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A Statement from the Chairperson (Dr. Judith Gobin), Members of the Board of Management of the Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) and Mr. Ian Lambie (past President/CEO of the AWNC).
Mr. Phil Schaeffer left this earth on the 16th April 2025. The Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) is indebted to Phil who played a major role in our history, as did his wife Margaret.
When the Springhill Estate was purchased from Mrs. Asa Wright in 1967, the Asa Wright Nature Centre Trust (site of the ecolodge) was established. As the ecolodge grew, the AWNC Boad decided to appoint a booking agent in the USA to facilitate timely bookings from prospective guests. In 1984, Connecticut Travel, and specifically Mrs. Margaret Schaeffer, was selected as the replacement for the original booking agent. At that time her husband Phil was the Manager of the National Audubon Center in Connecticut.
Some years later, Phil and Margaret established Caligo Ventures which became the sole US booking agent for the AWNC. An affable couple, Phil and Margaret brought with them many years of relevant experience; as AWNC President Emeritus Mr. Ian Lambie says, “a better team could not have been selected”!
The services of Caligo Ventures far exceeded those provided by the previous agent. These included advertisements and promotion of the Nature Centre and ecolodge, seminars and lectures to birding and natural history organisations in the USA etc. Phil also identified and organised training opportunities, mainly through internships at Nature Centres in the USA, for the AWNC Guides/Interpreters in the off-season. Phil was also instrumental in identifying and successfully recruiting suitable professionals and nature centre management practitioners to fill vacancies (reserved for non-resident members) on the AWNC Board.
Under this agreement, which was mutually beneficial to both the AWNC and Caligo, the AWNC thrived. The increase in guest arrivals and the concomitant increase in revenue permitted the AWNC to embark on a previously unprecedented increase in the number of its guest rooms from 8 to 25! At the same time, it enabled the AWNC to purchase other hillside lands in the Northern Range, increasing the conservation area under the AWNC’s protection, fulfilling one of the key objectives of the Trust!
After Phil and Margaret retired from Caligo Ventures some years ago, Phil accepted his nomination to the Board of Management of the AWNC and made a sterling contribution to the Trust in that capacity. He served in later years as the Vice Chairperson of the Board until 2021, following the closure of the AWNC’s ecolodge business during the Covid-19 pandemic; when he demitted office. Phil was also the prime mover in the establishment of a charitable foundation, The Friends of Asa Wright United States (FOAWUS), in Florida. This organisation, which survives his death, will stand as his enduring contribution to the AWNC.
The AWNC recognises the major contribution, dedication and hard work by Phil and Margaret and Caligo Ventures. For this we are extremely grateful.
Thank you, Phil!
TRIBUTES BY INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS:
I remember Phil, very fondly, as being extremely supportive of me as Chair, AWNC. He was honest and had a genuine love for all that is AWNC. I will miss sharing very cold Caribs on the verandah with Phil as we discussed AWNC matters.
∼ Judi Gobin
Phil’s contribution to the Trust was as great as his love for the Asa Wright Nature Centre. He helped navigate the Trust through difficult financial periods including the recent Covid-19 pandemic. His fundraising efforts to support the work of the Trust were unparalleled.
∼ Marina Narinesingh
What to say about Phil? I was present when he and Margaret were enlisted as the AWNC travel agents. They were incredibly organised and passionate about the Centre. He helped in sponsoring all types of trips for guests and allowed us to grow and grow. He did this with charm and humour. Something we sometimes forget is to remember to laugh even at our worst moments. He was kind and transitioned onto the Board of Management in a seamless fashion. I will miss our chats, his well thought out views of conservation, politics and honour. His best line to me was, “Don’t sweat the small stuff”. A very useful comment to a fellow who works with the smallest of creatures and can be very obsessive. Thank you, Phil and Margaret for your love and caring. The world has lost a champion for right and good.
