WHSRN Site Dedications

Bahía de Asunción: In July, partners at the Bahía de Asunción Site of Regional Importance — the first WHSRN site in Paraguay — celebrated its recent designation with an event in the City of Asunción. The Municipality of Asunción and the State Secretary of the Environment share not only ownership of the bay, but also a commitment to conserving it. The nongovernmental organization Guyra Paraguay was instrumental in bringing together more than 20 diverse partners to support this site’s designation. The celebration occurred within the context of the 3rd Plenary of the Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative (WHMSI), held in Asunción.

WHSRN Hemispheric Council member Garry Donaldson of the Canadian Wildlife Service presented Paraguay’s Minister of Tourism, Liz Cramer, with the Bahía de Asunción WHSRN Site certificate Photo courtesy of G. Donaldson and Deb Hahn

The Great Marsh: In August, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge hosted a dedication event at its headquarters in Newburyport, Massachusetts USA, to celebrate the ongoing partnership between federal, state, and nongovernmental organizations and private landowners within the 25,000-acre Great Marsh — a Site of Regional Importance designated in 2004.

WHSRN Executive Director Charles Duncan (left) and Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Manager Graham Taylor (right) display the new Great Marsh WHSRN Site sign created for the Refuge’s Visitor Center © Keith Morehouse

Lagunas de Ecuasal: On October 16th, partners of the first WHSRN site in Ecuador, Lagunas de Ecuasal, are celebrating its designation as a Site of Regional Importance. The site includes the Salinas and Pacoa lagoons, which are managed for salt production from seawater via solar evaporation. Conservation partners include ECUASAL (private saltworks company and landowner), the Ecuadorian Foundation for the Study of Marine Mammals, and Aves & Conservación.

Shorebirds and flamingos gather in the Salinas Lagoon near the City of Salinas, Ecaudor © Ben Haase