Mark Bonta, Ian McGregor, and John Dibert will describe their trips to some of Honduras’s most important protected areas, their encounters with the flora and fauna, and the local people who, against all odds, dedicate their lives to conservation. In particular, they will look at several iconic but threatened bird species—Red-throated Caracara, Honduran Emerald, Three-wattled Bellbird, Golden-winged Warbler, Great Green Macaw, and others—that depend on healthy cloud forests, dry forests, rain forests, and pine forests protected by community-based conservation initiatives. They will conclude by explaining how Pennsylvanians can get involved.
Mark is Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences at Penn State Altoona, and has lived, worked and researched in Honduras off and on since 1991. Ian is a senior Environmental Studies major, and John is a sophomore Geosciences major, both at Penn State Altoona.