∼ Ray Mendez
Phil was not just a fellow conservationist and activist, but also a dear friend and colleague. He was a true champion of our natural world and the Asa Wright Nature Centre. He understood the beauty and fragility of nature, and this passion fueled his tireless efforts to protect Asa Wright Nature Centre, the wildlife found throughout the Arima Valley, and wild places elsewhere in the world. He devoted his life to advocating for conservation, working with the National Audubon Society, and raising awareness by promoting ecotourism. Many of my fond memories of Asa Wright Nature Centre are the picturesque evenings on the veranda of the Springhill Estate, having wonderful conversations with Phil, and hearing about his work and hopes for the future. His absence leaves a void in our lives, but his memory will always be cherished.
∼ David A. Oehler
I had been working as an independent building contractor when I was asked if I was available to supervise a project at the Asa Wright Nature Centre. While the project for which I had retained never got started, I was asked to stay on, managing AWNC’s buildings and infrastructure. With pleasure I stayed and worked there for ten years, becoming friends with AWNC Board Members who came to Springhill each AGM – and who I finally was honoured by being asked to join! After both Phil and I had retired and Covid closed our beloved Spring Hill, Phil and I stayed in touch via Facebook. Earlier this year, when he would have been ill without telling us, he sent me a photo he had taken of me, sitting with my back against a tree Carib Beer in hand, on one of our outings! So Thank You, Phil, I know that your Spirit still floats through our forests!
∼ Peter O’Connor
Phil’s warmth, kindness and generosity with time was so profoundly felt that I often forget that we never met in person over the 5 years I knew him, all of our interactions were virtually through Zoom calls, emails and iMessages. I never had any doubt that Phil cared deeply, and I appreciated that he was solution driven but what I truly loved most about him was that he could find levity in the most serious and even boring discussions! When I think of Phil, it’s of him cracking a subtle joke and making me chuckle all the way across the Caribbean Sea.
∼ Analissa Rasheed
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CLOSED
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]]>The Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) was pleased to welcome the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, UN Resident Coordinator Joanna Kazana and UNDP Resident Representative Ugo Blanco and their delegations, and the Minister of Planning and Development, the Honourable Pennelope Beckles to the Spring Hill Estate on 02 July 2023. His Excellency was in country to celebrate the Caribbean Community’s 50th Anniversary.
At the Centre, they enjoyed spectacular views of the lush Arima Valley and the wonderful birds and vegetation around the Main House. They were also treated to a short tour along the Discovery Trail, expertly guided by Mukesh Ramdass and a delicious tasting menu of local cuisine prepared by HADCO Experiences.
The UN Secretary General and his delegation learnt about the work of the AWNC which includes the preservation of forests as a wildlife sanctuary in the Arima, Aripo and Guanapo valleys of the Northern Range in Trinidad and Tobago. The protected lands comprise mainly secondary forest and sequesters roughly 130,000 tonnes CO2. From decades of scientific research and conservation, more than 170 species of birds, 11 species of small mammals, 24 species of bats and 18 species of reptiles and amphibians were recorded at the AWNC. These include the endemic Trinidad stream frog and Trinidad motmot, three nationally designated Environmental Sensitive Species – the ocelot, Trinidad howler monkey and Trinidad Piping-guan, and the only accessible colony of oilbirds.
The AWNC also spoke about its commitment to scientific research through the operation of the Simla Field Research Station, named after famed naturalist William Beebe and after its donation by the New York Zoological Society (now Wildlife Conservation Society) to the AWNC in 1975, the Trust has continued the rich legacy of facilitating and encouraging local and international researchers, resulting in over 500 published papers.
We also highlighted our leadership role in environmental education, tackling environmental issues plaguing the Arima Valley especially illegal quarry, promoting compatible economic opportunities for the local communities and our pioneering involvement in ecotourism.
