Baudin’s Black Cockatoo, 123 E, by Elizabeth Coule

Elizabeth Coule, who came to our January 31st workshop at Biscayne National Park, found a very direct way to help her animal.

Here is the email we received from Elizabeth:

“Finally received a response from Australia on how to donate money for a tree for the Baudini’s black cockatoo. I am sending you the email they sent me. My mom and I will be going to the bank this week to send this money overseas. I am excited that I got a response.”

Here is the email Elizabeth received:

“Nice to hear that people from other countries are taking an interest in our endangered cockatoos. Our organisation is the only organisation allowed to look after, rehabilitate and release black cockatoos.

We travel approximately 70,000kms every 18 months on black cockatoo related activities which are mainly black cockatoo rescues. We are all volunteers.

I have attached a photo of a Baudin and Carnaby Cockatoo so that you can look at the difference. Sadly there are only about 2000 Baudin cockatoos left in the wild. We are trying desperately to raise money to build aviaries so that we can breed these cockatoos for the future. We are on 40 acres of land that we lease from the government and would love to plant a tree in your honour to the Black cockatoos.

Kind Regards

Glenn Dewhurst

President Black Cockatoo Preservation Society

Of Australia Inc.”

Workshop at Biscayne National Park

These photographs are from a workshop held at Biscayne National Park on January 31st, 2010. We had lots of visitors and everyone had a great time.

Madison Patterson’s Christmas Island Frigatebird (80 E) in progress

Elizabeth Coule’s Baudin’s Black Cockatoo (123 E) in progress

The scene: We also had the members of the Homestead Seventh-Day Adventist Church Pathfinder Club with us to work on the flag for the Orca, 31 W.

Park Employee Rick Jacobson and his wife Lisa Jacobson hold up their flags for the Smalltooth Sawfish, 51 W, and the Wood Turtle 66 W.

Youth Leadership Miami

Youth Leadership Miami was an event that took place January 23, 2010. Xavier Cortada and Arielle Angel were on hand to work on the Endangered World Project with almost 90 high-school students from schools all over Dade County. To see all of the pictures from that day, please click here. For more information on Youth Leadership Miami, please click here.

Here are some highlights from our three flag-making sessions:

Project Manager Arielle Angel gives a little pep talk

All the flags drying on the floor

Each of the students chose an eco-action. Remember, you can see all of the eco-actions for all of the participants here, through the Endangered World site: http://www.endangeredworld.org. You can also keep up with us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/endangered360.

Here are some of my favorites from this session:

Checkered Elephant Shrew, 34 E, by Gabriel Duarte

Soemmerring’s Gazelle, 36 E, by Brandi Gant

Silky Sifaka Lemur, 49 E, by Brontie Herrera

Smooth Coated Otter, 68 E, by Belli Sung

Sumatran Orangutan, 99 E, by Jaime Ortega

Dwarf Pygmy Goby, 104 E, by Fabiola de Armas

Sei Whale, 162 W, by Marcus-Allen Screen

Coral Reef Montessori School

The students at Coral Reef Montessori School participated in the Endangered World Project and had a blast. Art teacher Sarah Bein helped the children research their animals and paint beautiful flags. This project dovetails an earlier lesson, where Ms. Bein taught the children the difference between native and non-native species, why non-native species are bad news for ecosystems, and what they can do to help.

Here are some photos of the students working on the flags:

Here are some of the beautiful flags that were created:

Giant Freshwater Crayfish, 126 E

Steller’s Eider, 144 E

Illidge’s Ant-Blue, 149 E

Eleutherodactylus chlorophenax, 77 W

The children’s eco-actions reflected their newfound understanding of the dangers of invasive species. They also pledged only to eat sustainably harvested fish, and to use less of the products that harm the natural environment of these animals, and the resources they depend on.

African Penguin, 18 E, by Joanne Kantor and the Long-Fingered Bat, 37 E, by Katie Keightley Smith

Joanne and Jill Kantor adopted the African Penguin from their native South Africa. They brought the project to South Africa and even got their cousin, Katie Keightley-Smith, involved.

African Penguin

Long-fingered Bat

Their eco-action was to recycle in two households in South Africa that did not previously recycle during an extended visit there. In this way, their eco-actions directly affected the habitat of the animal they chose.

Loading the car to take the recyclables to the center.

They also visited a rehab center for the African Penguin, in order to better connect to their endangered species:

Red-Bellied Monkey, 2 E, by Toshambia Williams

Toshambia came to us by way of the Family Resource Center which facilitates adoptions and foster care arrangements for children in South Florida. (Click here for more information about them.) We were very honored to have three children from the center participate, and we were grateful that the case managers could take some time out of their busy schedules to work on the projects with the children. Here is one flag by Toshambia Williams:

Toshambia worked hard on his flag, and used a variety of materials:

He pledged to conserve energy at home.

Leatherback Turtle, 120 E by Magdalena Goudie

Magdalena Goudie made this flag for the Leatherback Turtle:

Her eco-action: My pledge for the project was to plant a native tree and I planted a sea lavender in my patio. I am also growing mangrove seedlings, which I will plant when they are tall enough.  For my eco action, I committed to pick up trash whenever I went to the beach, which I do a minimum of twice a week.  On average I collect at least one grocery bag of trash each day, walking a distance of approximately 2 miles.  This morning there was an awful lot of trash, almost as if someone had dumped a boatload out at sea.  I found another shopping bag in the sand and 2 bags were filled.  The overwhelming majority of trash consists of bottle caps and straws.  I also find regularly soles of shoes, toothbrushes and other combs, bits of fishing lines and other synthetic lines, and bits of all types of plastics and bags.  The weirdest things I’ve found years ago were a dead baby hammerhead shark and part of a turtle’s fin, both very sad.  The good thing about picking up trash apart from the act itself is that other people watch me and perhaps they will either pick up trash themselves or think before dumping it.

Red Mangrove Seedlings

Sea Lavender