[email protected] tel: (868) 667-4655 march-april 2020...

Design and Layout courtesy Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Ltd, a friend of the Asa Wright Nature Centre

March-April 2020 [email protected] Tel: (868) 667-4655

By Rebecca BodenIn early March, just before COVID-19 turned the world into a standstill, four faculty members and ten students from Haverford College, enrolled in a semester-long course called Plants and People/Economic Botany, embarked on a 10-day � eld study traversing, learning, and tasting their way through Trinidad and Tobago.

With only two days at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, our schedule was packed. We took advantage of every moment we had in this hidden haven of biodiversity, serving as an outdoor laboratory to learn about botany and ecology.

After settling in, we were led by Caleb Walker on a tour of the grounds, seeing the green house, co� ee grove, and cocoa house where co� ee beans are dried (yes, they make their own co� ee from co� ee trees down the road, providing a never-ending source of fresh robusta co� ee in the dining hall every morning!). We then received an introduction and history of the centre by General Manager, June De Gale-Rampersad, followed by a talk with Conservationist/Researcher/Consultant, Darshan Narang.

With a bit of free time before dinner, we decided to explore the natural pool down the road from our house. Laughing as we doused ourselves under the waterfall one by one, we were lost in time until the sun began to set and knew it was time to leave. After dinner, we took a night walk along the paved road to see what creepy crawly insects, plants, and animals came out after the sun went down. This included many tarantula sightings.

After a good night’s rest, we started bright and early the next morning, making sure to drink some fresh co� ee at breakfast, and went for a walk on the Discovery Trail with Caleb, learning about the symbiotic relationship between leaf cutter ants and fungi, the morbid way a tarantula hawk (a type of wasp) kills tarantulas, the dramatic mating dances among white bearded manakin males, and much more. In the late morning, we heard about the educational programming and monitoring led by AWNC from Conservation O� cer, Johanne Ryan. Following lunch, we received a lecture on urban ecosystems from Samantha Chadee, an Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies at the

Discovering the outdoors

Waitress, Brittney Walker gives a birthday treat, AWNC style, to the youngest member of our group

Photo by Rebecca Boden

Guide Supervisor, Caleb Walker, leads a walk on the Discovery Trail

Photo by Stephanie Zukerman

M A R C H - A P R I L • PAGE 2 March-April 2020


University of Trinidad and Tobago, and listened to Trinidadian folktales from the famed performer, Finbar Ryan. We � nished the afternoon with a hike to the second, supposedly more secret, natural pool on the property. Later that evening, as we � nished dinner, the kitchen sta� surprised our table, bringing out a homemade birthday cake for the 19th birthday of the youngest member on our trip!

Although the status of our semester seemed to be ripping at the seams, we were able to enjoy two full days of peace and serenity at AWNC, listening and watching from the veranda as the hummingbirds zipped from one feeder to the next, hiking various trails, consuming vast amounts of delicious Trinidadian foods, and most importantly, expanding our knowledge beyond our awkwardly con� gured classroom back in Pennsylvania. Thank you for everything!

Discovering the outdoors (continued)

Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Samantha Chadee, presents on environmental issues in T&T

Photo by Jonathan Wilson

AWNC’s Conservation O� cer, Johanne Ryan, shows a photo taken from a camera trap at Asa Wright

Photo by Jonathan WilsonLearning about the process of making co� ee

Photo by Allison Carpenter



By Emma EldridgeIn March, a group of Goodnight Scholars from North Carolina State University visited the Asa Wright Nature Centre as an Alternative Service Break experience. This trip marked the sixth consecutive year that Goodnight Scholars have visited Asa Wright, and it has been the experience of a lifetime for so many of us. We spent a week in Trinidad, and two days at Asa Wright exploring the grounds, watching birds from the veranda, and helping design and construct a “cocoa shed” that will contain educational signs about the Centre’s history as a cocoa and citrus plantation, as well as the signi� cance of today’s cocoa farms in Trinidad.

Goodnight Scholars at Asa Wright

For many of us, it was our � rst time visiting Trinidad, and for some, their � rst time leaving the United States. Within minutes of stepping o� the maxi, we saw dozens of bird species, curious agoutis, and a massive Golden Tegu lizard. As a zoology major, I was instantly drawn to the rich tropical ecosystem that surrounds Asa Wright. There were hundreds of species of plants and animals that I had never seen before, very di� erent from the deciduous forests that I call home in North Carolina. My mental list of new species only grew as we did maintenance on trail cameras and began construction on our cocoa shed. As a hobbyist herpetologist, the absolute highlight of my animal experience came in

The Goodnight Scholars on the veranda Photo courtesy Emma Elridge

Design and Layout courtesy Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Ltd, a friend of the Asa Wright Nature CentreDesign and Layout courtesy Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Ltd, a friend of the Asa Wright Nature Centre


the form of a Red-tailed boa crossing our path as we trekked up for dinner. Not only did I get to see one of these amazing animals in the wild, I also got to hold her for a few minutes before releasing her back into the jungle.

