Thanks to our BEN Bulletin
sponsor:
The Bird Education Network (BEN) was created
following the February 2007 National Gathering, hosted by CEE.
BEN is a CEE initiative that seeks to create a network of bird
education professionals.
Bird educators must
"present a case for birds" - stressing the importance of
birds, bird-connections to a broader natural world, and our
roles through birds as stewards of our planet. Ultimately, BEN
seeks to connect bird educators at all levels to be more
effective.
A BEN Committee has been established
to provide advice and guidance for this important initiative,
to advance "bird conservation through
education."
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 New Support
for the Bird Education Network
The Kaytee Avian
Foundation is helping to support the work of the Bird
Education Network! Through a generous grant,
Kaytee is aiding the Council for Environmental
Education's operation of BEN by sponsoring the
BEN Bulletin and Bird Education Listserv.
The Kaytee Avian Foundation is a
non-profit corporation established to enhance people's
knowledge and enjoyment of birds through education,
conservation and research. The Foundation believes
that birds are an integral part of our
lives!
For more
information about the Kaytee Avian Foundation
click
here.
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 Flying WILD
Welcomes New Senior
Manager
The Council
for Environmental Education and Flying WILD are thrilled
to announce that Flisa Stevenson will soon join Flying
WILD as the program's Senior Manager. Flisa will
also be helping to support BEN efforts and will work
closely with the BEN
Committee.
Since October 2006,
Flisa has worked at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
implementing marketing strategies and
communications plans for all of their citizen
science and education projects and products, with an
emphasis on diversifying audiences. Flisa has a
background in environmental science education and
outreach with experience in higher education focused on
broadening participation in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) fields. She holds a
bachelors in journalism and marketing from the
University of Texas as well as master's degrees in
environmental science education (from Southern CT State
University) and in landscape architecture (from Cornell
University). Flisa has also served as a consultant for
the Institute for Broadening Participation, funded
by the National Science Foundation. She is passionate
about gardening and designing sanctuary spaces, and
enjoys learning about people and places through travel.
From her background in
environmental education and landscape design, Flisa sees
birds as bright and musical neighbors that can draw us
into exploring the places we live.
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 New Bird
Stamp Public Service
Announcements
A team of supporters of the Migratory Bird
Hunting and Conservation [Duck] Stamp is promoting a
series of creative Public Service Announcements. These
PSAs are designed to increase support from birders,
environmental educators, hunters, and general
conservationists.
Federal Duck Stamps are a vital tool for wetland
and grassland conservation. Ninety-eight cents out of
every dollar generated by the sales of Federal Duck
Stamps goes directly to purchase or lease wetland and
grassland habitat for protection in the National
Wildlife Refuge System. Understandably, the Federal Duck
Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful
conservation programs ever initiated and is a highly
effective way to conserve America's natural
resources. For a list of PSAs click
here. |
 USFWS
Report Examines Economic Impacts of Birding
On July 15th,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released Birding
in the United States: A Demographic and Economic
Analysis. This addendum to their 2006 wildlife
recreation survey provides updated
information which will be an invaluable resource to
guide bird educators in developing successful programs.
The report evaluates our birding
community based on age, education, economic
status, ethic background, and
geography. Given our current climate, the
reported economic impact of birders may serve
as compelling evidence for local businesses to
enter partnerships with your organization. Birders
pumped over $35 billion into our economy in
2006, almost $12 billion in from bird-related travel
alone.
Basically,
birders are large in number, well-educated, almost
equally balanced in gender, fairly well off, not
particularly young, and spend a good deal of money on
their pastime.
Loaded with
graphs, this document is a relatively quick, yet
significant, read. You can download the entire report by
clicking
here. |
 2009 Watchable
Wildlife
Conference
The 2009 Watchable
Wildlife Conference will be held in Avalon/Cape May, New
Jersey, October 6-8, 2009.This Atlantic location offers
the opportunity to experience the coastal shoreline of
one of the world's most active flyways and wildlife
viewing areas. See first hand how this fragile wildlife
habitat is being protected while continuing to offer
world-class wildlife viewing opportunities in one of the
nation's most populated regions.
Many of the area's
top wildlife viewing sites are just minutes from the
conference center, and offer attendees a hands-on
learning experience and the opportunity to learn from
regional professionals that have been working in the
field for decades.
For more information
about the conference click
here. |
 Outdoor
Diversity, Outdoor Recreation at Two September
Conferences
In September, there will be two
important conferences on the issue of diversity and
outdoor recreation. The first is "Breaking the Color
Barrier in the Great American Outdoors," a multi-day
event taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, September
23-26. The event will illustrate a little-known
significant fact: Americans of every race and
color are rising to their personal best as they embrace
the challenge of protecting our environment and follow
the call of the wild outdoors. For more
information, click here.
The other conference is in
northwestern Ohio, on the theme of "Diversity in Outdoor
Recreation: the Many Faces Conservation," a one-day
event on 26 September, sponsored by the Black Swamp Bird
Observatory, Toledo Metroparks, and Ottawa National
Wildlife Refuge. For more information, click here.
Both events will stress bird appreciation and
related
education. | | |
For more
information visit:
