Audubon Alliance Launches New Program on Landbirds

For the past 100 years, Audubon has been at the forefront of bird conservation in North America. In that time, our successes have been achieved through the combined efforts of concerned citizen activists in our own Audubon chapters, spread across the country.

Now, we are proud to announce an exciting new alliance between Audubon and the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP). IBP's Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship Program (commonly known as MAPS) is a great way for Audubon chapters to get directly involved in and contribute in a big way to bird conservation while offering hands-on field experience to Audubon members and providing new incentives for their chapters.

MAPS is a nationwide network of bird-banding stations, operated during spring and summer, to collect data on the productivity and survival rates of landbird populations. The operation of a MAPS banding station entails a total of only 6-10 days every year between May and August. MAPS data will be made available to the public through BirdSource, a new on-line information system on bird conservation, made possible through the combined efforts of Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This alliance is funded by the Department of Defense's Legacy Resource Management Program. IBP will provide training in banding and mist-netting techniques (a $550/person value) to Audubon chapter members who wish to take over the operation of existing MAPS banding stations or would like to establish new stations, especially on military bases. Moreover, participating chapters will receive additional funds ($50/volunteer) to be used at each chapter's discretion. This could be used to purchase banding equipment or reimburse volunteers for travel costs.

Birds face many threats on their breeding and wintering grounds and on their migratory stop-overs. Auduboners are well aware that these threats are the principal cause of population declines in many bird species and are at the root of declines in all WatchList birds (visit Web site http://www.audubon.org/bird/watch/ for details). Research on population trends and habitat use, together with an understanding of species demography (i.e., productivity and survival), is critical to assessing and reversing these population declines.

Bird-banding is a time-tested and scientifically sound method followed by citizen scientists in ornithology. More than just fun, banding provides educational experiences for the young and the young-at-heart; yields critical scientific data on the migration, dispersal, and survival of birds; and helps Audubon evaluate the effectiveness of proactive conservation programs like the WatchList.

For More Info, Contact: Ken Burton, The Institute for Bird Populations, P.O. Box 1346; Point Reyes Station, CA 94956; ph: 415/663-2051; FAX: 415/663-9482; email: birdbanding@compuserve.com; or Vincent Muehter, NAS, 700 Broadway; NY, NY 10003; ph: 212/979-3150; FAX: 212/473-1633; email: vmuehter@audubon.org.