Asa Wright Nature Center
The Asa Wright Nature Center is a combination of research station and resort in the Arima Valley in Trinidad and Tobago . The center is named after Asa Wright, a former owner of the site.
history
The AWNC site used to be a plantation called Spring Hill Plantation . In 1936 it was owned by the colonial power Great Britain due to tax debts of the previous owner when it was acquired by the American couple Joseph and Helen Bruce-Holmes. The couple did some renovations but returned to the United States after World War II and eventually sold the property to British-Icelandic couple Newcombe and Asa Wright in 1949. Around the same time, the American biologist Charles William Beebe acquired the adjacent Verdant Vale plantation , as his original research station in Bermuda had been converted into an air force base during World War II. Beebe renamed the plantation Simla , an old name of the Indian city of Shimla . The two neighboring plantations were originally used for cocoa cultivation, but had large areas of untouched rainforest.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Wrights hosted many well-known ornithologists, including David and Barbara Snow . The property was a good base for bird watching from e.g. B. the rare Fettschwalm in the nearby Dunston Cave as well as countless hummingbird and purr bird species. William Beebe died in 1962 and Newcombe Wright in 1967. Subsequently, through the initiative of some ornithologists (including Don Richard Eckelberry (1921–2001) and Erma Fisk) , the private property was transferred to a charitable foundation and the site was renamed the Asa Wright Nature Center . The purpose of the foundation was to preserve the AWNC as a public recreational area, ornithological study center and center for the preservation of flora and fauna in the Arima Valley. Asa Wright continued to live on the plantation, but died in 1971. In 1974 the neighboring Simla plantation was transferred to the foundation. In 2001 the adjacent Rapsey Estate was bought. The AWNC now has an area of over 500 hectares.
The Asa Wright Nature Center is threatened by the state-owned National Quarries Ltd (NQL) quarries, which are moving ever closer to the site.
Facilities
The AWNC is located at about 370 meters above sea level within the Northern Range and is surrounded by dense mountain cloud forest. Flora and fauna are diverse. 97 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, 55 reptiles, 25 amphibians and 617 butterfly species as well as 2,200 different flowers were counted on the site. This biodiversity is unique in the Caribbean. Feeding areas with fruit and bread for birds are set up within sight of the main house, which are also used by bats in the morning. Falling chunks are captured by Goldtejus and Gold agutis . The feeding areas are supplemented by nectar dispensers that attract hummingbirds. Botanical nature trails lead through the extensive area, guided hikes are offered for day and night. Film screenings and lectures take place in the main building and there is also an extensive library. Visitors can stay in bungalows.
Programs
Four programs are currently running (as of January 2020):
- Cataloging the flora and fauna around the Cerro del Aripo
- Comparison of the flora and fauna in the Arima Valley with that of 50 years ago
- Resettlement of the red howler monkey in the Arima Valley
- Restoration and observation of natural habitats
literature
- Joy Rudder: The Old House and the Dream: The Story of the Asa Wright Nature Center (Prospect Press, Port of Spain 2009, ISBN 9789769508217 )
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ AsaWright.org: A Brief History. Retrieved March 26, 2016 .
- ^ William Beebe Tropical Research Station
- ↑ Christine de Vreese, Travel Handbuch Trinidad and Tobago, 1st edition 2000, p. 143
- ↑ Trinidad Express of November 19, 2013: Asa Wright knocks rush to control quarry ( Memento of November 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Description of the AWNC
- ↑ Information page of the AWNC
- ↑ AsaWright.org: Conservation Research Projects. Retrieved January 11, 2020 .
Coordinates: 10 ° 43 '4 " N , 61 ° 17' 55" W.