The following birthday announcement is brought to you by…

Presidente, a refreshing brand of Pilsner beer proudly brewed in the Dominican Republic since 1935

and…

The Solenodon Crochet Company, a family owned and operated business out of Rabo de Gato known for high quality, hand-crafted crochet animals

Loving shout-outs, warm well-wishes, and funny anecdotes from your friends around the Caribbean and beyond:

Kate Wallace is a living legend in the Dominican Republic. With much enthusiasm, passion and energy, she has done so much to advance ornithology, bird education, and bird tourism in the DR.

For those that may not know her history: Kate arrived to the DR 24 years ago with the Peace Corps and has worked as a volunteer for BirdsCaribbean, Sociedad Ornitologica de la Hispaniola, Grupo Jaragua, and Grupo Acción Ecológica. Her formal education is teaching, and as a field naturalist, bird education came natural to her. At her house one can see drawings from the 1980’s all over the walls, including pictures done by school children learning how to draw birds. There is also a colorful bird rotofolio to give talks (“charlas”) about birds when there is no electricity, a frequent condition out in the countryside.

Over the years Kate has worked with many researchers and students such as Steve Latta, Chris Rimmer, and Justin Proctor, to name a few, generously helping them with whatever they needed—providing a place to stay in Santo Domingo and organizing help in the field and other logistics. Kate has been a key person in getting the Caribbean Waterbird Census going in the DR, and has organized and helped with countless bird education events for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival and World Migratory Bird Day, as well as BirdSleuth Caribbean. Kate also developed her own bird tourism company, Tody Tours, and has a fabulous “camp” up in the Sierra de Bahoruco mountains so that people can experience the incredible birds and beauty of this region.

When you walk down the streets of the Colonial Zone with Kate, she is greeted by everyone. The day we went to the Ministry of the Environment, she was treated like royalty. Greetings from different people included, “I took the course you coordinated!” “Hi Katy, how are you? I know you from the workshops!” and “Hi Kate, after our bird club, now I work for the ministry.” Even out in the countryside, people wave to Kate as she drives by shouting “Katy, Katy” with a big smile! If you say to her, “Kate, you didn’t tell us you were famous,” she cheerfully responds, “I didn’t know I was!”

Kate is also fearless—the WORST roads in the world are in the DR and they are not an impediment to Kate and her mission. I have been with Kate when a rock fell from a passing truck on to our windshield – it sounded like a bomb and the windshield shattered into a million pieces, embedding some tiny fragments of glass into my skin. Another time, in pursuit of birds, we drove across a stretch of flooded, washed out road with a river running over it that nearly swept our car away! Both experiences were terrifying (to me), but were all in a day’s work for Kate!!!

Kate absolutely loves being a part of the conservation movement in the DR and, at 80, she still wants to do more for birds! Kate inspires us to keep working…and keep giving. She just registered for the upcoming BirdsCaribbean conference in Guadeloupe, and we can’t wait to see her there. In the meantime, we plan on celebrating her 80th birthday with a tall, cold beer—her favorite, El Presidente!!!  Happy Birthday Kate, we love you!!!

– Lisa Sorenson and Sheylda Diaz-Mendez and the BirdsCaribbean Board

Over the course of 5 years of field work, Kate helped make the Dominican Republic a second home for us.  She welcomed us into her Santo Domingo apartment, even providing a room for Jason to stash his many bins of field gear! Kate showed us around Santo Domingo, introduced us to birding spots, directed us to secluded natural areas, and let us camp at her Rabo de Gato property whenever we came down the north side of the Sierra de Bahoruco. She also introduced us to everyone and everything related to birds on the island, and never asked for anything in return except the occasional jug of maple syrup, brought in from the old country!

Kate’s influence on birdwatching and conservation in the DR is enormous. On her 80^th we wish her many more years of continued success and positive influence. We wish we could be there for a couple of Presidentes with Kate!

– Jason and Andrea Townsend

Happy Birthday Kate!  We can never thank you enough for having been so much help and giving so much of your time and warm hospitality when we were in the DR. Your passion and dedication are an inspiration. We’ve been showing videos and photos of the work with cua and gavilan to our boys lately and we miss the birds, and you, a lot. Hope you have a lovely and wonderful day surrounded by many friends!  All our love!

– Lance and Rina

Saludos a Dona Kate on your 80th birthday!

We are SO HAPPY that you stumbled into Joe Wunderle, Esteban Terranova, and me in Jarabacoa many years ago, and that your service to Dominican ornithology was launched.

Thank you for being our host, our field help, our eyes and ears, our recorder of data and histories, our annotator of records.

Thank you for being our networker, and introducing so many of us to each other.

Thank you for bringing ecotourism with style to the Sierra de Bahoruco.

Thank you for being you, and keeping that Kate attitude!

And most of all, thank you for being our friend!

Un abrazo,

– Steven Latta

A Birthday Shout-Out to Kate!  Happy Birthday to the Silent Auction Queen! Thank you for all you’ve done to support BirdsCaribbean over the years!

