Birding To Help Revitalize Conservation Efforts
April 1, 2025
Many of our Lake County Audubon board members listened to the NPR 1A podcast ‘Birding to Help Revitalize Conservation Efforts’ today. Host Jen White brought together a panel to discuss the recently release 2025 State of Birds. The report is a status assessment of the health of the nation’s bird populations, delivered to the American people by scientists from U.S. bird conservation groups. (See the report by clicking HERE). The data contained in the report is alarming and indicates losses in bird populations are continuing at an accelerating pace for many species. The guests on the show discuss the results of the report but also highlight conservation work that is reversing the decline in some species. They also discuss how data contributed by birders through technology (ie. eBird, iNaturalist) is helping researchers, providing information previously unattainable.
We urge our members to spend 30 minutes listening to this podcast. CLICK HERE for a link to the NPR 1A podcast.
NPR’s 1A host Jen White assembled a panel of experts to share how volunteer birders are providing data that help guide bird conservation efforts.
PANEL:
Amanda Rodewald: Senior Director, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Chair, State of the Birds 2025 report
Bradley Wilkinson: Bird Conservation Program Manager, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies; Coordinator, North American Bird Conservation Initiative
J. Drew Lanham: Professor, Clemson University; Author, “Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts
Avian populations are on the decline. Could birding help revitalize conservation efforts?
by Michelle Harvin
Some of the best songs you can hear this spring aren't on the radio.
Hundreds of millions of birds make their annual migration back into North America in early March. Despite their return to our neighborhoods and backyards to wake us up bright and early, a new report reveals they're numbering fewer and fewer.
The 2025 State of the Birds report is a joint effort spearheaded by a coalition of science and conservation organizations. It found widespread population decline across nearly all habitats and that over one third of species require conservation help.
But it's not all bad news. The report also finds that an increased interest in birding has led to more volunteer data that helped shaped the report. What can we learn about our feathered friends and our environment while watching?
