TERRA NEWS
TERRA NEWS
Shorebird
festival in Alaska
A
s an initiative of the Commission for Environ-
mental Cooperation (CEC), site representatives
from the Pacific Flyway were chosen to attend a sho-
rebird festival in Cordova, Alaska: the Copper River
Delta Shorebird Festival.
Terra Peninsular has conservation projects together
with the CEC, including the nomination project to de-
signate Ensenada Bay as part of the Western Hemis-
phere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN).
The importance of Ensenada lies in the fact that is
located along the Pacific Flyway, a migratory route
used by birds, and also, the bay is a stopover site
for thousands of shorebirds that feed and rest there
during migration.
An exchange of experiences to learn
and replicate festivals in Ensenada
By Jorge Andrade and Antonieta Valenzuela
As the only representatives from Mexico, two staff
members of Terra Peninsular were invited to partici-
pate in the festival in Alaska. The objectives were to
meet representatives from other communities link to
shorebirds sites, discuss about cooperation and con-
servation actions, as well as participating in the activi-
ties and get ideas to replicate in other sites in the Ame-
rican continent, including Ensenada and San Quintín.
Near Cordova is the Copper River, a place designated
in 1990 as a WHSRN site due to its importance to more
than a million migratory shorebirds. This designation
was an important event for the festival, and since then
it has international prestige. Since 27 years ago, the
event gathers birdwatchers, biologists, locals and peo-
ple from Alaska, the United States and other countries.
The festival lasted 4 days and a variety of activities
where offered, such as airboat and birdwatching tours,
a fundraising dinner, a series of presentations on birds,
keynote speakers, as well as handicraft workshops and
bird banding, among others.
Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri).
Photo: Jorge Andrade.
Some of the site representatives invited to
the festival: Heather Kapust, Jorge Andrade,
Cheri Lloyd y Antonieta Valenzuela.
Maya, the Western Sandpiper, met Jim Chu, Jorge
Andrade, Antonieta Valenzuela, Heather Kapust y
Christie Barchenger. Photo: Erin Cooper.
Also, the special guest this year was David Allen Si-
A birdwatching tour was included
in the activities of the festival.
Photo: Antonieta Valenzuela.
Jim Chu, of the USDA Forest Service,
with staff representatives of Terra
Peninsular: Antonieta Valenzuela
and Jorge Andrade.
bley, outstanding ornithologist, author and illustra-
tor of The Sibley Guide to Birds, who offered a book
signing and a presentation titled “The Psychology
of Birdwatching”.
To date, the festival is a well-accepted event in the
community and it represents a positive economic
impact for the city since it attracts many tourists
every year. In addition, the high season for many
local businesses, such as hotels, restaurants and
stores begins with this festival.
Participating in the activities was an opportunity
to generate new ideas for the festivals of Terra Pe-
ninsular, from defining the type of festival we want
to offer, how to organize it, the activities,
identifying the audience, etc.
FESTIVAL INFORMATION
www.copperriverdeltashorebirdfestival.com
David Allen Sibley during the book
signing. Photo: Antonieta Valenzuela.
The site representatives from the Pacific
Flyway went on an airboat tour at the
Eyak River.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT
In order to enrich the experience, a series of semi
structured interviews were conducted with key actors
involved in the organization and history of the festival.
Other qualitative research tools were also performed.
A report will be written with the information obtained,
and this document will be shared with the interviewed
people, site representatives and the Commission for
Environmental Cooperation (CEC). This project will be
concluded in an estimated period of three months.
Also, a bird festival manual will be created based on
the report, which will serve as the basis for upcoming
festivals in Ensenada and San Quintín, in Baja Califor-
nia, and thus, raise awareness about shorebirds and
their importance for the environment.
www.facebook.com/CopperRiverDeltaShorebirdFestival/
07 MEDITERRANEWS
JUNE 2017 08