is so important because it’s the future of our planet,” said WCS Board Chairman Alejandro Santo Domingo. “We need to make sure that we leave our children a healthy planet. WCS does amazing things, with boots-on-the-ground scientists who do whatever it takes to conserve complicated environments. We work hand-in-hand with indigenous populations, and make sure they are part of the solution. There is no better champion for nature than Cristián, and at WCS, we will always be thankful for his years of leadership with us.”

Cocktails were held around the seal tank, currently under renovation, and guests were happy to finally bring out their summer wardrobes thanks to the unusually balmy weather. Lots of drinks cool drinks were being ordered at the bar, as Muffie Potter Aston, Chuck and Ellen Scarborough, and Allison and Leonard Stern chatted off to the side.

“I have been a trustee for 14 years, and I think this is the most wonderful wildlife conservation organization on earth,” said Gala Co-Chair Allison Stern. “A lot of people don’t know that we not only run the Bronx Zoo, the Central Park Zoo, the Queens Zoo, the Prospect Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium, but we also have projects in over 55 countries, where we study snow leopards, lowland gorillas, pancake tortoises, and many more. We work with some of the best conservation scientists on the planet.”

WCS trustees were excited at the prospect of greeting their new President and CEO, Adam Falk, who will take the reins on July 1. Thrilled about his upcoming responsibilities, Falk hopes to continue WCS’s important work in years to come, and has a deep understanding of the urgency with which global environmental change is needed.

“There is no organization in the world with the scope and impact of mission that compares to WCS,” said Falk. “Both locally, in the Bronx and in New York City, all the way up through the global network to save the planet, there is no other organization that spans the local to the global in the way WCS does. The most important issue global wildlife conservation faces is the rapid changes happening to our planet, right now, including climate change, pollution, and deforestation. All of these issues impact our ability to conserve wild spaces for animals. We have to figure out ways to respond that are faster and more nimble than ever before.”

Guests, including co-chairs Elizabeth and Lee Ainslie, Judy and Jamie Dimon, Howdy Phipps, Kitty and Stephen Sherrill, Janet and John Irwin, Priscilla and Ward Woods, and Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang then strolled into dinner, held in an open tent under the stars. There was much to learn about conservation, the importance of zoos for preserving endangered species, and the responsibility we each share in preserving our beautiful planet.

As a parting gift, the goody bag was a pouch of M&Ms with a bat stamped on each, a celebration of The Bronx Zoo’s new World of Darkness exhibit featuring 25 nocturnal species. The exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, July 12.