By Carol Beidleman, Partners in Flight Awards Committee Chair
Through the Partners in Flight (PIF) Awards, PIF has been recognizing outstanding individuals and groups across the Americas for their exceptional contributions to the field of landbird conservation since 1996. We were pleased to have five 2023 PIF Award winners, including from Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Several of the 2023 PIF Awardees were recognized in front of their peers in the spring of 2024, at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Michigan and a Gulf Coast Joint Venture Management Board Meeting in Louisiana. The BirdsCaribbean 24th International Conference in July 2024, which was held in the Dominican Republic, provided a wonderful opportunity to present a 2023 PIF Leadership Award to Dr. Adrianne Tossas, President of BirdsCaribbean.
Every two years BirdsCaribbean brings together Caribbean and international wildlife professionals, ornithologists, educators, decision makers, the eco-tourism industry, community leaders, students, and others to share information and learn about the latest research and innovative initiatives to conserve Caribbean birds and their habitats. The theme of this year’s conference, which had 330 participants from 30 countries, was “From Mangroves to Mountains, Safeguarding Our Avian Treasures.” Carol Beidleman, Chair of the PIF Awards Committee, who has been involved with BirdsCaribbean since 1996, just a few years less than with PIF, was in attendance and presented Adrianne with her award during the closing Banquet.
Adrianne was selected to receive an Individual Partners in Flight Leadership Award for almost three decades of promoting conservation of bird species in Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean region through research, education, and advocacy. She was one of the founding members of the Puerto Rican Ornithological Society and initiated and coordinated the Important Bird Areas program in Puerto Rico. She became an active member of BirdsCaribbean in 1999, then Director-At-Large, initiating the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival. As President of BirdsCaribbean, she has developed the new Landbird Monitoring program and initiated a Caribbean Motus Collaboration and the Caribbean Bird Banding Network. Adrianne is also a Professor of Biology at the University of Puerto Rico.
“The field of ornithology has allowed me to get to know and develop a deep appreciation for the rich biodiversity of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean region,” Adrianne reflected. “I enjoy increasing awareness about our unique resident and migratory species, and the opportunity to engage a new generation in bird population monitoring and conservation. While these species face numerous challenges, it is encouraging to be part of a broader international community that shares the same values and works together to protect birds and their habitats.”
Said Adrianne after receiving the award: “I was deeply honored to receive the Partners in Flight Leadership Award at the BirdsCaribbean International Conference in the Dominican Republic. I am filled with gratitude for this significant recognition and would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Carol Beidleman for presenting the award, as well as to my colleagues and collaborators for their unwavering support and inspiration throughout my years of conservation work in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean region.”
We congratulate Adrianne on her PIF Award, and thank Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, for making this celebratory occasion possible.
Please visit the Partners in Flight website (https://partnersinflight.org/2023-partners-in-flight-awards/) to read about the important contributions to landbird conservation made by the other 2023 awardees, with gratitude to the U.S. Forest Service for its ongoing sponsorship of the PIF Awards.