Carpathia, Romania: Creating the Yellowstone of Europe

2150 Allston Way,Berkeley CA 94704

11 May, 2023

Description

We are delighted to have Christoph and Barbara Promberger in Berkeley, CA to present a short film about Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC) and the incredible work they have achieved to soon create the Yellowstone of Europe. Christoph and Barbara are the founders and CEOs of Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC), and have relentlessly promoted awareness of the importance of Europe’s last remaining old growth forests in the Carpathian Mountains. They have taken a leading role in the last decade to protect important wildlife and habitats by promoting higher standards of conservation. FCC's vision is a world-class wilderness reserve and non-destructive economy around the Făgăraș Mountains, with the ultimate goal to create a thriving biodiverse and socio-economic ecosystem. Since its inception, FCC has obtained over 62,765 acres of forests and alpine meadows in the southeastern Carpathians, with the purpose to protect and restore. The Carpathian Mountains in Romania form some of the most biodiverse contiguous forests in Europe, home to large populations of carnivores and an extraordinarily high number of indigenous species. Over the past 20 years, many parts of these forests went from nationalized to privately managed, resulting in thousands of hectares being illegally logged, as well as many large carnivores being hunted. We invite you to join us in creating the Yellowstone of Europe. Our goal is to create the largest forested National Park in Europe – the Yellowstone or Yosemite of Europe – for the enjoyment of future generations, and we hope you will join us in this effort. Please learn more by visiting FCC's website: www.carpathia.org. ---------------------- The event will be catered by the Gather Restaurant in Berkeley so we hope you enjoy their delicious local, organic, and ethically sourced food. Drinks included! LIVE MUSIC by Romanian and Ukrainian musicians in the Bay Area! We are very lucky to have Asaf Ophir, Leo Peringer and Zina Pozen perform! Originally from Ukraine, Zina Pozen grew up in a family of classical musicians, playing piano from a young age. In her house, salty Yiddish sayings, contraband Barry Sisters, Stravinsky and Poulenc, traditional Ukrainian and Moldovan tunes, Utyosov and Dunaevsky weaved their sounds together. After moving to the U.S., Zina fell under the spell of the Eastern European Folklife Center Balkan Music Camps and picked up the accordion to play traditional music. Zina plays klezmer, Moldovan, Ukrainian, Turkish, Armenian, Greek rebetiko, and other styles. Asaf Ophir has performed on such distinguished stages as Habima, HaCameri, and Jerusalem Theaters in Israel, as well as the Paramount Theater, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Great American Concert Hall, Freight and Salvage, Brava Theater, and others. Throughout his career he has shared the stage with artists such as Miri Mesika, Avi Kushnir, Galit Giat, David De’or, Rana Farhan, and Barbara Streisand. The San Francisco Chronicle writes: "Asaf Ophir gives the clarinet the timbre of a trumpet, then a violin, then a raspy scream… the instrument’s wail almost becomes too plaintive and beautiful to bear.” Leo Peringer is a bass player, cellist and composer. Born in London and raised in San Francisco, he has studied and played a variety of music including Balkan, klezmer, jazz and classical. He is currently a member of Orchestra Euphonos and Arcush.