Contact: , Director of Public Relations, American Bird Conservancy, 202/234-7181 ext. 216

(Washington, DC) -- Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, renowned for providing the rich and famous with luxury getaways, is facing criticism from bird lovers for its plans to build a new resort that will destroy the last stronghold of the critically endangered Grenada Dove. In a letter to Four Seasons Chairman and CEO Isadore Sharp, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) called on the industry leader to either pull out of the project or alter it to protect the endangered dove's habitat. The letter is available at www.abcbirds.org/GrenadaLetter.pdf.

Mt. Hartman National Park is the world's last stronghold of the Grenada Dove, which is on the edge of extinction, with a total population of no more than 100 individuals. The dove occurs on only a small portion of the Caribbean island of Grenada.

"The Government of Grenada intends to eliminate and sell off the National Park to make room for a sprawling new Four Seasons Resort, including a golf course and hundreds of luxury villas," said George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy. "If developed as currently planned, this new high-end tourist resort will cause the extinction of the Grenada Dove, Grenada's National Bird."

The current Four Seasons Resort proposal would encroach upon and degrade the core remaining Grenada Dove habitat. The developer issued a cursory environmental impact report that greatly understates the damage the resort as now proposed would do to the Grenada Dove's survival prospects, and provides no effective means of protection of the Grenada Dove's habitat.

"The fate of the Grenada Dove and one of the Caribbean's finest National Parks is at the mercy of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts," said Dr. Paul Salaman, International Program Director of ABC. "Four Seasons should immediately pull out of this deal or face the dubious distinction of directly causing the extinction of a wonderful and emblematic bird species."

ABC is the only 501(c)(3) organization that works solely to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC sets the bird conservation agenda by using the best science available to determine the highest priorities and the best solutions, and then communicating these priorities to the conservation community and the public through alliances, partnerships, and networks. ABC counts among its staff some of the foremost experts in bird conservation in the United States, and partners with many others throughout the Americas. ABC is a membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.