{"id":19728,"date":"2016-09-06T23:52:36","date_gmt":"2016-09-06T23:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=19728"},"modified":"2023-03-22T13:17:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T17:17:54","slug":"middle-schoolers-flock-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/middle-schoolers-flock-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle Schoolers Flock Together To Build A Better Future For Birds"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Middle<\/div>\n

\u00a0ITHACA, NY and WASHINGTON, DC<\/strong> \u2014 A chance\u00a0to learn scientific and technical skills while helping\u00a0conserve birds was all the motivation middle-school\u00a0students needed to participate in a Cornell University\u00a0afterschool program this summer. The students are\u00a0now flocking back to school full of new ideas to help\u00a0birds and the habitats they depend on.<\/p>\n

Through a series of free workshops and a curriculum\u00a0focused on youth, family and community, the summer\u00a0program included lessons in biology, ecology, habitat,\u00a0mapping and data exploration. The program is\u00a0supported in part by funding from the Conservation\u00a0and Community Partnerships Grant Program of the\u00a0Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc. (SFI).<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our priorities is to connect youth to forests.\u00a0We look for ways to instill a lifelong appreciation for the\u00a0value forests represent for biodiversity, the wider\u00a0environment and for people. This program is a perfect fit\u00a0because it focuses on bird habitats, on conservation and on youth as future forest leaders,\u201d said Kathy Abusow,\u00a0President and CEO of SFI Inc.<\/p>\n

The curriculum is part of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology\u2019s NestWatch citizen-science project<\/a>, adapted for\\\u00a0afterschool and 4-H audiences. NestWatch is a nationwide monitoring program designed to track status and\u00a0trends in the reproductive biology of birds, including when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid, how many eggs\u00a0hatch, and how many hatchlings survive. Wood products certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard were\u00a0used to build nest boxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been fun seeing the kids\u2019 reactions to the nests and birds and how much they have learned in the\u00a0\u00a0process. I really hope some of them are able to channel their passion into lifelong support for conservation and\u00a0perhaps for some even into a career in forestry or biology,\u201d said Robyn Bailey, NestWatch Project Leader.<\/p>\n

The boxes have so far provided homes for black-capped chickadees, eastern bluebirds, house wrens and tree\u00a0swallows. The last two species are in decline in the northeastern U.S. \u201cAbout 80 eggs were laid in the boxes in\u00a0this first year, and we\u2019re hoping to exceed that in 2017. Students are being exposed to all stages of the nesting\u00a0cycle, from nest-building, to egg-laying, to young nestlings,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n

The students helped install nest boxes on the grounds of a school in Watertown, NY, and on a land trust\u00a0property in Athens, NY. Students who participated in the building project were also able to take a nest box\u00a0home. \u201cI love the scalability of this project. Imagine if we could get bird nest boxes into the hands of just a\u00a0fraction of the 60 million birdwatchers in America,\u201d Abusow said.<\/p>\n

In addition to SFI and Cornell University, partners include the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University\u00a0Cooperative Extension of Columbia, Greene, and Jefferson Counties<\/a>, and New York State 4-H.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids were so excited to take the boxes home. I heard one girl tell her mother: \u2018Look what we built today!\u00a0This is a nest box and this hole makes it so only certain birds can get into the box. Can we put it in our\u00a0backyard?\u2019,\u201d said Mitch McCormick, afterschool program director for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson\u00a0County.<\/p>\n

This project is also part of a larger effort to support bird-related conservation efforts. Since 2010, SFI has\u00a0provided 10 grants for bird conservation totaling more than $875,000. SFI is also partnering with The American\u00a0Bird Conservancy, The National Wild Turkey Federation and Ducks Unlimited Canada on important conservation\u00a0programs. Read an article about six SFI-funded projects that are for the birds<\/a> .<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with our bird conservation partners across the more than 280 million acres of forestland certified to\u00a0SFI means we offer the scale to make a difference when it comes to research that will help birds and the\u00a0habitat they depend on,\u201d said Andrew de Vries, Vice President, Conservation and Indigenous Relations, SFI Inc.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

SFI EN BREF<\/a><\/h4>\r\nSIGN UP<\/b><\/a> to receive our Monthly Newsletter.\r\n
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>