Afterwards I rejoined the group for an amazing dinner with all the Centre’s guests. As we ate, I enjoyed conversations with sta� , students from other universities, and birdwatchers from around the world. The community I discovered at Asa Wright stands out in my memories as clearly as the animals I encountered. Especially with the current circumstances

Goodnight Scholars at Asa Wright (continued)

Students proudly show the completed cocoa shed which stands on the Bamboo Valley trail

Photo by Johanne Ryan

surrounding COVID-19, I am forever grateful that I got to experience the Asa Wright Nature Centre when I did. The conversations I had during my two days there have forever shaped my thoughts on conservation and broadened my perspective to a global scale. Although travel is halted for the time being, I know there is a huge community of like-minded individuals out there, with fresh new ideas and information to share. The people I met in Trinidad took an amazing trip and made it unforgettable, and I look forward to returning next year as a trip leader.

YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALISTOF THE MONTHIf you think your child, aged 5-16, has done something helpful to preserve the environment, please feel free to share it with us. Either write a short story or send a few pictures to [email protected]. He/she may be selected as our Young Environmentalist of the Month. Once your child is featured in our monthly newsletter, he/she and two adults will be given a complimentary day visit to Asa Wright Nature Centre, which includes viewing birds/animals on the verandah, a nature tour and use of the clear water pool.




The Adopt A River Programme Implementation Unit hosted their 3rd River Conference on Friday March 6th, 2020, at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre. Under the banner, “Connecting the Dots…Mentoring Towards Sustainability,” the one-day event was youth focused with representatives from various Secondary Schools across Trinidad and Tobago in attendance. The program began with a welcome address by Mr. Rajindra Gosine, Head of the Water Resources Agency, with greetings from the Water and Sewerage Authority’s ( WASA) CEO (Ag.) Alan Poon King. Ms. Beverly Khan, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Utilities delivered the feature address, opening by acknowledging the young attendees and thanking them for showing an interest in becoming better stewards of their environment.

The youth commanded center stage on this occasion with presentations from the National Scout Association of Holy Cross College, Match Me Project OJT, Jenelle Seepaul, Youth Speaker, Curmira Gulston and the presentation

of and address by the Adopt A River Programme’s Youth Ambassador, Luke Pounder.

The afternoon session featured the Cunupia Business Chamber’s Zaheer Ali o� ering a Stakeholder’s Review and Dr. Ronald Roopnarine, Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, presenting on ‘Water, the environment and sustainability’. Avril Alexander, Project Manager, gave a projection of the future of the Adopt A River Programme and prizes were distributed to winners of the Programme’s Spoken Word Competition, “Riverspeak”. Dr. Sharda Mahabir, who served as the Implementation Unit’s � rst Project Manager, was also acknowledged for her contribution, and presented with a Legacy Award.

During the day, the school students learned about the work of di� erent environmental organisations at display booths. Organisations who participated in these youth sessions included Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project, Asa Wright Nature Centre, the Adopt A River Programme, Siel Environmental Services Limited, the

Connecting the Dots at Adopt a River’s 3rd River conference 2020

Members of the Adopt A River Implementation Unit

Photos courtesy the Adopt a River Programme



Institute of Marine A� airs and the Environmental Policy and Planning Division of Ministry of Planning and Development.

The young persons in attendance were certainly inspired by the wealth of knowledge and experience in the room as they all pledged to accept their role in managing their precious water resource.

We look forward to our continued partnerships with all attendees and other stakeholders that we are sure to encounter as we continue our work at the Adopt A River Programme. We look forward to another successful conference in 2021.

Connecting the Dots at Adopt a River’s 3rd River conference 2020 (continued)

Asa Wright Conservation O� cer, Johanne Ryan (left), teaches about wildlife and its conservation

Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Ms. Beverly Khan, addresses the conference

Greetings by WASA’s Chief Executive O� cer, Alan Poon King (Ag.)

