News & Program Updates
Protect the Caribbean’s Only Remaining Native Macaw!After Blue and Gold Macaws, the only remaining native Macaw in the Caribbean, were eradicated on Trinidad by the 1960’s, due to rampant hunting and trade, a small population was restored to the island beginning in 1999. Sadly, this population of Blue and Gold Macaws—also known as Blue and Yellow Macaws--continue to be threatened by an illegal pet trade, a thriving interest in captive macaws locally, and by habitat destruction.
A group of young scientists and expert advisors from Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) Fellowship Program is proud to present the first-ever public crowdfunding campaign to conserve Trinidad’s reintroduced population of Blue and Gold Macaws. Our goal is to raise $20,000. Your support will make it possible to:
You can help to secure this Caribbean icon, and sole surviving native of the Caribbean’s once diverse macaw assembly. Twitter Templates
Join @CLiCFellows in protecting the only native #BlueAndGoldMacaw in #Trinidad @Generosity crowdfunding campaign #BlueAndGoldProject @CLiCFellows are raising funds to protect the #BlueAndGoldMacaw on #Trinidad @Generosity crowdfunding campaign #BlueAndGoldProject Support the @CLiCFellows crowdfunding campaign to protect the only native #BlueAndGoldMacaw on #Trinidad via @Generosity #BlueAndGoldProject Support @CLiCFellows #BlueandGoldProject crowdfunding campaign via @Generosity #BlueandGoldMacaw Help protect the only native #BlueAndGoldMacaw on #Trinidad – support @CLiCFellows crowdfunding campaign on @Generosity today! #BlueAndGoldProject Facebook | Instagram Template A group of young scientists and expert advisors from @CLiC will launch the first-ever public crowdfunding campaign to conserve Trinidad’s reintroduced population of Blue and Gold Macaws on Oct 8. Help support the conservation of these important birds through #BlueandGoldProject. NEWS & PRESS RELEASES
Young Belizean to become CLiC Cohort (May 2017) Jamaica Observer: Jamaican Selected CLiC Fellow (May 2017) Jamaican Professional Joins Second Cohort of Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean Fellowship Programme (May 2017) Jamaica Gleaner: CLiC A Chance at Skills Building in Conservation (January 2017) Bahamas National Trust Update of CLiC Fellows Agnessa Lundy and Scott Johnson Participation in first CLiC Training and 10-day Short Course on Adaptive Management (June 2015) Trinidad & Tobago NEWSDAY Announcement of CLiC Fellow Participation by Sharleen Khan, Kyle Mitchell, Kareena Anderson, and Laura Baboolal & CLiC Board Members Nadra Nathai-Gyan & Kelvin Alie (June 2015) Dominica Vibes News Portal Announcement of CLiC Fellow Machel Sulton (May 2015) Anguilla National Trust Announcement of CLiC Fellow Janeczka Richardson (May 2015) Bonair Insider Announcement of CLiC Fellow Mabel Nava (May 2015) Bahamas National Trust Announcement of CLiC Fellows Agnessa Lundy and Scott Johnson (May 2015) Application Press Release (December 2014) St. George's University (SGU), Grenada, Announcement of CLiC Program (November 2014) |
CLiC Board of Director Representatives (Top: L to R) Dr. Leo Douglas, Dr. Heather E. Eves, Mr. Kelvin Alie and (Bottom) Members of the USFWS participating in final presentations by CLiC Cohort I October 2016 CLiC’s First Cohort Comes to a Phenomenal Close! Wednesday, 12th October 2016 With outstanding deliveries of their team projects before an audience of some 50 persons who were present in-person and online, our 17 graduating Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) fellows from 12 countries— the first cohort (2014-2016)—made for a fitting end to what is now being hailed as a unique conservation leadership program in the wider Caribbean. After an 18-month training and mentorship journey led by a voluntary Board of 6 Directors, fellows accounted for this investment in building their leadership capacity to a diverse mix inclusive of the principal donor U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service(USFWS), existing and potential partners, and their peers. The event in the form of a “Brown Bag” was hosted by the USFWS with the centre of focus being the project presentations. These were broad in range, addressing conservation of hawksbill sea turtles and parrotfish; managing the invasive lionfish population; and restoring mangroves and reducing trafficked wildlife species – with achievable biodiversity targets identified through the open standards process. In just 5 minutes, teams were able to describe the project activities and achievements, address overcoming barriers, discuss lessons learned, and provide next steps. An important take-away was that these projects (being team-selected) have fostered a sense of ownership, with great expectations far beyond the 18-month implementation period. Critical success factors