Workshops & Events:
Wine-throated Hummingbird (Atthis ellioti)
The Resplendent Quetzal and the Birds of the Guatemalan Cloud Forests
Community based conservation among the Q’eqchi’ Maya with conservationist Rob Cahill, Heifer International
Thursday, September 9
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Tyner Interpretive Center at Air Station Prairie
2400 Compass Road
Glenview, IL 60026
Co-sponsors: Heifer International and Audubon Chicago Region
From the cloud forest region of Coban, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, Heifer International project partner Rob Cahill will be here to talk about his work to conserve the last great tropical forest habitat—home to the endangered Resplendent Quetzal—and to restore food security, financial stability, and agro-ecological knowledge to the indigenous Q’eqchi’ Maya people who live there.
Guatemalan woman with pears
Percy Nuñez, a biologist and cloud forest expert from Cuzco, Peru, says “80-90% of the cloud forests are mystery to us all.” Nuñez also cautions that the cloud forests may be all but gone in the next ten years. Rob is on the cutting edge of this research on biological diversity and species documentation. Rob engages local residents in using eBird to track populations.
Guatemala, like many countries today, faces a food security crisis. Combating modern issues of population growth, exhausted soils, chemical agriculture and deforestation, Rob has taken a holistic approach to stabilizing and restoring a community and an ecosystem in peril. Small-scale farmers, particularly women, are seeing improvements in their quality of life, the health of their farms, and the future of the cloud forests with Heifer’s focus on training and environmental protection. Environmental education has been a key part of the work in Guatemala. Ecoliteracy promoters, native Q’eqchi’ Maya men and women, teach natural history and ecological principles that empower project participants to make ecologically sound decisions as they work to sustain livelihoods.
In this presentation, Rob will focus on the bird conservation aspect of his work. Please let Judy Pollock know if you plan to attend: 847-328-1250; jpollock@audubon.org.
About Rob Cahill: Rob Cahill has a BA in History from University of Wisconsin at Madison, MDiv. from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, with continued academic work in peace studies and conflict transformation. Rob and his family have lived in Guatemala for the last 10 years as part of their work with Heifer International. He is an enthusiastic birdwatcher who has connected his passion for birds with his love of languages though the study of Q’eqchi’ Maya avian nomenclature. Rob also serves as editor and citation referee for eBird Guatemala, a program of Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology.
About Heifer International: Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Since 1944, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in 50 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self‐reliant. For more information, visit www.heifer.org.