– Jennifer Wheeler

Would like to add my birthday wishes to Kate Wallace. We have worked together on the Silent Auction for a few years and have also roomed together several times – still friends.

My Bird Club of New Providence (Bahamas) did Kate’s tour in 2010 which was amazing, she is a great tour guide and ambassador for the birds of the region.

Kind regards from Nassau, Bahamas,

– Carolyn Wardle

Kate has been an important part of my training in the world of birds, I am very grateful to have known her.

Once we were in a Christmas Count in Bani, for the Waterfowl and at lunchtime she told us that she felt calm in the local restaurant because the dishes had flower paintings, which in the restaurants that put white dishes without designs was very expensive, hahahaha.

In the festivals of endemic birds I teach how to draw any bird in 4 simple steps: a circle for the torso, a circle for the head, two lines are the legs and a triangle is the peak. Ready, you have your bird.

There are many things you can meet with a person with so much experience and way of being. Thank you Kate Wallace for your love of the birds of my country.

– Johanna Rodriguez Paulino

Kate,

Happy Birthday – can’t believe it’s your 80th, but congratulations for your many contributions to bird conservation and environmental education in the DR and throughout the Caribbean, all contributed with good cheer. Your willingness to assist with the silent auctions for BirdsCaribbean has helped raise badly needed funds for BC. I don’t know where the time went, but it seems like only yesterday when you came up to Jarabacoa to join Steve and the “Ciguetaros” in our coffee study. Your infectious enthusiasm was a shot in the arm for us and eventually to bird conservation and environmental education in the DR. Hope I can celebrate with you in Guadeloupe in July. Much to discuss I’m sure. In the meantime, all the best on an important birthday!!

Cheers,

– Joe Wunderle

I will say about Kate… she is a character and one for the history books. While Annabelle Stockton (Dod) made the birds of the DR and Haiti available for all through her newspaper articles and guide, Kate Wallace was responsible for promoting the birds of the DR and Haiti, helping researchers do their work, and helping form a whole generation of bird lovers in the DR. Her commitment to the conservation of birds is undeniable. She established the first hostal designed exclusively for birdwatchers in this country. She has witnessed how a few local bird watchers have transcended to become accomplished bird photographers. Here are a few of my favorite moments when I think of Kate:

Kate instructed Danilo Mejia once to buy a used SUV for her. He found one and used a mechanic friend of his to make all the necessary repairs before Kate even saw the vehicle. When Danilo was about to deliver it, he thought it needed a “Hati Guallace” special something that would make it hers, so he had a tinted paper placed on the upper part of the windshield that read “LLEGÓ KATY”.

Kate’s eternal response to whether she had seen birds on any given outing was always… “miliones de aves”. She would also unknowingly make these yummy noises when she ate… “hmmm… muy buena”. So I travelled with two good friends around Lago Enriquillo and after a couple of days of imitating Kate’s “miliones de aves” and “hmmm… muy buena” we arrived at the Hotel Iguana in La Descubierta. We met the owner at the front door of the house, next to which there was a closed window that hid the hotel’s dining table. We could not see beyond the window as the panes where shut. We asked the owner if there was vacancy and a second later we heard a voice through the closed window. “Hmmm… muy buena!” It was Kate who coincidentally was having dinner with some birders. Of course my two companions only knew Kate by my imitations of her savoring her beloved Dominican food.

A Kate Wallace fact: Kate is a very nice person until 5pm rolls around, at which time it is imperative to provide immediately a Jumbo-sized Presidente “vestida de novia” (frosted). If the Presidente is not provided immediately, she will turn into werewolf.

With much love,

– Eladio Fernandez

Happy birthday, Kate! Wow, 80! Congratulations on this milestone. We are sorry that we aren’t around to celebrate with you. I remember your 75th birthday party, dancing and partying on the street with you!

And there are so many wonderful memories we have with you of birding adventures. We have quite a few photos but want to send you a few for memory’s sake.

We want you to know how much we love and appreciate you, Kate, and we will celebrate your birthday with you, although from a distance.

Love,

– Steve & Sandra

Please send Kate my warmest regards and a Happy Birthday! shout out.

– Wayne Arendt

The day we visited Ebano Blanco reserve, while training guides for the Caribbean Birding Trail, a rooster ripped Kate’s pants! I have no idea what that rooster was thinking Kate would do, but It was just amazing to watch her, calmly but cautiously, regaining her balance after the “attack”. Strong message that the rooster will never forget! Kate your patient, diaphanous speech, and overall passion for bird conservation truly inspired me!

Happy Birthday “desde Panama”

– Beny Wilson

Kate, it has been A LOT OF FUN becoming good friends with you over the past 9 years. I feel like those of us that have extensively wandered the back woods of the DR looking for birds together share a special bond. There’s just nothin’ else like it!

Thank you SO MUCH for all your warm hospitality over the years, and most importantly, for all the great laughs and fun adventures along the way. You have been a big inspiration to me, and so many others, and you should be proud of that!

All my best,

– Justin Proctor