Updated 6/2/2020 (scroll to bottom)
In the Winter 2019 Kingfisher, Herb Raffaele described our plans to support conservation and education. In particular, we requested proposals from the four Caribbean-based NGOs described in that article. We received proposals from three of them, and we decided to fund two of these organizations.
Each grant is for $1,000. As these projects start to produce results, we will bring you reports of their progress.
Puerto Rico Ornithological Society (SOPI)
SOPI will design and print bird identification guides and informational booklets aimed at various natural resource user constituencies that are not usually known for participating in bird-watching activities in Puerto Rico (e.g., recreational anglers).
Environmental Awareness Group of Antigua & Barbuda (EAG).
EAG will conduct classroom and field training sessions aimed at producing a cadre of local citizen scientists, who are able to identify and monitor birds in three wetlands designated as Important Bird Areas (IBAs). Not only will the project produce valuable data, but also the participants will gain an appreciation for the value of wetland ecosystems.
See the Winter 2020 Kingfisher (page 5) for additional details.
Learn about the leader of the Antigua/Barbuda initiative:
(link to YouTube is here if your device doesn’t show the video)
On June 1, 2020, this project was completed with some amazing results. Even during this time of Covid-19, they were able to train 35 participants through all 6 courses using web-based training! They were able to conduct their Field training prior to the pandemic. And they have already started contributing to citizen science via eBird. See their final report for a complete description of their project.