Caz’s call of the wild

Nestled down a meandering driveway, tucked among towering cedar and Douglas fir trees, sits a beautiful home blending in with all things nature along serene Johnson Creek.

Appropriate setting for Gresham wildlife photographer Carol “Caz” Zyvatkauskas.

Born in England, Caz’s family moved to Ontario in 1963. Caz moved to Gresham in 2013 after retiring from the University of Toronto as a manager/designer. She enjoys retirement with her husband Kirk and sweet kitty Jiminy while focusing her time on capturing Gresham’s wildlife.

Admiring all creatures big and small

Caz loves capturing all of Gresham’s wildlife but has a life-long affinity for amphibians and developed an appreciation for otters while filming them.

She notes, “Amphibians are fantastic creatures, actually alien-like. They are usually very patient when getting photographed. Of course for guaranteed crowd-pleasing, otters always raise a smile from children and adults alike.”

One of Caz’s dreams is to photograph the endangered Japanese giant salamander. Her favorite place to capture Gresham’s wildlife is near Main City Park.

Wild (volunteer) at heart

Caz is no stranger to volunteering her time. Her goal is to introduce wildlife that surrounds all of us in Gresham and open the eyes of our youth to the great outdoors.

In addition to her volunteer photography for Johnson Creek Watershed Council and the City of Gresham, Caz is an invaluable participant in the City’s volunteer bird and amphibian surveys and provides her photos to the City’s Wildlife Wednesday social media feature.

 Where are the tigers?

Caz loves spending time one-on-one tutoring young students at Hogan Cedars Elementary School. She also introduces students to local wildlife with her Wild Gresham photo and video presentation.

When asked by one student why she didn't take photographs of lions and tigers she said, “Those are amazing animals, but I also want people to know about all the amazing animals that are in their own backyard.”

Beyond the classroom

Caz teams up with City biologist Katie Holzer to present Wild Gresham free to the public at the Gresham Library.

She’s even taught Wild Gresham virtually to students attending the YMCA International School in Japan where her daughter, Xaida, teaches. Caz also volunteers for a nonprofit in Japan called Sustainable Daisen that protects the Japanese giant salamander and its unique habitat of Mount Daisen.

Best time to ‘spot’ wildlife

Caz doesn’t sell her photography when used for educational purposes. Her motivation comes from the joy of sharing and learning.

Gresham is teeming with wildlife if you stop and look. Her suggestion is to follow the “edge effect.” This is where the water meets land or when the first light appears after darkness. Her favorite time of day to photograph is golden hour in the early morning.