The Bird Education Network (BEN) was created following
the February 2007 National Gathering, hosted by CEE. BEN is a
CEE initiative that seeks to connect and support a network of
bird education professionals.
BEN has initially
identified five priority bird conservation problems facing us
today. These five priority bird conservation problems are:
habitat loss, modern industrial life, insufficient public
awareness, insufficient funding, and inter-American
concerns. Understanding and explaining each of these
five problems and recognizing that they are both biological
and non-biological are essential to crafting an effective
modern bird education movement.
A BEN Committee
has been established to provide advice and guidance for this
important initiative, to advance "bird conservation through
education." Ultimately, we at BEN are connecting bird
educators at all levels to be more
effective.
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IMBD
Theme for 2009 - Celebrating Birds in Culture
Each year a theme is chosen to celebrate
International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). This year's
theme has a focus on the importance of birds in our
cultures.
Birds have played an important
role in many cultures from ancient to modern and
at multiple levels of intensity. For example,
many indigenous people consider birds a vital part of
their cultural experience. The range of possibilities to
examine birds and culture is vast: painting, music,
sculpture, poetry, and drama.
There
are lots of ways to get involved through IMBD in bird
conservation, education, and birdwatching. IMBD provides
the framework for bird festivals and events as well as
the opportunity to motivate people of all ages to get
outdoors to learn about birds.
The
official date for IMBD in the U.S. and Canada is the
second Saturday in May each year, but today, IMBD
programs, events, and festivals are held
year-round. These are held at schools, parks,
libraries, refuges, and other locations accessible to
the public.
Artist Andy Everson created the IMBD 2009 art.
This piece features 8 bird species and is a
"tessellation," a design with non-overlapping, repeating
images that form a pattern.
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 Available:
Birds of Conservation Concern and State of
U.S. Birds
In mid-March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's
Division of Migratory Bird Management announced the
availability of its publication, " Birds of
Conservation Concern 2008." This publication
identifies species, subspecies, and populations of
migratory and nonmigratory birds most in need of
additional conservation actions. The informative
listing, geographically organized by Bird Conservation
Region (BCR) and by USFWS Region, can be easily
"translated" by bird educators with just a little study.
Clearly, "Birds of Conservation Concern 2008" can help
focus much of our bird educators' work, especially if we
wish to project a holistic, multi-dimensional
message. The highly useful 91-page publication
can be viewed and downloaded by clicking
here.
Also in mid-March, the USFWS, along with bird
conservation NGO partners, released The State of the
U.S. Birds report as a subcommittee of the U.S.
North American Bird Conservation Initiative
(NABCI). This report is intended to show that
birds can be effective indicators of the health of
habitats and our environment as a whole. It points to
habitat areas where we have problems as indicated by the
state of bird populations there. The report is
packed with good information, and it synthesizes data
from three long-running bird censuses conducted by
thousands of citizen scientists and professional
biologists. More information can be
accessed by clicking
here, including a download of the 36-page report.
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 Helpful
Bird-oriented Quotations on NABCI
Site
Are you looking for that
perfect bird watching and bird-conservation quotation
for your next flyer, birding festival, bird-education
class, IMBD,
or
bird-talk? Have a
look at the newly expanded collection of just such
phrases found on the North American Bird Conservation
Initiative (NABCI) website. It currently has
approximately 80 pithy, bird-oriented quotes and quips,
wise words taken from famous and not-so-famous women and
men, and ranging from poets to presidents. For more
information click
here. Bird educators will find
many uses for them.
Photo by Vernon
Laux |
 Jekyll
Island Resources Now Available Online
Presentations from the conference,
Bird Conservation through Education: A National
Gathering, are now available online by clicking
here. There you will also find additional resources
including links to news coverage and evaluation
forms.
An online photo gallery is available with a
wealth of photos submitted by many of
our participants. Click
here for more information. Thanks to everyone
who has so kindly shared their memories from Jekyll
Island!
Photo by Mary Anne
Weber | | |
For More
Information visit:
