Celebrating Our 25th Anniversary with the American Bird Conservancy

By Mary Ellen Gadski – International Project Coordinator for Amos Butler Audubon Society

Over the past 30 years, the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and its partners have conserved millions of acres and protected habitat for more than 3,000 bird species throughout the Western Hemisphere. For 25 of those years, Amos Butler Audubon Society has been one of its partners in conserving habitat for migratory birds in Latin America. In the year 2000, our first Birdathon donation to ABC was $20,000; at that time, it was the single largest donation that ABC had ever received. As of July 2024, we have contributed over $300,000 to this stellar organization for a wide variety of conservation projects. 

For the past five years, ABAS has been supporting a project in the Central Andes of Colombia to preserve existing forest fragments and reforest land around coffee plantations of the Caldas region. Since most readers of the newsletter are familiar with this current project, it seems appropriate to recap three of the earlier efforts in our collaboration with ABC. 

El Chogoro, Panama
Our chapter’s donations to ABC enabled the Panama Audubon Society to purchase the first 200-acre parcel and set in motion the saving of El Chorogo, the largest area of intact forest remaining in western Panama. It is known for its biodiversity, especially for the endangered and endemic birds of the Pacific lowlands. The forest extends for approximately six miles along a ridge that forms the Panama-Costa Rica border. Although only 2,500 acres in size, it is contiguous with extensive reserves to the north. It is the premier site for globally-threatened species such as Baird’s Trogon and the Three-wattled Bellbird. There is also a clear connection between El Chorogo and our own migratory birds. The Scarlet Tanager and Baltimore Oriole—plus warblers such as Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, and Black-and-white—spend their winters in this rainforest. Amos Butler Audubon was the sole financial supporter of this reserve, officially established in 2003. 

The Cerulean Warbler Conservation Corridor, Colombia
The Cerulean Warbler is one of the most imperiled migrant songbirds in the Americas. To provide critical wintering habitat, this large-scale project created a habitat bridge in an agricultural area between two of ABC’s reserves—Pauxi Pauxi and the Cerulean Warbler Reserve. Working with ABC and local partner ProAves, we helped ABC fund land acquisition and the establishment of conservation easements to protect surviving forest. Reforestation efforts covering nearly 3,000 acres went hand-in-hand with this conservation campaign. Environmental education efforts included an annual Migratory Bird Festival aimed at increasing the communities’ knowledge of the importance of preserving habitats for migratory birds. The 6.5-mile corridor is a haven for 28 migratory birds we appreciate in Indiana including Red-breasted Grosbeak and Golden-winged and Black-and-white warblers. 

The Caribbean Biological Corridor, Guatemala
Located in an extremely important migratory flyway that provides high-quality habitat for wintering migratory birds, this area also offers stopover habitat for at least 40 species of Neotropical migrants. During the first two years, we helped pay for the purchase of a large parcel of lowland rainforest that had been experiencing logging and poaching. Consistent with ABC’s policy to address the most urgent needs, it then asked us to move in a different direction in Guatemala to help its local partner, Fundación Ecológica (FundEco), establish its sixth BioCenter, Guaytan. BioCenters are essentially demonstration farms that show local farmers the benefits of protecting the remaining forested land while earning a good living on specialty crops like black pepper and cardamom. BioCenters are training grounds for communities to learn about production methods that are more environmentally sound than clear-cutting trees. We then supported a seventh BioCenter, the Santa Marta Farm, which is located in the buffer zone of a reserve that is a hotspot for Wood Thrush. 

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In 2014 when George Fenwick, ABC’s founder and first president, visited Indy and addressed a gathering of Birdathon supporters, he told us that ABAS was the longest-standing, continual donor in ABC history. Current president Mike Parr reiterated that status at ABC’s 30th anniversary dinner last fall, where ABAS was recognized for its early partnership with the organization. May we continue our successful collaboration for many years to come!

Mary Ellen Gadski has served as the chapter’s International Project Coordinator for over 30 years.

Featured Image from Audubon Panama

Bottom Image: International Conservation Projects Officer for American Bird Conservancy, Eliana Fierro-Calderoìn (left), and Mary Ellen Gadski (right) at a dinner celebrating the organization’s 30th anniversary.