It goes without saying that every member of the BirdsCaribbean community deserves recognition for the amount of hard work and dedication they put into their professions—all of which are rooted in the effort to conserve Caribbean birds and their habitats. This is a family that knows long hours, hot days in the field, and perseverance in the face of work that is often unpredictable. It is a family of strong and passionate people.
But at every BirdsCaribbean conference we set aside a special block of time to acknowledge those of us that have managed to go even more above and beyond in a variety of distinguished ways. In the evening of the final day of the conference, all of our conference delegates gather in the largest presentation room. Although everyone is itching to hit the dance floor to celebrate the closing of another successful conference, they know that the Awards Ceremony is not only a ritual, but an important moment to show support for some of their amazing colleagues. We were pleased and proud to honor 12 special persons at our recent conference in Guadeloupe (July 2019) with an award.
Here’s a recap and another shoutout to all of our 2019 Award Winners:
Founders’ Award: This award is presented to the student who presents the best paper in conservation or management research at the biennial conference. All student presentations are judged by members of a Founders’ Award Committee, consisting of ~10 conference delegates and led by Joe Wunderle.
This year’s Founders’ Award went to Christopher Cambrone from Guadeloupe, for his outstanding presentation entitled, “Population genetic structures of two closely-related, Caribbean-endemic Columbid species, the Scaly-naped Pigeon, Patagioenas squamosa, and the White-crowned Pigeon, P. leucocephala.”
This is the fourth year that this award has been presented, but the first time an Honorable Mentions category was instituted (no doubt as a response to there being so many great student presentations, year after year). The two Honorable Mentions include (1) Spencer Schubert and his presentation, “Artificial perches as a technique for enhancing tropical forest restoration: a case study from the central Dominican Republic, and (2) Laura Fidalgo and her presentation, “Characteristics of Elfin-woods Warbler (Setophaga angelae) post-hurricane habitat structure.” More information on these presentations and past winners of the Founders’ Award can be found here.
President’s Awards: There were three particularly special community members that received the President’s Award, hand chosen by BC’s current President, Andrew Dobson. These individuals stand out for services and work they have done that are simply extraordinary, raising the bar to new heights. The winners of the 2019 President’s Awards went to (1) Jennifer Wheeler for all of the blood, sweat, and tears that she relentlessly gives to the BirdsCaribbean organization, (2) Doug Weidemann for 10+ years of devoted service to the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, and (3) Anthony Levesque for being a leader for birds and bird tourism on his home island of Guadeloupe.
Educators Awards: These awards are given jointly by BirdsCaribbean and their partner, Environment for the Americas, to those that have excelled as educators in their communities. With great enthusiasm and energy, these persons have consistently organized fun and creative communities activities for both the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival and World Migratory Bird Day. Educators Awards were presented to (1) Andrea Thomen and (2) Hector Andujar, both affiliated with Grupo Jaragua in the Dominican Republic, (3) Ava Tomlinson who works with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) in Jamaica, and (4) Kate Wallace (stay tuned for much more on her).
Three organizations were recognized for doing wonderful events and faithfully turning in reports with a gift of 3 pairs of binoculars to their organizations, thanks to the generosity of Joni Ellis and Optics for the Tropics. These were the Environmental Awareness Group of Antigua and Barbuda (Natalya Lawrence and her son Jordan accepting), Les Fruits de Mer of St. Martin (Mark Yokoyama and Jenn Yerkes), and Adrianne Tossas (who leads the Avian Ecology and Conservation Project at the University of Puerto Rico, Aguadillas).
Site Fidelity Award: Have you ever noticed one particular bird that stays year-round on your property, despite all of its flock leaving for periods of time? It’s always there, it’s always singing, and somehow it gets by and is content no matter the season and no matter the weather. Over the years, you come to depend on that bird to be there to brighten your day, and to be your friend. And that bird always does; it never disappoints. There is a special someone in our community that fills that same niche. The Site Fidelity Award is a special award designed to be given only once, in recognition of an individual that has been loyal to and supportive of the BirdsCaribbean family since the very beginning of the society’s existence…since 1988. That amazing person is Joe Wunderle, and we are extremely lucky to have him in this family.
Lifetime Achievement Awards: These are the most prestigious awards, presented to the people in the BirdsCaribbean family that everyone knows and respects for the lifetime amount of work and dedication they have shown to our cause. It goes without saying, that these are remarkable individuals that have helped change the future for Caribbean birds and their habitats for the better. The 2019 Lifetime Achievement Awards went to (1) Kate Wallace, a woman that has served the Caribbean in so many capacities, including Peace Corps volunteer, researcher, naturalist, author, bird guide, educator, and community leader, and (2) Maurice Anselme, Director and longtime leading force behind the many environmental successes of the Parc National de la Guadeloupe.
Although these awards to Kate and Maurice do not include the extensive retirement packages they both deserve, they should each know that across the islands there are hundreds of doors open to them, with loving friends and colleagues waiting inside to welcome them.
So, congratulations again Christopher, Spencer, Laura, Jennifer, Doug, Anthony, Joe, Andrea, Hector, Ava, Kate, and Maurice. . .
You have, without a doubt, earned the recognition!
Photo gallery: Hover over each photo in the gallery to see the caption or click on a photo to view as a slide show.
