2024 Winter Lecture Series: Smithsonian Bird Friendly Coffee and Cocoa: Proudly Serving Biodiversity with Melissa Mazurkewicz (February 4, 2024)

The Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certification is the environmental gold standard in sustainable food production for coffee and cocoa. Smithsonian scientists developed the Bird Friendly certification for coffee in the late 1990s to conserve habitat and protect migratory songbirds. Bird Friendly habitat ensures a mix of foliage cover, tree height and biodiversity that creates quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. Learn about how to eat, drink and live Bird Friendly!

Melissa Mazurkewicz is the Bird Friendly program manager for Latin America, where she manages the coffee and cocoa producer, auditor and extension components of the Smithsonian’s Bird Friendly certified supply chains. She has made Panama her home after serving in the Peace Corps 10 years ago. Marzurkewicz has a B.A. in horticulture from Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in extension education from the University of Florida. Her love for native plants started during her internship at the Preserve in 2007.

All lectures will be held virtually using Zoom. They will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers for a short time. Zoom invitations will be sent out after this time to the email used to register for the event via education@bhwp.org.

Program Fee: $15 (Members, enter your code at checkout to receive your 20% discount.)

Additional Information: Online registration for this program closes at noon on the date of the program. This lecture is part of our Annual Winter Lecture Series. The series features presentations by regionally renowned experts who address a wide range of topics related to natural history, biodiversity, ecological gardening, native plants and native wildlife.