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PROJECTS
Since the beginning, our organization has carried out many projects in the community that seek to promote education and conservation. Here we present our approach and some of our well-known projects.
DEVELOPMENT OF GRANT PROPOSALS & NEW INITIATIVES
SOPI is committed to maximizing available resources in order to promote avian conservation, the monitoring and management of important bird areas, as well as incorporating communities and the general public in these processes.
MONITORING IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS (IBAs)
Designated by BirdLife International in collaboration with SOPI, IBAs are regularly monitored in order to establish the conservation status of endemic and migratory birds in Puerto Rico. This is done with the support of our team of volunteers and interested citizen scientists.
eBIRD
PUERTO RICO
Para La Naturaleza
manages the dedicated portal for the digital platform in Puerto Rico in collaboration with SOPI. Through the program, both organizations monitor bird sightings reported on the island. You can learn more and visit the portal
in this section.
ARTIFICIAL CARIBBEAN MARTIN
(Progne dominicensis)
NESTS AT TORTUGUERO LAGOON
In 2016, SOPI identified a lack of nesting places for Caribbean Martins in the area. As part of a collaboration between the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), SOPI's members and volunteers began installing artificial nesting structures. After the passage of Hurricane María, our team of volunteers reinforced the post holding the structures, and installed new artificial nests. This effort would not have been possible without the dedication and work of Sergio Colón, a founding member of SOPI, and the Camacho Brothers, who provided the heavy equipment that facilitated the work.
FESTIVALS
SOPI distinguishes itself for its compromise to environmental education through varios festivals celebrated throughout the year. These include: the Puerto Rico Endemic Bird Festival, the Migratory Bird Festival and the Shorebird Festival. These activities serve as an encounter between different communities including artists and artesans, biologists, birders and everyone interested in celebrating our birds, culture and nature.
CONTACTO VERDE
The main objective of the "Green Contact" program, developed by the Puerto Rico Departments of Education and Natural and Environmental Resources, is to guarantee outdoors education through a requisite 10 hours of contact with nature per semester. SOPI is one of the organizations authorized to certify green contact hours. Do you need assistance completing your hours? Contact us in this link! Our birding activities, workshops and talks can help you meet the program requirements.
SOPI FLOCKS
SOPI organizes monthly "flocks", or birdwatching activities throughout important natural areas in Puerto Rico. Join us! There are no requisites for birding and exploring the areas that surround us. Follow us on Facebook to stay informed on our upcoming activities.
THE PUERTO RICO SHOREBIRD NETWORK
The Puerto Rico Shorebird Network was established in 2001 with the purpose of monitoring shorebird populations in Important Bird Areas (IBAs). The network consists of a series of surveys throughout the island in places such as Cabo Rojo, Jobos Bay and Caño Tiburones conducted following the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) methodolog
Data collected is reported through eBird Caribbean (link!), where scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology study long term population trends along migratory flyways across the Americas.
SOPI is currently working to strengthen this program and ensure the continuity of our data collection, as well as standardize the methods used in counting birds, in conjunction with other local, conservation minded organizations.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Our organization is dedicated to supporting local communities, as well as organizing special activities as needed. These activities include, but are not limited to: workshops and talks for students of all levels, bird identification workshops, beach cleanups and other activities aimed at promoting habitat restoration and sustainability with the aid of citizen scientists.
BIRDS THAT FISH
This initiative consists of a collaboration between SOPI, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources' (DNER) Aquatic Resource Education Program and members of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (PR-AFS).
We will be organizing and hosting an encounter between birders and fishermen for a day of workshops on both fish and bird identification, as well as educational activities focused on the importance of aquatic ecosystems. The initial activity is set to take place at the Guajataca Reservoir's recreational fishing facilities in late August 2019.
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