A colorful painted sign for South Rupununi Conservation Society in black across the middle. Three birds along the top, above the words, with a turtle and an anteater below.

Parker/Gentry Award Celebration

Event summary

When

4/25, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM CDT

Ticketing

Free, registration required

Alert

About this event

This April the Field Museum will give the Parker/Gentry Award to the South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS).

Join us to celebrate the environmental conservation achievements of the South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS) at the 28th Parker/Gentry Award ceremony for their outstanding efforts to preserve wildlife, engage young people, and support traditional livelihoods in the Rupununi region of Guyana. A delegation from SRCS will be at the Field Museum to receive the award in person. 

SRCS is a leading conservation group in the megadiverse South American country of Guyana. Originally founded in 1998 by a group of friends eager to reverse the decline of certain species native to the area, SRCS’s work is firmly rooted in the forests, savannas, and wetlands of Guyana’s Rupununi. This globally-celebrated biodiversity hotspot is home to a large number of Indigenous communities, many of which lend their expertise to the Society’s conservation goals. The experts who staff and currently lead SRCS come from all walks of life—from tour guides and teachers to business leaders and scientists. Since 2002, its mission is to preserve the wildlife, environment, and culture of the Rupununi region of Southern Guyana through community-based conservation, environmental education, and research. 

SRCS projects to date include population studies of globally threatened birds such as the Endangered Red Siskin (Spinus cucullatus), Vulnerable Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), environmental education and traditional knowledge programs in Indigenous communities, habitat preservation and restoration, and work to restore populations of globally Vulnerable Yellow-spotted River Turtles (Podocnemis unifilis).

For questions about the event, contact Steph Moraes at smoraes@fieldmuseum.org.

About the Parker/Gentry Award

The Parker/Gentry Award was established in 1996, named after late conservationists Theodore A. Parker III and Alwyn Gentry. The award recognizes individuals, teams, or organizations in conservation whose efforts have made a significant impact on preserving the world's natural heritage and whose approach can serve as a model to others. Each year, a committee of Field scientists reviews nominees and selects an awardee whose methods can inspire and guide others. Learn more at parkergentry.fieldmuseum.org.