All photo credits: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
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]]>In the field of planning, she spent ten years in the public service, with the Town & Country Planning Division of the Ministry of Planning and Development in Trinidad & Tobago, and with the Ministry of Housing, Lands and the Environment in Barbados. In the private sector, she has worked in Trinidad & Tobago with Trintoplan Consultants Ltd., Alpha Engineering and Design Ltd., and Rapid Environmental Assessments Ltd. She is a professional member of the Trinidad & Tobago Society of Planners (TTSP) and an affiliate member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad & Tobago (APETT).
As a lawyer, Christine has worked in the Attorney General’s Department, Trinidad and Tobago, and in private practice. She is a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law and has served as a consultant on planning, environmental management, institutional strengthening, and legislative drafting to various international organizations, including the World Bank, IADB, CDB, UNDP, UNCHS, UNECLAC, PAHO/WHO, FAO, OAS, DFID, and the EU and has worked in every Commonwealth Caribbean country, as well as several non-English speaking countries in the region, as well as outside of the Caribbean. She has also engaged in voluntary work as a member of various environmental NGOs. In this capacity, she has served as an executive member of the Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA) and is an Honorary Life Member of the Board of Directors of the Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) in Trinidad & Tobago.
She has participated in many international seminars and conferences on planning and environmental law and has several published works on planning, environmental, and land law.
During the academic year 2010-2011 she served as Course Coordinator and Lecturer in International and Caribbean Environmental Law at the Faculty of Law, UWI Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. Previously, she served for several years as a part-time lecturer in planning, land and environmental law in the post-graduate programs in Planning & Development, Land Administration, and Environmental Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, and also lectured in Environmental Law and Policy in the Master’s Programme in Environmental Science & Management at the University of Trinidad & Tobago. She has also served as an External Examiner for the Master’s Programme in Legislative Drafting at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, and a guest lecturer for McGill University and Santa Clara University.
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]]>University of Houston, Texas, Bachelor of Business Administration, 1967.
Career history: Petroleum Industry Trinidad 1956-1963. Sabbatical for University 1964-1967. Construction Industry, Trinidad 1968-2003. Football (soccer) Administration, Trinidad 2003-2006. Asa Wright Nature Centre 2008-present, as Projects Advisor.
Interests: Writing (columnist for Sunday Newsday, Trinidad), Camping/ Hiking Trinidad’s forests, Activism, especially Environmental issues, Sports fan.
Joined Asa Wright Nature Centre on November 1st, 2008, to supervise the construction of the proposed Jonnie Fisk Conference Facility. The project stalled on world economic collapse so was re-assigned to other areas, including coordinating Sustainability initiatives. Represented AWNC Team in trying to improve quarrying practices in Arima Valley, land identification issues, re-forestation at Aripo, coffee and cocoa rehabilitation, and general maintenance. While departing the Board, Peter has continued to be a key player in all of the issue areas noted above and remains an exceptionally valuable asset to the Centre!
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]]>When he first established WAP, Ray focused his attention on the photography and publication of wildlife stories, motivating Natural History magazine to publish four articles that promoted the wildlife of Trinidad and as a result the AWNC. His other work projects were heavily weighted toward the communication industries. Having created the special effects or wrangled (he coined the term “insect wrangler”) critters in over 200 television commercials and hundreds of still ads, including the creation of such iconic images as the Ronald McDonald happy meals toys that later became known as the Hamburgler and Ronald McDonald, the egg for the movie poster Alien (he coined the term “In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream”) and the Absolute vodka fish campaign. Many TT residents should remember this ad as it was prominent for several years at the entrance to the main lounge at the Piarco airport. His skills also lead him to be hired as project principal in movies such as Silence of the Lambs, Joe’s Apartment, and Creepshow.
