www.asawright.org Tel: (868) 667-4655 Email: [email protected] February 2014 FULFILLING OUR MISSION In last month’s edition of the Bellbird Newsletter we introduced you to the “Engine Room” of Asa Wright Photo by Peter O’Connor Nature Centre’s Mission — the three persons who conduct the Education, Photo by Kimberly Chu Foon Conservation and Outreach activities of the Centre. In this issue, and the Denise at a Zoo-to-You programme following two, we tell you more about programmes for adults and children. with nature tours, and particularly these individuals and the work they This was an excellent opportunity enjoys interacting with school do for the environment, and for our for her to enhance her knowledge in children, teaching them about the Mission. education, as she is a natural educator. importance of our role in protecting Denise Etienne has always had a Upon returning to the Nature Centre the rainforest. As an extension to passion for the environment. She she utilised her skills to develop education she is also responsible for has been employed with Asa Wright and implement the “Valley School Community Outreach. This involves Nature Centre for over seventeen Outreach Programme”, which teaches meeting with the neighboring years. Denise began as a Naturalist environmental sustainability to the community groups to understand Guide in 1995 and in 2000 she neighbouring Primary Schools. The how the Centre could facilitate advanced to Head Guide. She programmes developed are aligned their needs. She has coordinated a participated in several international within the school syllabus and mainly number of workshops for both staff internships including; Hawk Mountain help to raise awareness in the natural and community members including Sanctuary-Pennsylvania, Brukner Nature world. bamboo building – understanding the Centre and Aullwood Audubon Nature She presently holds the position of processes involved in drying/utilising Centre-Ohio. Education Officer, where she continues bamboo in order to make arts/ In 2006, Denise embarked on an to develop new educational material crafts; snake handling – identifying independent internship for nine months for the Centre. She is also involved the different species of venomous at Stony Brook Millstone Watershed- in the Centre’s annual Summer Camp species, characteristics of snakes; Zoo New Jersey. This programme was Safari which runs from July through to You; customer-service training; and specifically focused on developing August. Occasionally she assists more recently the community table display. Design and Layout courtesy Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Ltd, a friend of the Asa Wright Nature Centre FEBRUARY • PAGE 2 February 2014 CELEBRATION OF ART IN NATURE Photo by Denise Etienne Photo by Denise Etienne Artwork by Mr. Herbert Lopez of Sunshine Avenue Prints by Ms. Virginia Pacifique-Marshall “Art enables us to find ourselves and Perez who are all well respected in was carved out of a large mango lose ourselves at the same time.” their fields. tree trunk. He said this piece is a gift Thomas Merton to his granddaughter when she is Mr. Lopez is a multitalented artist older. One of his ambitions is to turn Asa Wright Nature Centre has been who specialises in leather carvings, trash into craft. In 2012, he attended collaborating with our neighboring which is the process of giving a three- a Glass Etching course. Some of his communities for many years. Our dimensional appearance to leather exhibited pieces in glass included most recent endeavour was to art by a method of cutting and animals, flowers, people and pan, invite each community partnering stamping the surface. He brought plus a decorative map of Trinidad and with us under the GEF Small Grants with him an array of large, detailed, Tobago. Programme to display their art and framed leather pieces. There was one craft at the Centre during our busy piece that was notable called “The Ms. Virginia Pacifique-Marshall is a season. These communities come up Oneness of All Life Forms”. The story member of the Trinidad and Tobago on weekends when we have quite a it depicts is that we are all connected Art Society and the Women in Art lot of local visitors as well participants and it includes carvings of humans, organisation. She mainly works in our tours. animals and a large tree of life. While in acrylics and the theme of her talking with Mr. Lopez you soon latest art project is Traditional Mas. Sunshine Avenue also known as Mile realise that he is also an interesting It features three of her personal and a half was the first community storyteller. He is passionate about creations plus Tan Tan and Saga Boy, to showcase their talents. We had using all forms of natural materials. the giant puppets in Peter Minshall’s representation from three unique Occasionally, he does wood carvings; 1990 carnival band. In some of artists Mr. Herbert Lopez, Ms. Virginia he displayed a very large piece