Alejandro Arellano Sanaphre
Biologist – Querétaro, Mexico
 
I volunteered for this project because I found an opportunity to help more people know the importance of the Neotropics in Latin America. I do research about birds in Querétaro for the university and I also promote ecotourism and the preservation and restoration of natural areas.

Alejandro Pérez-Arteaga
Wetland Birds Researcher – Mexico
 
I volunteered for this project because conservation literature for the Neotropics in Spanish is scarce, and Kricher's book, being such a comprehensive text, was not available to many researchers and naturalists. With the Spanish translation, biology and conservation in the Neotropics will become accessible to many people in Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly to local NGOs and indigenous organizations, which I am sure will use this text as an important tool for understanding and planning the management of natural systems.
 
My interests include conservation planning for waterfowl, as well as the biology of endemic and threatened wetland birds in Mexico.

Alejandro Salinas Melgoza
Parrot Project Research Assistant, Estacion de Biologia Chamela, IB-UNAM – Jalisco, Mexico
 
I think that all information, books, articles, etc. should be accessible to as many people as possible. There are a lot of people who don't speak English, so this is a great opportunity to make this resource available to Spanish-speaking people. My main work has been research and conservation of parrots in the dry tropical forest of Chamela-Cuximala Biosphere Reserve.

Ana Victoria Wo Ching
Birder and Biologist – Costa Rica
 
The project of translating John Kricher's A Neotropical Companion seemed to me a nice gift for all those Latin American birders who are concerned about environmental issues in their countries. They deserve to have more access to specialized books in Spanish.

Carlos Bonilla-Ruz
CIIDIR – Oaxaca, Mexico
 
Through this project I thought more people could feel, know and respect tropical nature than through any other means. I do ornithological research in general with a concentration on Green macaws (Ara militaris) and am also promoting ecotourism.

Carolina Roccatagliata
Business Administrator, FVSA volunteer – Argentina
 
I volunteered for the translation because it gave me the possibility of helping in the study and protection of nature, which I love and enjoy. I also found the project very interesting, as I didn't have previous knowledge of Neotropical ecosystems.
 
Although I studied Business Administration, I'm actually working as a landscape designer of gardens, balconies and backyards, which gives me the possibility to be in contact with nature constantly. I also love to go to the country, ride on horseback, read and spend time with my family and friends.

Claudio Vidal
Fantastico Sur – Punta Arenas, Chile
Contact: cvidal@fantasticosur.com
 
Claudio has been birdwatching since the age of twelve. The location of his home, Punta Arenas on the Straights of Magellan, helped foster a life-long interest in the pelagic birdlife and marine mammals that occur in the Humboldt Current, Patagonia and Antarctica. He has authored several field guides, including "Birds of the Beagle Channel and Cape Horn" and "Birds of Torres del Paine", and is continuing to develop resource books with Enrique Couve. Claudio co-founded Fantastico Sur. His position as a Director allows him to indulge in his interests, leading birdwatching and natural history tours throughout Chile. Additionally, he is involved in serveral nature-based tourism projects throughout Chile.

Daniel Tenes
Biologist, University of San Carlos of Guatemala and Volunteer, Guatemalan Ornithology Society – Guatemala
Contact: tenes_guatemalensis@yahoo.com; www.avesdeguatemala.org
 
I volunteered because I wanted to know more about tropical forests, to practice English and to get to know more people working in nature conservation. My interests are ornithology, bats, cloud and tropical forests, and conservation biology.

Eduardo Galicia
Coastal Program Coordinator, Pronatura Península de Yucatán A. C. – Mexico
 
I volunteered for this Project because I realize the value of having good sources of information in Spanish about the tropical ecosystems. A Neotropical Companion is a very good book and now more people will enjoy and learn from it. Many thanks to Birders' Exchange and everybody for this effort!
 
My field of expertise is aquatic bird life, ecology and behavior. I enjoy writing for the general public about conservation issues, and I promote sustainable tourism activities along the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, training local nature guides and designing/producing interpretative resources from brochures to nature trails.

Elizabeth Torres Bahena
Biologist – Oaxaca, Mexico
Contact: tobe1034@yahoo.com
 
I am a biologist and have been working in Oaxaca, México since 1996 when two friends, Donato Acuca Vazquez and Eugenn Hunh, began the Oaxaca Christmas bird count. It was a great pleasure to contribute to your effort. I believe only humankind will be able to preserve life.

Georgita Ruiz Michael
Consultant on Conservation of Priority Species for the National Commission for Natural Areas under Protection in Mexico – Mexico
 
To know is to love, to love is to care for, and such a beautiful inspiring text which can entice anyone to love the Neotropics and its biodiveristy is the best way to gather supporters for the conservation cause. Many of the people who live in these areas are Spanish speakers and therefore need to learn what is in the book.

German Pugnali
Biologist and Birder – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Contact: gpugnali@yahoo.com
 
I volunteered for this project in order to help Birders' Exchange provide other people in the Neotropics with valuable educational tools such as A Neotropical Companion. Our continent is in urgent need of books of this kind and the language is a barrier for many people, so a translated version was a nice idea and I wanted to join the team. I'm a biologist by profession and a birder for more than half my life. Now I am participating in the conservation movement as a member of the directive commission of Aves Argentinas, the national branch of Birdlife. I worked in the tourism business for more than 15 years and currently run a birdwatching tour company along with other birding fellows.

Guido Berguido
Environmental Educator and Birding Guide – Republic of Panama
Contact: gcberguido@hotmail.com
 
I believe that by showing both locals and foreigners the intricacies of the flora and fauna around us, we can gain more support for protecting this beautiful natural legacy.

Irene Ruvalcaba Ortega
Ornithologist, UANL, San Nicolás de los Garza, N. L. – México
 
I believe it's great that such an effort is being made to complete the Neotropical Companion translation, so the least I could do is to collaborate. I am interested in the birds of Northeastern Mexico.

Jorge E. Schondube
Researcher, Center for Ecosystem Research (CIEco), UNAM – Mexico
 
I'm a physiological ecologist studying the strategies that birds and mammals use to acquire and assimilate food and water. To do this, I use nectar-feeding animals as models. (Flowerpiercers and hummers are some of the birds I study.) I'm also interested in understanding the effects that forest degradation and succession have on the communities of both resident and migratory birds.

José Manuel Galindo-Jaramillo
Cipamex Volunteer – Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
 
I wanted to be part of the project to translate A Neotropical Companion because I believe, first of all, that volunteer efforts are very important in achieving success with such a huge initiative as this. To be part of this kind of project is a great experience with tangible results. Once it appears in Spanish this great book will help to extend to the Spanish-speaking people the knowledge about the great diversity in the Neotropical region and its problems, giving some tools to understand and solve those problems facing the enormous Neotropical region.
 
Actually, I work as a Consultant for the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation on issues of environment and health, specifically in evaluating levels of DDT in wildlife species defined as indicators. Since 2001 I have been Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Mexican ornithological society, Cipamex.

José Antonio González Oreja
Doctor of Biological Sciences (Ecosystems), Universidad de las Américas – Puebla, Mexico
 
The first time I thought about volunteering for this project, a friend of mine asked me about the reasons for a thing like that. There are many reasons for doing these kinds of altruistic things, but since I am not from a Neotropical country (since I was born in Spain) the most important for me is this one: This way I can give back something to the countries which have given me so much.
 
I am interested in animal ecology and conservation; specifically, my field research deals with birds and mammals.

José Roberto Rodríguez Salazar
Ecological Engineer – Chihuahua, Mexico
Contact: beto2rodr1@yahoo.com
 
I learned about this project because I am in an ornithological discussion group where your announcement was posted. I wanted to be part of this effort because we need to do something to try to increase the amount of scientific literature in Spanish. My interest is in raptor ecology, specifically the aplomado falcon, an endangered species. We are doing educational and research work on cattle ranches with cowboys and land owners as we try to improve the ecological land conditions to provide the best place for wildlife and people.

Dr. José Ignacio Granados Peón, (Nacho Granados)
Dentist, Birder, Nature Photographer – Monterrey, N.L., Mexico
 
I felt honored to volunteer for this project because John Kricher's A Neotropical Companion is such a good book that translating it into Spanish would benefit all Latin Americans who actually live in the places described but do not know many of the interesting things explained in the book because of the language barrier. This will improve the education in matters of conservation among others. I am currently photographing as many bird species as possible along with their habitats so that I may contribute my material to nature and bird guides, books, magazines, lectures, etc.

José Ignacio González Rojas
Researcher, UANL, San Nicolás de los Garza, N. L. – México
 
A Neotropical Companion is an excellent book, and the idea of its translation is a great project to participate in. My area of interest is the biology of conservation.

Juan Carlos de Las Casas
Biologist and Researcher, Corporación Sentido Natural – Bogotá, Colombia
Contact: JC@sentidonatural.org
 
The intention of translating A Neotropical Companion into Spanish for the Latin Americans was excellent, so I decided to participate in this project to 1) collaborate as a translator or proofreader and 2) to improve my English. I'm a biologist focused on ornithology. I'm working with birds in the canopy and also with hummingbirds on the ecological and genetic level, and I am helping to work on a book about birds in a specific area of Colombia.

Laura Martínez Rios del Rio
Mexico

Luis H. Segura
Trogon Tours/Birding Argentina – Puerto Madryn, Patagonia, Argentina
Contact: seebirds@satlink.com
 
I met Betty Petersen in Duluth in 2002, and she introduced me to the Birders' Exchange project. For someone coming from South America, like myself, it was really surprising to see that there were people working so hard in the other end of the American continent for helping researchers and birders in the whole of Latin America and, best of all, achieving great results. This made me think that there's always something one can and must do for helping those who need it, so with great pleasure I joined this project, taking a first step in this hopefully long lasting and rewarding task of volunteering for Birders' Exchange.
 
I started to work in both tourism to the nature and conservation in 1982. Throughout the years, I volunteered in several projects oriented to preserve natural ecosystems and wildlife species in my country, Argentina. I volunteered at the Argentine branch of Birdlife International, called Asociación Ornitológica del Plata, and for the Argentine Wildlife Foundation between 1982 and 1988. In 1991 I helped found in my city, Puerto Madryn, the first bird society in Patagonia, called Asociación Ornitológica Austral, of which I'm actually the president. I started my own tour company in 2001, called Trogon Tours/ Birding Argentina, which runs nature and birding tours in the southern cone of South America and Antarctica. Through our company we promote and operate tours focused in natural history, as well as support conservation projects. We are also constantly training new guides in the art of leading natural history tours.

Manuel Grosselet
Field Ornithologist – Mexico
Contact: birdinnet@yahoo.com.mx
 
Spanish speakers in Mexico and Central America need to receive information to increase their knowledge and activity in conservation. This book is a good tool to reach this goal.
 
I am doing research, educational projects and am leading birders in Mexico.

Marco A. Gurrola Hidalgo
Institute of Biology, UNAM – Mexico
 
Many people in Mexico are working in nature with a growing number of specialists, particularly ornithologists. Science, animals and plants do not have borders so this is a good opportunity to help other people, the planet and ourselves.
 
I am an Assistant Curator of the National Collection of Birds. I work with migratory and endemic birds in Cienegas de Lerma. Noemí Chávez Castañeda and I have two monitoring stations in Mexico City, Jardín Botánico and Reserva del Pedregal de San Angel, and we work with the program MoSi banding migratory birds in the winter. In the México City valley we study urban birds and their importance.

María José Espinosa Romero
LARN, President of The Youth Environmental Network in Yucatan, Coordinator of Environmental Restoration and Ecotourism Programs – Mexico
Contact: emariajose@redambiental.zzn.com
 
When I read about this project I wanted to participate because for me it's very important to share and extend this kind of information to people, in this case, who live in the Neotropics and are Spanish speakers. I am very interested in ecological economics, conservation of biodiversity and social development programs.

Mark Zola
Translator, Railway Worker and Nature Lover – Cambridge, MA, USA
 
Mark Zola has been a volunteer translator for the Birders' Exchange Program for ten years. He is a member of the American Translators Association (ATA) and the New England Translators Association (NETA) and holds Certificates in Spanish to English Translation from the University of Massachusetts (Boston) and from New York University. Mark has worked as a conductor on the Boston area Commuter Rail for the past seventeen years.

