This is a summary of our president Stephan Cramer’s speech as he handed over a donation to Sergio Arroya from local Spanish bird group AHSA.
The Costa Blanca Bird Club asks its members for an annual contribution. This money is meant to guarantee the continuity of the Club. In recent years the money was used mainly for the Website. Nowadays this Website functions very well, and we have accumulated some funds. The Costa Blanca Bird Club aims to have enough money in the bank to be able to pay unexpected expenses and our cash situation now is good.
It is also a habit of our Club to use some of the accumulated funds to help persons or institutions with aims that are comparable with the aims of the Costa Blanca Bird Club such as, watching birds together and providing a platform for exchanging information about bird identification, where to look for birds, exchange of photos, general bird information and sometimes general information about nature et cetera.
Beneath these public club aims are hidden some more personal motives. Nearly all member of the Costa Blanca Bird Club want to do more for birds. Very many of us before retiring, in a country far away, dedicated ourselves to bird protection, to nature conservation, to a sustainable environment. To be part of the Costa Blanca Bird Club is a way to continue the relationship with birds, nature and environment. With this in mind the aims and motives of the Club and it’s members we can easily understand that the Committee, in the process of looking for a candidate for a donation of the above reserve money determined that the Asociación de los Amigos de los Humedales del Sur de Alicante (AHSA) is a worthy institution for the donation. We know AHSA and some of us are members of both organisations. We have visited their reserves, we read the AHSA Blog including the weekly list of observations. We know how forceful the Amigos are and how they do their best to protect birds, to conserve nature and to promote a sustainable environment.
From the contacts between AHSA and the CBBC, the Committee found that financial help is necessary to improve control of the water levels in one of the AHSA reserves. Within the Costa Blanca Bird Club it is felt that we can best contribute to the overall improvement of habitat by helping AHSA, in this way we can “do our bit” for future wildlife.
Sluice gates are not cheap. The Costa Blanca Bird Club is pleased to help the Asociación de los Amigos de los Humedales del Sur de Alicante by donating this cheque of one thousand Euros.