On October 8, 2022, the first ever World Migratory Bird Day festival was held in Suriname. Organized by SOLOM, the event brought children from several schools together to learn about migration, light pollution, and the importance of the area for wildlife. The festival was held at Longmay, a town in the district of Nickerie, bordering the Bigi Pan WHSRN site. This effort to engage the community in shorebirds at Bigi Pan is part of a larger project that is working to protect critical shorebird habitat on the coast of Suriname.
SOLOM is a non-governmental community organization founded in 1993. The organization has recently been revived with new board members and new energy. The festival and larger project was funded by the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA).
All Photos: Arne Lesterhuis