Mercedes Rivadeneira
Neblina Forest – Quito, Ecuador
Contact: 800-538-2149
 
When I was at the ABA convention and heard Betty Petersen talking so eagerly about the project of translating A Neotropical Companion into Spanish, what came to my mind were many of my friends who are in love with our forests, the local indigenous and the Ecuadorians who speak no English. I said, "Thank God. Now they will be able to read it!" So I said, "Yes, I will pitch in." I want to see this book in Spanish. One chapter is not much, but I enjoyed translating it.
 
As the founder of Neblina Forest, the first South American birdwatching outfit, I am now working along with our new partner, Lelis Navarrete, on developing trips to Brazil as well as to Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

Miguel Angel Salinas Melgoza
Biologist – Mexico
 
I am working on plant ecology, structure and composition in several ecosystems in Mexico, mainly in the tropical rain forest in Chiapas, the dry forest in Chamela and the temperate forest at the Monarca bioshphere reserve. My main area of interest in spatial plant ecology.

Noemí Chávez Castañeda
Biologist and Ornithologist, Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, UNAM – Mexico
 
I appreciate being able to work with your team of collaborators on this project. I am an Assistant Curator of the National Collection of Birds and am currently the technical secretary of the Institute of Biology.

Ricardo Pérez
Birdwatcher and Biologist – El Salvador
 
I think a copy of A Neotropical Companion in Spanish will help people in our countries who don't read English to know more about the Neotropics. It was my pleasure to help you in this great continent-wide effort! I'm a birdwatcher and my passion is birds of prey. This year I've planned to count the hawk migration in my country, which will provide the first official preliminary numbers of birds flying over and roosting. I am planning to study for my Master's degree in tropical forest management and conservation of biodiversity at CATIE, Costa Rica. I'm also an ecotourist guide, in case anybody is interested in visiting El Salvador.

Rodrigo Torres Núñez
Associate Professor, National Pedagogical University, Department of Biology – Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
 
I wanted to contribute if possible to the conservation of the biodiversity of the planet with particular emphasis on the Neotropics. I am a biology professor working in areas of conservation, entomology and evolution at the National Pedagogical University in Bogota.

Sergio A. Cabrera Cruz
Biologist and Birder – Veracruz, Mexico
 
I am a volunteer in this project because I like the idea of sharing A Neotropical Companion in the Neotropical countries in our own language. I'm a biologist and just finished my studies. I'm interested in the problem of bird trade, which is a very common activity here in Mexico and in all the world.

Dr. Sofia Solórzano-Lujano
Researcher on ecological and evolutionary processes that explain the current Neotropical biodiversity. – Mexico
Contact: sofiaslujano@yahoo.com.mx
 
I participated in this project because I am interested in knowing the ecological and evolutionary processes that explain the current Neotropical biodiversity. In addition to ecological research, I use molecular tools to infer microevolutionary processes occurring in Neotropical species.

Sophie Calmé
Researcher, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur – Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
 
A Neotropical Companion is a wonderful book that needed to be available to those who live in the Neotropics and do not speak English. No doubt it will be useful to teachers and environmental educators who are always eager for good material.

Betty Petersen
Birders' Exchange Program Director – USA
 
Betty Petersen has effectively overseen the growth, direction, and management of the Birders' Exchange Program with skill and grace since 1995. Thanks to Betty's vision and determination the translation project has become a reality – a dream come true. She also has a number of other education and bird conservation initiatives planned for Birders' Exchange in the future.

Susie Vancura
Volunteer Translation Project Coordinator Birders' Exchange – USA
 
How could I have guessed that coordinating this translation project would provide me with a sense of making a contribution to an important endeavor while making so many new and fascinating friends? You can see them here! As a former researcher I thoroughly enjoy learning about their research and other scientific activities. As a birder interested in our larger world, their sharing of birding activities, hobbies, travels, cultures and families all make this a very personally rewarding experience. The dedication and commitment of these volunteers continually impress me and I am constantly grateful for their time, expertise and spirit of collaboration. Muchas gracias a todos!