Off a humdrum industrial stretch in Culver City lurks a lush indoor jungle filled with exotic animals. Taking a walk on the wild side is made easy at Star Eco Station, an 18,000-sq.-ft.-facility on Jefferson Boulevard, where a faux Mayan temple is home to over 100 threatened and endangered species: wild cats, tropical birds, reptiles and marine animals. Visitors are transported along mossy, dimly lighted paths to meet a lively cast of characters including Jay the bobcat, an 18-ft.-long python named Brutus, and Ozzie, a chatty, sometimes screeching cockatoo. Star Eco Station is less a mini-zoo and more a last-chance sanctuary for the nearly 200 animals who live there. The nonprofit organization works closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to rescue illegally imported animals and give them a home. Another big percentage of the center’s inhabitants are pets that people no longer want or can handle. The main mission of Eco Station, an offshoot of the STAR after-school enrichment program, is to teach children about wildlife preservation and the environment in a hands-on museum. Every year, 50,000 kids tour the facility; through a variety of ambitious outreach programs, the staff estimates they reach a total of nearly 2 million students. Camp is now is full swing, with 1st through 6th graders participating in themed weekly sessions such as “Reptiles Rock,” “Creepy Crawling Bugs” and “Animal Parts Up Close and Personal.” “We are so grassroots you can almost taste the manure,” says Erick Bozzi, Jr., vice president and director of wildlife management. “Doing things on a global level is really important, but if you don’t start with the kids,you’re lost.” Eco Station was founded in 1997 by Bozzi, his parents Erick, Sr. (now deceased) and Katya Bozzi, and his sister Katiana, who is director of education and outreach. It is one of the stellar spin-offs of the STAR (Science, Theatre, Art, Recreation) education program, an award-winning series of after-school enrichment classes, administered in public schools throughout California, that Bozzi’s parents created in 1986. The idea for Eco Station grew from the family’s love of animals, both big and small, wild and tame. Part of the Bozzi family lore is how the children were conspicuous in their Westside neighborhood. “While other kids would walk their dogs, my kids would walk their monitor lizard,” Katya Bozzi once told a reporter. At 18, Erick, Jr. took a job with L.A. Animal Care and Control; soon after, the family’s garage became a makeshift rescue center for exotics. Providing safe haven for unusual animals began this way in the early ’90s and has continued ever since. Red-eared sliders, one of the only animals kept at the Station that is native to the U.S., is one of the first attractions in the center. Once upon a time these turtles, easily recognized for the characteristic red stripe behind their eyes, were a staple of pet shops and popular among children. Since 1976, it has been illegal to sell sliders under four inches in diameter. “These turtles are not ideal pets for children,” cautions assistant director Chandra Comstock during a recent tour. “They are hard to care for and need lots of sunlight and vitamins.” However, with the proper care, a four-inch turtle can grow as large as a foot in diameter and live for 45 years. The oldest turtle in this crowd is Fern at 20. “We allow adoption of these turtles only to people with ponds,” notes Comstock. “It’s the most appropriate home.” The Oscars, a freshwater fish native to South America, were all pets until they became too big. Eco Station is a shelter for these castoffs. “It’s one of these fish they sell at the pet store when they are two inches long, but grow to over 75 pounds,” Comstock says. “They’re known as tank busters.” Carlos the alligator is another resident who outgrew his owner’s backyard. In fact, when Animal Control needs to seize illegally kept alligators, they call the Eco Station to tackle the task. “They’re trained to handle dogs, cats and raccoons, not gators,” Comstock says. Preservation extends even to coral, where a tank shows off brilliant samplings stolen from reefs in places like Fiji and the Philippines that have been confiscated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Coral takes a couple hundred years to grow back,” Comstock says of the devastating impact caused by those who break off sections as souvenirs. “They’re really stealing the home for these fish.” By far the most famous tenant of the Eco Station is Jay, a tame bobcat with a playful personality. Jay, kept illegally as a pet in someone’s home, has undergone several operations since his rescue to alleviate pain caused by having been declawed. He is a winning mascot when Eco Station goes on the road to visit classrooms. Another popular character is Ozzie, a Salmon-crested Cockatoo from Indonesia, who is often part of the center’s “road show.” Ozzie will live to about 30, while the life span of macaws is over 100 years. At 15, one of the macaws living at Eco Station had already lived in four different homes. The center will offer birds for adoption when they approve of conditions. “Birds like these are highly social and need at least three to five hours of attention daily,” says Comstock. “They’re pretty much like a human child.” Surprisingly, iguanas are the third most popular pet in the United States, something the Eco Station is reminded of daily by the contrast stream of calls from owners wanting to get rid of their “pet.” In L.A. County alone, 40,000 iguanas are put down every year. “They can be a good pet if you know you’re getting a six-foot-long lizard with claws,” Comstock says. “They need a lot of attention when they’re babies in order to be able to handle them when they get big.” Many of the Eco Station’s iguanas have been transferred to Sacramento, where a new center opened last Saturday. The enormous success of the Culver City facility, which is completely funded by donations, allows the Bozzis to continue to expand. A third Eco Station is scheduled to open in San Francisco in 2008. When 7-year-old Noelle Jimenez is asked about her favorite animal at Eco Station, she leans toward the less exotic. “I like the hamsters,” she says. “They all have different personalities.” STAR Eco Station is located at 10101 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Culver City. The center is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with 1-1/2-hour tours beginning on the half hour. Contact: 842-8060 or go online to www.ecostation.org.

