Conservation and Research Center

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Conservation and Research Center


Date opened	1974
Location	Front Royal, Virginia, USA
Land area	3,200 acres (12.95 km²)
Website

The Conservation Research Center (CRC) is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution located on a sprawling 3,200-acre (13 km²) campus located just outside the historic town of Front Royal, Virginia. An extension of the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., the CRC has played a leading role in the fields of veterinary medicine, reproductive physiology and conservation biology since its founding in 1974.

1 The Site
2 Programmes
3 The Collection
4 External links

[edit] The Site

The land on which the CRC lies has a long and rich history, dating back to 1909 when the U.S. Army leased some forty-two area farms. In the years predating World War I, the land served as a series of cavalry remount stations, supplying horses and mules to the military. The Federal Government ultimately purchased the land in 1911 and began construction on the Ayleshire Quartermaster Remount Depot. Completed in 1916, the Depot consisted of eleven barn and stable facilities, hundreds of miles of split-rail fencing, many miles of access roads, and even a rail yard facility for the import and export of animals. The Ayleshire Quartermaster Remount Depot remained in operation throughout both world wars, and was eventually expanded to include a canine training facility and detention barracks for 600 German and Italian prisoners of war.

In 1948 Congress passed legislation transferring ownership of the land to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which redeveloped the property into a beef cattle research station. In conjunction with the Virginia Polytechnic Institution and State University (a.k.a. Virginia Tech), the USDA experimented with various environmental and husbandry conditions, designed to quantitatively and qualitatively improve the meat production of various cattle breeds. The U.S. Department of State leased part of the compound from USDA for use as an emergency relocation and communications site, with support infrastructure for the Secretary of State and 700 other departmental employees. The USDA closed the station in 1973, leaving the site temporarily vacant.

The Conservation and Research Center was founded in 1974 when the director of the National Zoo, Dr. Theodore Reed, recognized the need for a captive breeding facility and initiated negotiations to obtain the land. The title was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1975, and work was begun immediately on developing the site into a zoological research facility.

[edit] Programmes

Amongst the CRC’s most well known research programs are those based on the captive breeding, and reintroduction, of such endangered species as the Black Footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes), the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), and the Matschie's Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus matechiei). However, despite its accomplishments, the CRC has not been exempt from controversy. Most recently the former Smithsonian Secretary, Lawrence M. Small, backed by former Zoo Director Dr. Lucy Spellman, proposed the closure of the facility as a cost-saving measure. Opposition from the public and the scientific and conservation communities forced Secretary Small to back down from this decision.

[edit] The Collection

Currently, the CRC’s collection of animals stands at over 400 specimens, including 17 mammalian and 15 avian species. This diverse menagerie is cared for by Dr. Mitch Bush, Chief of Veterinary Services, and the veterinary support staff. In addition to maintaining a healthy population at the CRC, Dr. Bush also makes frequent field trips to Kenya, South Africa, and other African nations, where he conducts research on anesthetization techniques on large free-ranging animals such as giraffes and rhinoceroses.

Ordinarily closed to the public, the Conservation and Research Center hosts an annual open-house event each fall. The “Autumn Conservation Festival” is sponsored by Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) and provides an opportunity for members of the public to tour the grounds and veterinary facilities, interact with the staff and learn more about the research conducted at the CRC.