were the 5-year planning cycle and the elements of sustainability built into each project (community involvement, linkage to home institutions and individual interests and partnerships) which are expected to promote continued implementation. Each team benefitted from the inputs of a topic or technical advisor and their support and dedication to the tasks are gratefully acknowledged. Not to be outdone, the Board of Directors had its own time to shine with a stellar presentation on the CLiC program delivered by 2 Directors present (Kelvin Alie, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Dr. Leo Douglas, Columbia University and Birds Caribbean) while the other Director present (Dr. Heather Eves) managed the proceedings. The other 3 Directors (Dr. Andrea Easter-Pilcher, Michelle Benham & Nadra Nathai-Gyan) participated on-line. The USFWS was hailed for its courage in taking a chance on this fledging program which has exceeded expectations in meeting several objectives. The chief objective among these being the creation of a “coalition of forces” conservation network of regional governmental agencies, NGOs and universities dedicated to securing the future of wildlife resources across the wider Caribbean. As this first cohort comes to a successful end, the Board of Directors goes into planning mode for the next cohort, with a planned first training session in May 2017. Look out for the call for applicants in early 2017. The Board’s focus will be on improving the model and attaining sustainability. The opportunity to partner on this initiative is not to be missed. One of the fellows speaking today of the impact of his team’s project on a local community, endorsed CliC simply by stating - “Small initiatives do work”. You can learn more about CLiC 2014- 2016 as it unfolded by viewing the video via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEbreyFXRaU Leadership Training Workshop #3 26 - 30 May, 2016 | St. George’s University, Grenada A 4-day workshop comprising five sessions was provided to 17 of the now 18-Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) Fellows from 11 different countries in the wider Caribbean. The first two workshop sessions focused on orientation and the practice of conservation in the Caribbean; the third and fourth sessions covered skills building, team building and leadership, while the fifth was a planning session on the future and sustainability of CLiC. Joining the workshop for 2 of the 4 days were 4 topic advisers and 5 supervisors, a valuable component added to the program and facilitated by a project modification. Two participants from the principal donor, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) also participated for the first 2 days and made presentations. A fellowship event completed the workshop where all participants had the opportunity to indulge in informal fun activities and strengthen bonds. This was the final in-person meeting with the selected fellows and all six (6) Board of Directors were present for the training. Resource persons from the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF), the Department of Business and Management Studies and the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, at St. George’s University (SGU), the Dominica Sustainable Energy Corporation and the Saving the Grenada Dove program provided their expertise to complement the training provided by the Board of Directors as well as selected topic advisers and supervisors. The workshop was once again held on the beautiful SGU campus in Grenada – Caribbean House Great Hall. At the successful completion of the workshop, fellows agreed that the evaluation given by the fellows at the first in-person workshop had been taken into consideration with this workshop designed to be more participatory in nature with multiple opportunities for input from the fellows. The highlight of the workshop was the presentations of the team projects, which reviewed approximately 9 months of implementation. Workshop evaluations were completed by 15 fellows and some comments were:
CLiC continues with the implementation of the 5 conservation projects and final presentations are expected in October 2016 when this cohort (2014-16) comes to a close. 