By CHARLOTTE COHEN Special to the Palisadian-Post The Student Council at Palisades Elementary Charter School has been saving up its money for a good cause. We are very happy to be able to give $400 to each of these great charities: ‘ Heal The Bay–Key to the Sea, a group focused on keeping the beaches clean, educating the community and schools about how they can help, and measuring the ocean water for cleanliness. ‘ Ronald McDonald Charities of Southern California, which provides apartments to entire families who travel away from their home to get their kids into hospitals. These apartments are built near hospitals, and the family can stay there for a very small fee. This housing is given to families whose kids have serious illness like cancer. ‘ Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, a hospital that cares for children who are very sick from here and all over the world, and does a lot of their work for free. We are hoping that our money can help a sick child get well. ‘ UCLA/Orthopedic Hospital Center for Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral palsy is a medical condition that affects control of the muscles. We are hoping that our money will help those with this condition. Pali Elementary’s Student Council hopes it can stay connected to the community by helping them. (Charlotte Cohen was the fourth grade historian at Palisades Elementary School.)

By GARRETT WAIT Palisadian-Post Intern The smell of old manuscripts is subtle but strong when one steps through the front door of Jim and Judith Haun’s home in Pacific Palisades. Thousands of books of short stories and essays, their pages yellowed over time, line the staircase up to the second floor. All of them have been read, and all of them have been discussed thoroughly by a group of friends who meet every Tuesday night. That’s not surprising; the reading club has had 42 years to get through them all. That’s exactly what they’ve done, according to Jim, the founder of the Palisades reading club. The group has met regularly for more than four decades, with each weekly meeting’s discussion based on a new short story or essay. They’ve gotten through thousands of well-known stories and plenty that aren’t nearly as well known. Jim has been the leader of the group as long as it has been around. But he doesn’t just see himself in the role of discussion leader. The meetings are part of a larger, continuing sociological experiment in which he sees himself as an outside observer more than an active participant. “I guess what we’re looking for is the overview,” he said. “I describe myself as an anthropologist from outer space.” On any given Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., between 15 and 20 people file into the Hauns’ home. All have been there before; most have long-designated seats ready for them as they enter. These are loyal group members, some of whom travel from as far as Palos Verdes and the San Fernando Valley. The group has spawned lifelong relationships among the members. It is how the Hauns met and eventually married 26 years ago, according to Judith. “We met in an odd way in a restaurant,” she said. “We weren’t together, but we were sitting real close to each other. I knew the woman he was with and we were seated so close to each other that we got to talking. He invited me to come to the group.” The Hauns’ relationship has allowed them to be partners in hosting the meetings. However, Judith defers to Jim once the discussion begins. “Jim is just a fabulous leader,” she said. “He holds the group together, they respect and love and appreciate him. I’m just there to be part of the group, to put out the cake, to be there and to participate and to help out any way I can. I really think people come because of Jim.” For about half an hour, the group mills around the kitchen, eating cake, catching up on the week’s happenings and telling jokes with old friends. These are people who have had decades to get to know each other. After all, the youngest person in the group is in his 50s, with many members in their 80s. They have a good sense of when tea time is over, thanks to years of attendance, but if they’ve forgotten, Jim reminds everybody with a few swift strikes of a gong in the corner of the reading room. The topic of discussion on this night is an essay on feminism by Maureen Dowd. Everybody in the room had read it thoroughly, dissecting parts they agreed or disagreed with. It’s the disagreements, obviously, that spark the most fervent discussion. One bold statement can set off a cacophony of sound. Arguments are deftly prepared and thoroughly discussed. No stone is left unturned. However, political statements aren’t allowed. “Politics get too personal and particular,” Jim said. “We’re looking for a philosophical overview of humanity.” Through it all, Jim works as a vocal traffic cop. He guides the discussion in all the right directions, making sure that anybody who wants to speak gets a chance to say what’s on his or her mind. “I try to make it possible for everyone who wants to speak to get in,” he said. “When the group gets off topic, I try to bring it back. I also try to bring up things in the reading that haven’t been talked about yet.” This has been the tradition since the group’s humble beginnings, when Jim led a discussion of “Contemporary Moral Issues,” a book of essays edited by Harry K. Girvetz. The book was chosen as part of a UCLA outreach program. Participants paid $10 for the 11-week course, and got the book with the payment. One particular group liked the meetings so much that they decided to continue getting together, and they’ve been doing it ever since. In the past few months, the group has gone through stories such as “The Ninth in E Minor” by Frederick Busch, “Chekhov’s Journey” by James McConkey, “A Memorial to the Slain” by William March and “Lappin and Lapinova” by Virginia Woolf. Some authors and stories get special attention, according to Judith. “Sometimes we have repeated stories,” she said. “It’s always interesting because it’s different the second time. “It’s different from any other book group. We’re substantial in some way. These are very bright people, very eclectic people. They all come from different points of view.” The group has changed a little over time, with members moving away or passing on, but the core and the driving force behind the group remains the same. “The meetings will go on as long as the leader survives and as long as the group holds out,” she said. “People keep coming. Just when you think this is the group, other people hear about it or come. The group seems to sustain itself.” The embodiment of the group’s passion for reading is summed up by a Logan Pearsall Smith quote that hangs on the wall in the Hauns’ reading room: “People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.”

