Volusia County Audubon Chapters Honored

St. Augustine, Florida, October 21, 2017 – Halifax River Audubon and West Volusia Audubon received Audubon Florida awards for conservation and education respectively at the Florida Audubon Annual Assembly in St. Augustine on October 21^st. 

Halifax River Audubon was given the 2017 Best Conservation Project Award for creating a unique international, dual-language campaign to protect the birds of Cuba through its children. After a birding trip to Cuba, the group produced the “Birds of Cuba / Aves de Cuba” coloring book, illustrated and designed by Reinier Munguia. Almost a thousand Spanish language copies have been taken to Cuba as a gift to the Cuban children to encourage them to embrace conservation and help stem the caged bird trade that seriously threatens several native bird species on the island. Anyone interested in acquiring a coloring book in English or in Spanish, can send an email to president@halifaxriveras.org

West Volusia Audubon received the 2017 Outstanding Education Award for using birds and water to bring families and communities together to learn about conservation. In 2016, West Volusia Audubon led a collaborative effort by more than twenty public, private and non-profit organizations to create The Water Festival, a day-long celebration of water, our most precious resource.  The program was so successful that for 2017-18 it will include a free, all-day symposium on October 27^th and a festival in Spring 2018. For more information, please visit volusiawater.org