Dr. Sharda Mahabir receiving the Legacy Award from Mr. Rajindra Gosine, Head of the Water Resources Agency



By Hugh SimmonsIf you cherish the photos you take while traveling, backing up your memory cards is imperative. Memory cards can fail, a bag or camera can be lost or stolen and your once in a lifetime shot of that Resplendent Quetzal is gone.

At a minimum you should always have two copies of your photos and you should back up your photos every evening. The easiest way to achieve that is to take enough memory cards that you never have to erase one and then copy your photos (did I say every evening?) to an external drive. You could use your laptop if it has enough memory but consider that a laptop is more of a target for a thief than a nondescript little box that can be stored separately from your laptop. Some pros go a step further and copy to two external drives keeping them in separate locations. Keep your memory cards with you and keep your backup drive in another location such as locked in the safe in your hotel room. If you are between hotels store your memory cards and your backup in di� erent bags in case one gets stolen.

There are many external hard drives on the market and the standard ones are really inexpensive but I recommend paying more for a solid state drive. A standard hard drive contains a spinning disk and even the most robust ones can fail if they get a solid knock while they are running. While this may seem unlikely, it happened to me when someone bumped the table I was working on and the hard drive fell o� while it was running. The drive was ruined. Solid state drives contain no moving parts and so a failure is far less likely. I use a Samsung T5 that is tiny. It is 3 inches by 2 inches (7.5x5.5 cm) and weighs only 2 ounces (56 gm). Similar drives are also made by Western Digital and SanDisk which I am sure are just as good.

I only use my Samsung for travel so I � nd 500GB to be enough. It will hold 5,000 46 megapixel RAW � les or 50,000 full size 24 megapixel JPG’s. If you shoot video, go bigger. Adjust size for your shooting style and trip length.

If you do not want to carry a laptop, Western Digital makes the My Passport Wireless SSD. These more than double the cost but the

di� erence is somewhat justi� ed by the fact that these are not just passive devices. They have a built in SD card reader and USB ports and will copy your memory card with the push of a button, no laptop or tablet needed. You can also connect via the device’s own wi� to a tablet or smart phone to view and even download and edit � les. On the downside it is physically quite a bit larger, the user interface is a bit cumbersome and there is no way to con� rm that the � le copy worked unless you connect to a tablet or smartphone to view the � les. But if you do not want to carry a laptop there isn’t another good option except the Gnarbox but it costs nearly three times as much as it is designed to withstand extreme conditions. If you are going back to a hotel every evening then you do not need to spend the extra money on something that is practically bulletproof.

I would like to know what topics you like to see covered in this column? Please write to [email protected] with your questions or topic ideas.

Photo TipsOne Word...BACKUP



By Johanne RyanTom Bearss was Canadian born but had lived and travelled all over the globe, including Trinidad and Tobago. He had served on the Board of Management of Asa Wright Nature Centre and was a retired Canadian Trade Commissioner/diplomat. Tom was an enthusiastic naturalist and birdwatcher for decades and was President of the Delta Naturalists Society. He was an active participant in the group and had an excellent record of recruiting volunteers. Tom participated in Christmas bird counts and launched a Casual Birders group which led weekly birdwatching outings to areas mainly in the British Columbia Lower Mainland. The birding group grew to be quite popular as many wanted to join in the fun. He also wrote a

weekly blog sharing beautiful photos, information on birds and other news of the Delta Naturalists.

Tom was an avid reader of the Bellbird and showed a true love for birding when he wrote to AWNC on 29th March 2020: “ I still enjoy very much reading about the Centre in your monthly newsletters, especially now from my 5th � oor room in the Surrey Oncology Hospital. It was a beautiful Sunday in “lockdowned” BC, but I enjoyed seeing a Peregrine Falcon chasing the Pigeons and a Red-tailed Hawk mobbed by Crows as I birded over the Surrey trees through my window.”

We pay tribute to Tom Bearss, a leader and cheerful spirit, who passed away on April 10th, 2020. May he rest in peace.

Remembering Tom Bearss

Photo credit:

https://dncb.wordpress.com/

Connect with Asa Wright Nature Centre wherever you are! Submit photos of animals and plants you have photographed at the Centre to our project called Asa Wright Nature Centre Biodiversity at iNaturlaist.org

Simply visit the website and register, select the location of your sighting(s) as Asa Wright Nature Centre, and your observation(s) will be added to our project. So far, we have recorded 306 species on our project.

Share your sightings on iNaturalist

Mania lunus, a Corkscrew moth, belonging to the family Sematuridae. This moth was photographed at the Centre. Photo by Johanne Ryan

[email protected] tel: (868) 667-4655 march-april 2020...

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