Anne-Elisa Schaffer Weds Jared Yeager at Marina Anne-Elisa Schaffer and Jared Tyler Yeager were married on May 27 at the Marina del Rey Marriott in a rooftop ceremony that was officiated by longtime friend of the bride and groom, Asa Shumskas-Tait. The bride, 24, is the daughter of Mark and Barbara Schaffer of Pacific Palisades. She attended Palisades High School and the USC School of Cinema-Television, where she received her B.A. in critical studies. She is the story editor at East of Doheny, a film/television/theater production company in West Hollywood. The bridegroom, 26, is the son of Bill and Kathy Yeager of Pasadena. He attended the USC School of Cinema-Television, where he received his B.A. in critical studies. He is an associate producer at Vivendi Games in West Los Angeles and also works as a voice-over artist. The bride’s maid of honor was Normandie Zeidler. Bridesmaids were Elizabeth Megel, Deidre Moore, Alison Veneto, Jenny Krochmal and Maya Kuttan. The best man was Ryan French. The groomsmen included Lawrence Everson, Adam Rauscher, Doug Spice, Zach Turner, Jesse Vigil and David Schaffer, the bride’s brother. The flower girl and ring bearer were Shelly and Alex Schaffer, the bride’s cousins. The bridegroom’s sister, Adrianna Yeager, read a selection from Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet.” Following their honeymoon in Australia and Hawaii, the newlyweds are living in West Los Angeles. Kao and Fritzsche Wed in Taiwan Palisades native Thomas Jones Fritzsche and Faye Kao were married February 24 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the bride’s hometown. Both bride and groom are respiratory therapists at UCLA Medical Center. The couple met at respiratory therapy school in Los Angeles. The bride is the daughter of Julie and Paul Kao of Temple City, California. She is a graduate of East Los Angeles College. The groom is the son of William and Delores Fritzsche of Pacific Palisades. He graduated from Corpus Christi School, Loyola High School and Humboldt State University. The bride was attended by matron of honor Vera Wang Chu. Her daughters Suzie Chu and Tammy Chu were flower girls. Vincent J. Fritzsche was his brother’s best man, and brothers William V. Fritzsche and James H. Fritzsche were groomsmen. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii and are at home in Temple City. Dunsmore and Barre Announce Engagement Brenda Dawn Dunsmore and Joshua Lessing Barre, both of Pacific Palisades, have announced their engagement. The future bride is the daughter of Margaret Dunsmore of Victorville and Bill Dunsmore of Oceanside. She is a 1996 graduate of Vista High School in Vista, California, and a 2000 graduate of UCLA, where she received a bachelor’s degree in economics. She is a supervisor at a real estate asset-management firm based in West Los Angeles. The future bridegroom is the son of Laurie Barre of Altadena and Guy Barre of Pacific Palisades. He is a 2002 graduate of American InterContinental University in Los Angeles, where he received a bachelor’s degree in information technology. He is a licensed real estate broker in the states of California, Nevada and Texas and the co-owner of RealPro, a real estate and mortgage brokerage firm headquartered in Pacific Palisades. The wedding is set for August 21 at Shutters on the Beach Hotel in Santa Monica. The couple plan to spend their honeymoon in Tahiti. They will live in Pacific Palisades. Kaszubowski and Cheng Exchange Vows in Miami Martin P. Kaszubowski and Jean Cheng were married on April 29 at Doral Resort and Spa in Miami. The bridegroom is the son of Drs. Krystyna and Pawel Kaszubowski, longtime Palisadians. The bride is the daughter of Mrs. Tina and Mr. Ray Cheng of Coral Springs, Florida. The bride is a very talented musician and plays on various instruments. She graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. degree in music and political science. After graduation, she played violin in the Atlanta Orchestra. The bridegroom, a doctor in the Air Force, graduated from the Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences in Washington D.C., in 2004 and currently works as a staff physician at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. He attended Corpus Christi School and Loyola High School and obtained his B.S. degree cum laude from UCLA in 2000. The groomsmen were Michael Kaszubowski, his older brother; Sergio Antoniuk, his best friend (also from Pacific Palisades); and the bride’s younger brother John. After enjoying a honeymoon trip to Hawaii, the young couple reside in their new home in Tucson. Just before the wedding, Martin served his first medical duty in Afghanistan.