16th December 2021
STATEMENT FROM THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
Release by- Prof. Judith Gobin, Chair, AWNC
After its closure to the public almost two years ago, the Asa Wright Nature Centre plans to reopen its doors in 2022 with a new partner.
In September, the Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) invited proposals for the operation of the ecolodge at its’ internationally renowned Spring Hill Estate. The separation of the operation of the ecolodge business will allow the Centre to refocus on its core mission of conservation, education and scientific research. In response to the call for proposals, the Centre received a number of proposals from various corporate entities. After a rigorous evaluation and approval process, the Chair on behalf of the Trustees of the Board of the AWNC and the members of the Board- is pleased to announce that HADCO Limited emerged as the successful proposer.
HADCO Limited started in 1992 and “HADCO” has since become a household name in Trinidad and Tobago. While the HADCO Group of Companies is well known for its food and beverage services, within the last five years the group has diversified its business to include two recycling companies. The HADCO group is now seeking to diversify its business even further, into the ecotourism market. The ecolodge at the Asa Wright Nature Centre will be the flagship property of its ecotourism business. AWNC and HADCO will collaborate to transform the operations of the ecolodge at Spring Hill Estate to attain international green certification in sustainable operations.
While the doors of the Centre have been closed, the Centre has continued its’ conservation work. This proposed partnership is one step on the path to creating an immersive experience where present and future generations can learn and understand the value of our natural landscape, flora and fauna, The Centre looks forward to sharing some of its ongoing projects and work through its social media platforms in the near future.
Over the next few weeks, the Centre and HADCO will engage in negotiations on the terms of its concession for the operation of the ecolodge. The Centre and HADCO look forward to welcoming our old and new friends and supporters to the Asa Wright Nature Centre and the Ecolodge at Spring Hill Estate in 2022.
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Honourary Board Member William Conway
Reflection by Ray Mendez (Hon. Board Member) on behalf of the Board of Management
We have lost a friend and great mentor to the organisation. I am sad to report that our fellow Board Member and supporter Bill Conway passed on October 21, 2021. Bill told me he credited a great deal of his conservation thinking to time spent with William Beebe at Simla in the Arima Valley, Trinidad. He later was instrumental in having the research station donated by the New York Zoological Society to the Asa Wright Nature Centre, along with a maintenance endowment. His sage advice and leading edge thinking will be missed by all who knew him. He was one of the premier voices in getting zoos to step into the fray for preserving species and landscapes in order to promote a saner world. He was always a friend to those who fight and have fought to protect our natural world. His work went far afield with a seminal exhibit philosophy that included his design essay How To Exhibit A Bullfrog (A Bed-time Story for Zoo Men). He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. For a full review of his extraordinary life please go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/05/nyregion/william-conway-dead.html or https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/william-conway-obituary?id=31144580.
COVID-19 CRISIS
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Asa Wright Nature Centre has been closed to visitors for several months and the eco-lodge has permanently ceased operations. However, the not-for-profit Trust remains in existence and it will continue managing its protected areas as a wildlife sanctuary.
We will continue with thoughtful consideration for the health and well-being of our visitors, staff, and local communities, in compliance with guidelines established by our Ministry of Health regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, and thus remain closed until further notice.
During the interim, we will be working towards preserving the wildlife sanctuary and engaging in critical conservation work. As we have no revenue to sustain these important activities your assistance is critical – please help support our work now with your donation.
Please join the growing list of friends, government officials, business and community leaders, scientists, environmentalists, teachers, parents and children from around the world who have already donated to help us during this crisis!
Please Donate Now and help us sustain this crown jewel of Trinidad & Tobago!
A MESSAGE FOR OUR INTERNATIONAL GUESTS AND VISITORS
Please Make a Contribution – Help us to survive and also continue our important research and conservation work through this crisis! Your donation to the international Friends of the Asa Wright Nature Centre will make a huge difference!
You can use this online link to our secure page for donations directly by Credit Card or through PayPal or ApplePay in your own currency: USD, GBP, Canadian Dollar, and the Euro.
International donations may also be made by check. Please mail your contribution, payable to the “Friends of the Asa Wright Nature Centre” to Secretary, FOAWNC, 2601 Burlington Ave N, Saint Petersburg, FL 33713.
Note to donors from the United States: The Friends of the Asa Wright Nature Centre, Inc. is a not for profit corporation organized under the laws of the state of Florida and is recognized by the U.S. government as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions received from residents of the United States are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. (Federal EIN# 01-0832520)
SUPPORTERS IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO CAN DONATE IN $TTD directly to the Centre
You can use this online link to our secure page for donations directly by VISA or MasterCard in $TTD!
© Peg Abbott
STAY HOME – STAY SAFE
but please come visit us when this is over!
Until it is safe please enjoy this virtual birding tour of Trinidad & Tobago based at the Asa Wright Nature Centre!
These excellent videos were graciously made available by Jim Coyle of Glasgow, Scotland. Jim and his wife Lynda visited the Centre in early February of 2020 and recorded their birding adventures in this 3-part YouTube presentation.
Jim Coyle is a noted Wildlife Lecturer, Photographer & Guide. Having spent 35 years in local government primarily in the fields of town planning, the natural environment, biodiversity, and parks and green spaces, he now pursues his outside interests – bird watching (30+ years), travelling and wildlife photography. According to Jim, his YouTube series on this trip was recorded on a bridge camera – Canon Powershot SX50 – to emphasise that you don’t need expensive equipment to see or photograph the birds!
Part 1 – Welcome to the Centre and its world-famous Birder’s Verandah!
Part 2 – Birding the Centre’s beautiful grounds and varied trails
Part 3 – Enjoy the Centre’s Off-site Birding Tours to see Trinidad & Tobago Highlights
The AWNC is a “Not-for-Profit” Trust established in 1967 by a group of naturalists and bird-watchers to “protect part of the Arima Valley in a natural state and to create a conservation and study area for the protection of wildlife and for the enjoyment of all.” It was one of the first nature centres to be established in the Caribbean.
Comprising nearly 1,500 acres of mainly forested land in the Arima and Aripo Valleys of the Northern Range, the AWNC’s properties will be retained under forest cover in perpetuity, to protect the community watershed and provide important wildlife habitat.
The Centre’s main facilities are located on a former cocoa-coffee-citrus plantation, previously known as the Spring Hill Estate. This estate has now been partly reclaimed by secondary forest, surrounded by impressive rainforest, where some original climax forest on the steeper slopes have a canopy of 100-150 feet. The whole effect is one of being deep in tropical rainforest.
Catch up on all of the Centre’s programs and outreach activities in each new issue of The Bellbird, the official newsletter of the Asa Wright Nature Centre. Issues can be dowloaded in PDF format and can be read in either your browser or on your desktop.
Link Here to current and all past editions of the Bellbird.
Link Here to download and enjoy the very special 50th Anniversary Edition of the Bellbird
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