The Foundation supports organizations whose mission includes the preservation of wild birds and their habitats, especially those working to develop the strong science necessary to make the case for conservation measures that would reverse the decline of bird populations.
With a three-year grant from the Foundation, the American Bird Conservancy embarked on a program to reduce the number of migratory birds killed in collisions with glass-walled buildings and windows, communications towers and wind turbines. Remedies include “lights out” campaigns to reduce building lighting at night and guidelines for siting towers and wind farms.
The grant is also underwriting the preparation and forthcoming publication of a Field Guide to Bird Conservation, which will summarize the complex issues in modern bird conservation for a popular audience. The book will cover at-risk species, vulnerable habitats, and key threats, and will outline ways in which individuals can help.
The Foundation is supporting research that will explore the riches of the Avian Knowledge Network, a massive database of bird observations contributed by birders, citizen scientists, and ornithologists over many decades. The AKN helps scientists understand the complex relationship between birds and thousands of features in the environment that affect them, such as trees, water, predators, and food, and will allow better forecasting of bird populations and movements with the goal of informing policy-making.
The Foundation is also underwriting the Lab’s development of specific tools needed for damage-assessment models of migratory birds at risk from wind-energy development, using its pioneering acoustics analysis methods to assess siting hazards. And the Foundation is supporting researchers who are studying the combined effects of multiple threats — especially habitat fragmentation and pollution — on forest birds in the Northeastern United States.
The New York City Audubon was able, with a three-year grant from the Foundation, to hire a Director of Conservation, whose main goal will be to conduct scientific studies, including an assessment of bird collisions in urban settings. The results are expected to provide the proof required by city government and real estate developers to undertake efforts to curb collisions, such as the retrofitting of existing buildings with collision-prevention materials.
