This will begin a series of introductions to the speakers at the Ferret Aid 2006 Symposium to be held in Toronto this June. While there are many familiar faces, there are also many new ones. This speaker is relatively new to the domestic ferret scene, but is becoming more well known rapidly. Meet Travis Livieri. It was just a denim shirt with a ferret embroidered on it. And, I wanted it! I wanted it SOOOOOOOOO bad that I spent way more than it was worth! But, in the end, I won it! This occurred at the St. Louis Ferret Symposium in April 2005. Little did I know that it would also begin a relationship with one of the most interesting men I have had the privilege to know. Travis Livieri is a wildlife biologist. A wildlife biologist must wear many hats. He is a long-haul driver, an off-roads driver and a chauffeur. He is a researcher, an educator and a fundraiser. He also must function as a veterinarian. Often he must also be a magician. To me he has been an educator, a supervisor and a friend. And, when you are a wildlife biologist specializing in Mustella nigripes (the black-footed ferret; see http://blackfootedferret.org) you must often work all night! This past September I had the privilege to join Travis Livieri, executive director of Prairie Wildlife Research ( http://www.prairiewildlife.org ) on the South Dakota prairie as he coordinated the efforts of the World Wildlife Fund, U.S. Forest Service, Prairie Wildlife Research and individuals from the U.S. Geological Survey, Lindblad Expeditions and the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife to complete the annual *Black-footed Ferret Roundup* in the Conata Basin region of the Black Hills. (To see the resulting National Geographic video, visit http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm; type *ferret* in the search box and watch the video.) That denim shirt got some *war woulnds.* The re-introduction program began in 1994 and the following summer Livieri and a colleague found the first litter of kits in SD. *I have watched this population grow to a self-sustaining group,* Livieri said. This year more than 100 previously unchipped BFFs were found and microchipped. They were catalogued and many were vaccinated against the sylvatic plague, a major health concern for the BFF. The vaccine was donated to the program through the magic of Travis, once again. Livieri is the son of a retired firefighter and secretary, and has a sister and brother. Growing up in Milwaukee, he hopes to one day return to the forests of northern Wisconsin. Until then, Livieri spends his days doing paperwork and trying to catch a nap and his nights on the lone prairie counting black-footed ferrets and helping bring them back from the edge of extinction. And enjoying his favorite hat -- the one that says *Green Bay Packers.* This year the BFF travels to Canada as efforts to re-introduce it there begin. Both Livieri and a special friend from the Toronto Zoo's Black Footed Ferret breeding program will be at the 2006 Ferret Aid Symposium (http://ferretaid.org/events/ferret_aid_2006.html) in Toronto this June. Come join us and learn more about the BFF and how YOU can be a hero in today's world. Travis can be contacted at: Prairie Wildlife Research P.O. Box 515 Wall, SD 57790 (605) 279-2380 [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 5204]