Ray was asked to return to museum design work by the director of the Museum of the Hudson Highlands. That project, incorporating traditional museum quality design, advertising message delivery systems, and movie storytelling techniques, was such a hit that he was asked to design the first two garbage museums in the US. This was quite a challenge as he had to encourage guests to be excited over things they had just put in the trash. Totally by accident, his love of mole rats (he had done several magazine articles on them) propelled him to work in zoos. His interest in conservation mixed with storytelling has led him to work on dozens of significant projects including Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida (where he continues to serve as an adviser to the company), Trail of the Elephants at the Melbourne Zoo in Australia, and the Kid’s Zone at the Tacoma Zoo in the state of Washington.
Ray’s philosophy at Work As Play focuses on creating teaching environments unique to the institutions he serves. His teams perform their work within a framework of designers, architects, artists, and educators who work closely with an institution’s staff and other consultants to create exhibits that not only serve the public, but also are fun, visually exciting, informative, and easy to maintain. His forte is in creating environments that teach in a casual, friendly atmosphere. As he feels the ultimate client is always the visitor, his goal is to design exhibits that motivate people to ask questions, change their own behavior and attitudes, and help prepare them to understand areas of future concern. He has, during his entire tenure on the board of the AWNC, tried to bring these ideas and ways of working to the forefront of the decision-making process.
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]]>Ian served as the Secretary to the Board in 1976 and at the Annual General Meeting of 1977, he was unanimously elected to the post of President on the nomination of the outgoing President, Dr.Copeland. His nomination was then seconded by the famous wildlife artist and another founder of the Centre, Don Eckleberry.
Over the course of his leadership at the Centre, Ian brought great value to the Centre by transforming it into one of the most desirable destinations for naturalists and birdwatchers from throughout the world. In the October 1999 Issue of Audubon magazine, the Asa Wright Nature Centre was identified as one of the finest Eco-Lodges in the world. The Asa Wright Nature Centre was also selected as the model for a UNDP-funded case study on “Eco-tourism as a Strategy for Sustainable Development.”
In January 1989, Ian was appointed Executive President and later, in November 1998, he left the board to be appointed to the newly created post of President/CEO of the organization, a post that he held until his retirement in 2001.
Ian has been the recipient of many awards including, in 1995, a National Award of Trinidad and Tobago, “The Hummingbird Medal – Gold “ in recognition of his work in Environmental Conservation.
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]]>The post CAROL JENNIFER JAMES, nee WARD, Ph.D. appeared first on Asa Wright Nature Centre.
]]>Early retirement from formal work at age 51, in October 2001, enabled Dr. James to continue pursuing more directly, her passion for assisting people and communities in pursuing their individual and collective forms of development. Her efforts focused mainly on continuing the work she initiated during the late 1980s on the east and north coast beaches of Trinidad on sustainable turtle conservation, using nest viewing as a basis for eco-tourism while enhancing other forms of rural development. These included expanding community linkages in the work of the AWNC and facilitating the building of rural capacity for saving the unique Trinidad Piping Guan or Pawi through the GLWT. Some rural communities in north and east Trinidad have become self-sustaining and therefore economically viable, as a result of seminal efforts to stimulate ecotourism and other entrepreneurial activities initiated by Carol and her teams of colleagues more than two decades ago.
Dr. James was honored in 2011 by the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) as one of its Honorary Distinguished Fellows and also by the University of the West Indies (UWI) in 2011, as one of its 50 Distinguished Alumni, both for her contributions towards people-centered environmental management and sustainable development in Trinidad and Tobago.
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]]>The post EDGAR JULIAN DUNCAN, (JULIAN), Ph.D. appeared first on Asa Wright Nature Centre.
]]>In 1975 he attended the Freie Universitat in Berlin Germany on a Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst Dienst (DAAD) Fellowship, where he developed an expertise in Plant Tissue Culture, which became his special field for the remainder of his University career, and for which he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award, by the National Institute of Higher Education (Science, research and Technology ) NIHERST in 2002. He sat on the Board of the Asa Wright Nature Centre for a number of years and was Chair of their Education Programme for some time. Subsequent to his retirement from the Board, he was named an Honorary Life Member.
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