Jeff Corwin Live

Last month we had the opportunity to see Jeff Corwin live.  I'll admit, prior to getting tickets (for free!) to this show, I had no idea who Jeff Corwin was.  He's a biologist who has hosted several TV series, including the current running "Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin" on ABC.  He was in one episode of CSI: Miami (the one CSI series I haven't seen) in which he played himself and helped investigators remove a human foot from inside a live crocodile (according to his Wikipedia page).  Multi-talented!  :-)

At the show we attended, Corwin brought out several species of mammals and reptiles and talked quite a bit about each.  He spent a great deal of time encouraging conservation and highlighting conservation success stories (American alligator, grey wolves, etc.), but also quite a bit of time talking about species that are struggling to survive and may soon go extinct.  It was an excellent show that my two daughters loved.  Their eyes were glued to the stage and as I looked over from time to time, not once did they appear to be bored. 

After the presentation Corwin opened things up to the audience for a Q&A session.  He probably spent 30-45 minutes answering questions, walking around the crowd and making sure as many kids as possible were able to ask a question.  My 7 year old was able to ask a question about the number of wolf species in the world today.  She really enjoyed the end of the presentation when Crowin brought out two grey wolves (my favorite was the screaming armadillo)!  One of the more interesting parts of the Q&A was when Corwin answered a question about what the average person could do to help in conservation efforts.  He responded very bluntly by asking back "Did you vote in the last election???"  He didn't beat around the bush and spoke very candidly about the need for everyone to vote.  He didn't focus too much on the current administration other than stating there are many that care very little about conservation efforts.  He turned the blame on voters, and more so to those who sat home and didn't vote.  He was very blunt about this and I appreciated it.  It was a message people needed to hear.  He also didn't beat around the bush on the topic of evolution, simply stating that evolution is real whether you want to believe it or not.  He said you can sit there and deny evolution, but it doesn't do a thing to take away the truth of it.  Yes, yes, yes!!!

After the show we purchased his book, 100 Heartbeats, and waited in line for awhile to have it signed.

Haven't read it yet, but 100 Heartbeats is now on my to-read list!

Overall this was an excellent show that my kids loved.  I'm very grateful this community was able to bring him in and speak to what was a quite a large crowd.  Now I'll have to check out his current TV series!