UW News

October 16, 2008

Third Emerald City Search — this year allied with amphibians — runs Oct. 15-24

Somewhere within Seattle city limits, a mysterious and unique Emerald City Search medallion will be hidden in plain sight — and it’s up to the Seattle community to find it!


In celebration of “The Year of the Frog,” Woodland Park Zoo and the UW announce the third annual Emerald City Search.


From Oct. 15-24, The Seattle Times and seattletimes.com  are publishing one clue each day, leading Seattle adventurers to the location of the mysterious medallion. Scholars from the UW, including some of the world’s foremost experts in amphibian biology and aquatic conservation, developed the series of challenging clues designed to lead the luckiest and most clever explorer to the medallion’s secret location.


Truly a community quest, only solving the clues can guide the seeker to discovery. The first qualified person(s) to correctly solve the clues and follow the directions on the back of the medallion will receive $2,500 in cash and prizes. For more information, visit http://www.washington.edu/alumni/learn/emeraldcitysearch/index.html.


Why is it the year of the frog? Conservationists have joined together in giving 2008 that name because frogs and other amphibians are in severe decline in the Pacific Northwest and worldwide. Habitat destruction, a deadly parasitic fungus and other environmental threats may already have eradicated as many as 165 amphibian species. The Woodland Park Zoo, in association with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is conducting a public information campaign about this amphibian extinction crisis, which represents one of the greatest species conservation challenges in history.


The Emerald City Search, developed to underscore the significance of experiential learning and the contributions of the UW’s renowned faculty, is a partnership between the UW’s College of Arts & Sciences, the Hillel Foundation and the UW Alumni Association, working in cooperation with The Seattle Times and Woodland Park Zoo.