Original Announcement
on 350-24-24 Photo Challenge to AfricanBirding by Mark Anderson
(8 October 2009)
From: AfricanBirding@yahoogroups.com
On Behalf Of Mark Anderson
Sent: 08 October 2009 08:10
To: SAbirdnet; AfricanBirding
Subject: [AfricanBirding] Urgent: Announcement of 350-24-24
Bird Photo Challenge
Dear birders and bird photographers
I’m extremely pleased to extend an open invitation
to all bird photographers in South Africa to join me in the just-launched
350-24-24 Bird Photo Challenge. On 24 October volunteer
bird photographers all over South Africa are going to photograph
350species of birds within 24 hours and post the images on
a website to promote birding, bird conservation and climate change
awareness around
the world.
The Challenge is a partnership between BirdLife South
Africa, Birding
Africa and PlusPlusMinus webdesign and will an innovative
contribution
by the South African birding community to the world’s
biggest
simultaneous environmental awareness action, 350.org’s
International
Day of Climate Action.
On 24 October thousands of people in more than 140 countries
will be
doing a range of creative actions to raise awareness of
one of the
most critical issues of our time, climate change. The
President of the
Maldives will be holding a cabinet meeting underwater
to highlight the
danger of rising sea levels, climbers at the Mount Everest
Base Camp
will be raising banners about glacial melting, and crowds
of creative
people will be doing all sorts of things on Table Mountain.
The Day of
Action has the support of prominent scientists like NASA’s
James Hansen, the world’s most famous climate researcher,
and our own Nobel
Prize-winning Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Since we’re about birds and conservation, and 350.org’s
Day of Action
is a magnificent opportunity to ride a wave of global
environmental
concern, we’ve decided to use the opportunity to
raise the profile of
South Africa’s amazing avifauna.
The Challenge will be as inclusive as possible –
we aim to include
photos by all contributors in the online mosaic of bird
pictures that
will result from the Challenge. Photographers will be
given full
credit for their images, and will be encouraged to promote
the
conservation of threatened species and highlight great
birding
destinations in the picture captions. We’re encouraging
members of
other conservation organisations to join in, and are inviting
other
countries to set up their own 350-24-24 Bird Photo Challenges.
October 24 is just around the corner, so don’t
delay in visiting the
350-24-24 Challenge website at http://350.birdingafrica.com
to find
out more and register your participation!
I’d like to thank Birding Africa, PlusPlusMinus
and BirdLife South
Africa's Nikki McCartney for helping get this together
at such short
notice, and Adam Welz at 350.org, who’s idea this
was in the first
place. By working together we, and the birds, win.
I’m going to be out with my camera on 24 October.
Are you?
Regards
Mark
PS Please circulate this open invitation to your networks
as widely as possible.
--
Mark D. Anderson
Executive Director: BirdLife South Africa
P. O. Box 515, Randburg 2125
South Africa
Tel: +27(0)11-7891122 (work)
Tel: +27(0)53-8420883 (home)
Mobile: +27(0)82-7880961
E-mail: director@birdlife.org.za
E-mail: torgos.t@gmail.com
Website: www.birdlife.org.za
