For the past few years I've been volunteering with the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas Project. I'm greatly disappointed to hear that the project risks grinding to a halt because the funding may be pulled.
More than $600,000 has already been allocated from the Environmental Trust Fund for this project. That is a substantial investment but $330,000 more is needed to complete the project over the next three years. More than 600 citizens from across the state have already taken part in gathering valuable data that helps researchers and the state make important conservation and planning decisions that effect breeding bird populations.
We are currently lagging behind other states that have already completed their Breeding Bird Atlas projects.
In these tough financial times we must carefully consider the value of each project. This is not a new initiative seeking funding, it is an important citizen science based project that is already underway. Cutting funding now, just two years into a five year project, will waste the money the state has already invested in the program.Please write to legislators or call urging them to fund the Breeding Bird Atlas with the Environmental Trust Fund (Lottery money).
If you have been involved in the project, please let them know that as well. We need a groundswell of support on this.
Please write:
Representative McNamara (rep.denny.mcnamara@house.mn, 651-296-3135),
Senator Ingebrigtsen (sen.bill.ingebrigtsen@senate.mn, 651-297-8063,
Your State Representative, and your Senator (http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/ - this is the link from which you find your own Representative and Senator).
Every message counts. Don't worry about writing a long letter. Those are great but a simple phone call will make a big difference too.
If you've never called before it is very simple. When they answer, simply tell them that you are calling because you want them to pass on a message to let _______ know that you hope they will support funding for the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas through the Environmental Trust Fund.
That's it! It only takes a minute of your time and the more calls they get the better the chances are of getting funding.
~Kirk
2 comments:
Most every photo I've ever seen used of the Brown Creeper has been the bird on a tree trunk; but yours is on the ground and most interesting!
It is a Creeper?
Hello Peg, yep. That's a brown creeper. I took a lot of photos of it (there were a bunch of the tree trunk shots.) As I recall it was picking up some bits of suet on the ground.
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