This challenge is a commitment by the chief executives of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, the U.S. Territory of Guam and the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to effectively conserve at least 30 percent of the near-shore marine resources and 20 percent of the terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020. This far exceeds current goals set by international conventions and treaties, which call for countries to conserve 10 percent of terrestrial and marine resources by 2010 and 2012 respectively.
On Friday, April 30, MINA will hold its annual general membership meeting with a presentation on the conservation group’s annual progress and feature the wildlife photography of Kurt W. Baumgartner. The public is encouraged to attend to experience an evening of art and environment. The meeting and exhibition are scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at Shenanigan’s Restaurant, Garapan, Saipan.
Emphasizing the unity in diversity of the Mariana Islands’ fauna, the exhibition lends the observer a lens into the fragile microcosm of each species.
Highlights include the elusive, IUCN category: Extinct in the Wild, Guam Rail, photographed in the wild for the first time since its Extinct in the Wild designation, as well as critically endangered endemic species such as the territorial nightingale reed-warbler, a nesting golden white-eye and the minuscule Partula Gibba’s world magnified. Working together with the dedicated staff of the USFWS, Baumgartner photographed these species in their natural habitat in Guam, Saipan and Rota.
An active proponent of long-term preservation through direct community involvement, MINA and Kurt W. Baumgartner hope that these images featuring the irreplaceable species of the Mariana Islands will help mobilized conservation awareness among the local population about the inimitability of the region’s habitat.
A grandnephew of the late Bishop Apollinaris William Baumgartner of Guam, who was instrumental in the development of Mariana Islands educational system, supporting the conservation of the Mariana Islands is a very personal mission.
Baumgartner’s images have been featured internationally in leading magazines, nature books and conservation organizations, including National Geographic, ARKive and Audubon.
He is a committed participant in conservation efforts in severely imperiled areas and with numerous international groups, including: Friends of the California Condor Wild and Free, Madagascar’s Marojejy National Park, Malaysian Nature Society, Philippines’s El Nido Palawan Protected Area, Mariana Islands Nature Alliance and Indonesia’s Sumba Island.
For inquires and details regarding the MINA annual progress meeting and wildlife photography exhibit, e-mail: [email protected] or call: 233-7333.
For more information on the Micronesia Challenge, visit www.micronesiachallenge.org.
For more information regarding Kurt W. Baumgartner’s photography, log on to: www.kurtbaumgartner.com or e-mail: [email protected].
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