which her colourful prints exhibited Pacifique-Marshall and Ms. Alice he calls “Seat of Realisation” which at the Centre is the blending of Design and Layout courtesy Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Ltd, a friend of the Asa Wright Nature Centre FEBRUARY • PAGE 3 February 2014 Photo by Denise Etienne Akilah Jaramogi’s jewellery masqueraders with subtle wildlife From the Lopinot community, we Ann’s. She is also the 2007 recipient species. She also displayed a plethora had Ms. Ragee Ranjit and Mr. Cyril of the Hummingbird Gold Medal of postcards, bookmarks and a few Cooper who is the president of the award for her Community Service t-shirts. Recently she launched her Lopinot/La Pastora Farmers group. work on FACRP. new book entitled “The Carnival They exhibited their tasty blend of Suite” which includes images of her local Creole/hybrid cocoa balls and We were very happy to have such a paintings and a brief history and their grounded Robusta Coffee. diverse group of artists showcasing description of each character. their talents at Asa Wright Nature As an extension of this programme, Centre. It was overall a successful Ms. Alice Perez introduced us to a new we also had Ms. Akilah Jaramogi event for all the parties involved. Our type of art called Pyrography, which who owns “An Ecological Pathway guest and visitors were impressed is also known as wood burning; this is to Fashion” displaying her beautiful and inspired with the collection of the art of decorating wood with burn handmade jewellery. She has art displayed and they patronised marks resulting from the controlled created a wide variety of necklaces the groups be it in sales or just by application of a heated object. and earrings made from all natural sharing their experiences. We look Using this technique she creatively materials. Some of the seeds include forward to the participation of other designed a hibiscus flower, butterfly, Lucky, Banga, Stinking Toe, Cocorite, communities partnering with us in hot peppers or bamboo on napkin Donkey-Eye and Jumbie beads. the future. holders and a wooden coaster set. Ms. Jaramogi has a deep passion for By Denise Etienne Last but not least, we had one piece conservation; she is the director of from a high school student Kyrese Fondes Amandes Community Re- Arthur titled “Origami Swan”. Forestation Project (FACRP) in St Design and Layout courtesy Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Ltd, a friend of the Asa Wright Nature Centre FEBRUARY • PAGE 4 February 2014 Trinidad Piping-Guan (Pipile pipile) Photo copyright Jeannette Lovitch Pawi seen in January, with one of Asa Wright’s guides The Trinidad Piping-Guan or Pawi wings – this is called wing drumming. Public education and awareness owes its name to the collection It is believed that this habit is campaigns and research done by the of soft, ascending and of course, associated with mating. Not much Pawi Study Group are all efforts that piping, whistles of its call. Endemic is known about the breeding of the have been made to save the Pawi. to Trinidad, the Guan is a member Pawi. Become part of this great venture. of the Cracidae family to which the Once found in various parts of the By Johanne Ryan Rufous-vented Chacalaca or Corcrico island, both on mountains and flats of Tobago also belongs. Cracids are a Check out the Pawi Study Group (such as The Trinity Hills, Bush Bush on Facebook https://www. group of turkey-esque birds that take Forest and the Aripo Savannahs), the to dense forest and thick scrub. facebook.com/pages/Pawi-Study- Trinidad Piping-Guan now inhabits Group/130272384384 The Pawi is about 61 cm long and is mainly the eastern part of our mainly glossy black with reddish legs Northern Range. There have been and a characteristic blue wattle. It some unconfirmed reports of Pawi References: ffrench, Richard. A Guide also has some pale blue on the face being found in the south. The birds are to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. and a white pattern on the upper listed as Critically Endangered on the Cornell University Press. 2012. wing coverts. Its a blackish-brown IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. crest is edged in white. The Pawi has seen a significant BirdLife International (2014) Species factsheet: Pipile pipile. Downloaded Pawi are often found in small groups population decline essentially due to illegal hunting and habitat from http://www.birdlife.org on and primarily stay in the forest 05/03/2014. canopy where they feed on fruit and destruction. In Trinidad, the Pawi is sometimes flowers and leaves. Very designated as an Environmentally http://pawistudygroup.yolasite.com/ often they drink water collected in Sensitive Species. Additionally, the links.ph bromeliads. During flight, Pawi may Matura National Park, one habitat http://www.ahailey.f9.co.uk/pawi.htm make a drumming sound with their of the Pawi, has been designated an Environmentally Sensitive Area.