24 February 2016 Day 2 of CLiC Virtual Training Following on the first of the virtual training sessions which took place in October 2015, a full 1-day workshop was provided to 17 of the now 18 Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) fellows from 11 different countries in the wider Caribbean using the WebEx platform hosted by Virginia Tech. The full Board of Directors was in attendance at this virtual meeting which completed Module 2 of the program. In between sessions, teams continued their meetings with topic advisors and designated Board Members on a regular basis through multiple platforms. Once again, Brian Pilcher, topic advisor supporting Team Hawksbill joined the meeting and for the first time, supervisors were invited for the afternoon session. Five supervisors accepted the invitation: Peter Sammy (Kareena Anderson), Eric Carey (Agnessa Lundy and Scott Johnson), Deborah Robb (Jennifer Solis), Dr. Susan Otuokon (Gabrielle Jae Watson) and Daniel Richardson (Machel Sulton). Jenny Martinez and Levi Novey from USFWS were in attendance representing the donor organization. Similar to Day 1, half of the workshop was used to monitor the progress of team projects which would have had seven months of implementation. Teams presented their projects (including information on their project modifications), in keeping with guidelines provided to them, using PowerPoint presentations. Ample time was provided for questions and answers after each team presentation. Jamie Copsey, Head of Durrell Conservation Academy presented the keynote topic which focused on team development, the roles of team members and increasing team effectiveness. The Durrell Conservation Academy runs a similar fellowship program (https://www.durrell.org/training/). Fellows also engaged in discussions centered on the importance of a communications strategy and on group dynamics led by Board Members, Michelle Benham and Dr. Leo Douglas, respectively. A quick workshop evaluation was provided by all participants and the findings were positive. 30 October 2015 CLiC 1-Day Virtual Training 18 of the 20 CLiC Fellows and the full Board of Directors participated in a 1-day training workshop to kick off Module 2 of the program. The workshop was held virtually using the WebEx platform. This was the first convening of all the fellows since their departure from Grenada in June 2015 though teams have been meeting with their advisors and designated Board Members on a regular basis through multiple platforms. Joining the meeting was one of CLiC’s advisors, Brian Pilcher, who is supporting Team Hawksbill. The 1-day training workshop placed emphasis on the projects which have had 6 weeks of implementation time since final proposals were submitted at the end of August 2015. Teams presented updates using PowerPoint presentations with ample time for questions and answers. Enriching the training was a stellar presentation by David Shaw of the Department of Business at St. George’s University, Grenada on Negotiation and Communications. Fellows also engaged in discussions centered on improving communications and group dynamics led by Board Member, Michelle Benham. Day 2 of our Module 2 Training (virtual also) comes up in February 2016! In the meantime fellows are working hard to implement their projects across the Caribbean, gaining leadership skills and contributing in efforts to support biodiversity conservation. September 2015
USFWS Modification Award to CLiC In addition to the original funds from the USFWS grant, CLiC was able to secure additional funding to support project teams and meet program objectives. These funds provide additional support to the five team projects being implemented in the region: Invasive Lionfish Management in Columbia, Mangrove Restoration in Nicaragua, Hawksbill Turtle Conservation in Grenada & Anguilla, Wildlife Trafficking in Bahamas and Trinidad, and Parrotfish Overfishing in Jamaica. In addition to the project support provided from the original grant and these additional funds, teams gained skills in competitive grant-writing by developing modifications (October 2015) to the original project proposals developed (July-August 2015) following the Open Standards Course in Grenada. The remaining funds from this grant will go to support engaging supervisors of our fellows in the CLiC program as well as production of a short informational video. 7-16 June 2015 CLiC Short Course - Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation & Miradi Software The 20 CLiC Fellows participated in a 10-day short course immediately following their leadership training. The course offered experience in the conceptualizing and planning steps for designing and implementing conservation projects using Miradi software and concluding with each of five teams preparing their draft management plans for field projects they will implement over the 15 months until the end of the program in September 2016. For more information about the projects see the CLiC Fact Sheet prepared by the CLiC Fellows. 3-6 June 2015
CLiC Leadership Training Session, St. George's University: The first CLIC training session included all 20 CLiC Fellows and Board Members engaged in learning about conservation project management, communications, professional skill development, and other topics. The training concluded with a visit to Levera Beach in Grenada to learn more about nesting turtles, the local community and their collaboration in conservation. |