LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Redbud Audubon Society is pleased to host Lauren Schmaltz, the USA Administrator for the World Parrot Trust, for its Thursday, May 19, final program of the season.
The program starts at 7 p.m.
To register, go to www.redbudaudubon.org and click on the registration link on the home page, or, click on the link in The Western Grebe newsletter if you are receiving it by email. All are invited to the program, you don’t have to be a member of Redbud Audubon.
Parrots are the most endangered family of birds in the world. The World Parrot Trust, or WPT, has worked to help conserve more than 80 species of parrot in 43 countries.
Since 1989, the trust has brought together global experts on wildlife conservation and parrot welfare to implement effective programs to protect both wild and companion parrots.
The activities of the WPT include conducting field research on little known species; supporting the rehabilitation, release, and reintroduction of threatened and endangered species; working to end the trade in wild caught parrots; encouraging the protection and restoration of critical habitat areas; promoting community education and engagement through sustainable livelihoods; and advocating for better welfare and care of captive parrots.
This approach also empowers local communities to take ownership of the solutions, so that the progress achieved on behalf of parrots is lasting.
The collaboration between WPT staff, local NGOs, and communities is a hallmark of their success.
The trust seeks a future where the world’s wild parrots have the ongoing protection from human and environmental threats necessary to persist and thrive in the wild, and captive parrots receive the care they deserve from compassionate caregivers in order to flourish.
Lauren Schmaltz administrates the WPT’s programs in the United States. She first became involved with the World Parrot Trust while serving as the director of Echo, a small nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot and its fragile dry forest habitat on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire.
She returned to the US from Bonaire in 2017, having stepped down from that role to dedicate herself to working full-time with the World Parrot Trust.
Schmaltz completed a dual bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish and a master’s degree in environmental studies.
In the midst of her studies, Schmaltz also spent several years living overseas in the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Costa Rica and Bonaire.
Her keen interest in environmental management, community outreach and education, and sustainable development harmonizes well with WPT’s growing initiatives in parrot conservation, habitat restoration, and community engagement.
