Art & Education to Save a Bird from Extinction

Dear donors and supporters,

In recent days, the rural Guáquira School where this project prioritizes activities, has finished a lovely mural dedicated to Apolinar's Wren, to compete for the Múcura Prize that we are about to unveil this 27th of March, in the 6th Muyso Festival that will happen in the Xieti Nature Reserve, next to Lake Tota.

These children remain very keen with their appreciation for this bird, and we, in turn, are so happy this is happening, because that's the idea from the start of the project: to create awareness for bird conservation through art and education.

To create that mural, kids had a process of a few weeks that included an art illustration workshop at the Xieti Studio, a co-creation of the mural on paper first <based on research and a reminder of its habitat and bird details>, and later a few more workshops to help them understand how to pass on the drawing from paper to the wall. Further on we gave them the paint and brushes, and the mural started.

Check that photo attached, such a beutiful result, isn't it? 

Thank you so much for your continuous support, it does alwayd help!

Warm regards,

Felipe Velasco
Director, Fundación Montecito

Links:

• Monthly donation to SueTy: Art & Education to Save a Bird

Dear Donors and Supporters,

We are writing to provide a brief update on the progress aligned with our project "SueTy" (whisper of the bird, in Muisca language), focused on using Art & Education to Save a Bird from Extinction—specifically the endangered, endemic Apolinar's Wren in Colombia. Our goal remains to revert the decreasing population trend of this bird by providing innovative environmental education to children in rural schools at Lake Tota.

We are pleased to report that Fundación Montecito recently co-executed the Hidro-Aves Tota (HAT) Science Week (SdC HAT)—see our blog post here—, a marvelous opportunity to re-engage with local school communities and strengthen affective and conservation ties with the Lake Tota territory.

These activities directly reinforce SueTy's methodology, which uses various art formats and transmedia storytelling to increase awareness and participation. During the Science Week, we delivered combined art and science sessions to rural primary school children.

Key highlights of the sessions, supporting the education and art components of SueTy, included:

• The Art Session: Children participated in a relationship and awareness task, alongside a bird illustration workshop held at the Xieti Natural Reserve. This session, led by an illustrator and artisan, took place at the Taller Xieti, a permanent space for art and nature learning.
• The Science Session: Children received basic training in observation equipment and sighting techniques. They used specialized equipment, such as a spotting scope, to learn about avifauna monitoring in the Lake Tota area.

Fundación Montecito facilitated these spaces, in coordination with partners, offering necessary equipment, facilities, and logistics. By strengthening early capacities for these children (including those from schools like Guáquira, Donsiquira, and Llano de Alarcón), we are working towards the ultimate objective of knowing, appreciating, and conserving the Lake Tota basin.

Your support for SueTy is helping to foster collaborative environmental learning that inspires young people to bring change to the region and preserve the habitat of the Apolinar's Wren.

Gratefully yours,

Felipe Velasco
Director at Fundación Montecito

Links:

• Monthly donation to SueTy: Art & Education to Save a Bird