7th Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival to be celebrated April 22 - May 22, 2008
We are pleased to announce that the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB) will celebrate the 7th edition of the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) from 22 April to 22 May of 2008. The purpose of the festival is to increase public awareness of the region’s high endemism and rich bird life Activities during the CEBF include talks, nature and birdwatching walks, photographic exhibitions, art and essay competitions, launching of endemic bird postal stamps, presentations at schools, movie nights, articles in the media, forums at universities, preparation and distribution of educational materials about birds to the general public and many more.
Our Goal: To celebrate the festival in 15 countries in 2008!
Because of your hard work, our 2007 CEBF reached more than 25,000 participants last year! In 2007 we held more than 240 activities in 12 countries. We are so proud of this success. Small grants were awarded to 8 institutions and NGOs in 7 countries to help facilitate activities. Each year the festival grows and we want to expand to at least 3 more countries and spread our conservation message with participating people. Small grants are also available this year (see below). Please join us and help us to reach more people and celebrate in 15 countries!
Theme for 2008: "Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats, and People"
As most of you are aware, we have decided to adopt a different conservation theme each year. The theme will be related to environmental issues that Caribbean countries face such as habitat loss, watershed protection, pollution, etc. In 2008, the theme will be Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats, and People, following the same theme adopted by the International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) for this year. This is an opportunity to educate everyone about the importance of habitat for our birds and people. It is also a great opportunity to educate people about different Caribbean habitats and help people connect with nature through CEBF festival activities such as bird and nature walks. Through the festival, we can raise awareness about the functions and values of our beautiful forests, wetlands and beach habitats; for example, the role that forests play in recycling water and oxygen and helping to lessen global warming by storing carbon. We can also emphasize how different birds live in different habitats and that it is important to protect them all to benefit both birds and people. Many ideas for celebrating this theme are available at the IMBD website: www.birdday.org
Materials available for 2008
CEBF Press Release for 2008 - English click here, español click here
Caribbean Bird and Habitat Fact Sheet - Available in both letterhead (8.5 x 11 inches) and A4 (8.27 x 11.69 inches) paper sizes. Feel free to modify this fact sheet with different images of birds or local habitats, revised text, etc.
Letterhead paper size: PDF English, MS Word English, PDF español, MS Word file español.
A4 paper size: PDF English, MS Word file English, PDF español, MS Word file español.
Maps showing extant forests and mangroves for the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, the Lesser Antilles, and the entire Caribbean region - click here to view the maps and download copies
Thanks to Sue Bonfield, IMBD Coordinator, for help with the following materials:
Ideas for fun activities that especially emphasize the Habitat theme can be found in Wondrous West Indian Wetlands: Teachers Resource Book: Activity 2-E – Build or Paint a Mangrove, Activity 2-K – Habitat Havoc, Activity 4-G – Migration Headache, Activity 4-I – Survival.
The above materials are free but you will need to pay shipping costs. Visit www.birdday.org for more downloadable fact sheets and ideas about this theme (English and Spanish) from International Migratory Bird Day.
New this year - t-shirts! The t-shirts will have the IMBD artwork on the front and back (see below). We will customize the t-shirts for the Caribbean by adding CEBF and SCSCB logos underneath the artwork on the back (in addition to the Partners in Flight logo with IMBD 2008 below it). With this design, we can celebrate CEBF in the spring and IMBD in October with the same shirt. Groups can add their logo to the back but there will be an extra charge of $40 for this (set-up fee). The cost for t-shirts will be $8.50 each plus shipping. You can sell the t-shirts to raise money for your organization or give them away to participants, use them as prizes, etc.
Please let Sheylda N Díaz-Méndez know if you would like copis of these materials; most have been distributed for the CEBF this year, but it may be possible to order more in order to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day in the Caribbean in October 2008.
Will your country be celebrating? Please let us know!
Confirm your interest of coordinating festival activities in your country this year by e-mail and let me know as soon as possible about your plans so that a regional list of activities can be prepared. Please also share your ideas for activities to celebrate our “habitat” theme. We will be posting a list of these ideas on the CEBF webpages. If your country celebrated last year and the local coordinator has changed, and you know his or her e-mail, I would appreciate your help with this information. If you know of additional groups that would like to join the festival, please send me their contact information (name and email address) so that I can communicate with them.
You can also register your festival at www.birdday.org for all the people planning to visit the Caribbean during the CEBF.
Funding available to help with CEBF activities
Once again we are pleased to announce that 6 or more grants (up to $500.00 each) will be available to help cover expenses of CEBF activities. To apply for a grant, please send to me (via email), no later than February 22nd, 2008, the following information:
The best proposals will receive a grant of up to $500.00. Many thanks to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund for supporting the festival.
Please encourage other groups and organizations in your country to celebrate the festival and/or participate in your group’s activities. We are looking forward to hearing about the many exciting activities you will be organizing this year.
For more information please contact Sheylda Díaz Méndez, CEBF Regional Coordinator, SCSCB.
Local Coordinators: please send your CEBF Report for 2008 to Sheylda Díaz Méndez. Download a copy of the CEBF Report Form: English - click here, español - click here.
Report from the 2007 CEBF coming soon!
Resources and Ideas for Celebrating the 2007 Festival - click here
See the CEBF 2006 Summary Report, Full Report and Photos for more ideas - click here
