By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director
The recent smoke plumes in New York City and the northeastern United States from the Canadian wildfires have driven home the evidence that we are all connected. What happens in someone else’s backyard may well spill over into our own. Across the world, climate change is making wildfires, flooding, and other natural disasters more intense and more frequent, and these problems will only intensify in the years to come unless drastic action is taken.
Across the state, habitat loss, pesticide and herbicide use, and a proliferation of non-native plants are contributing to a general decline in bird populations. A recent study published in the journal Science found that we have lost nearly three billion birds, or 30 percent, of the world’s birds, since the 1970s.
In order to reverse these changes and build a more climate resilient Georgia, the collective efforts of all of us, from government and NGOs to conservation groups and concerned citizens, is going to be required.
Georgia Audubon is working to do our part. Our mission to build places where birds and people thrive, through conservation, education, and community engagement. These key priorities will help us fulfill our vision of creating a conservation-minded and fully engaged Georgia where birds prosper, habitats flourish, and understanding grows. Education is at the heart of our work. Using birds as a lens to introduce the wonders of the outdoors and instill a conservation ethic to youth and adults alike, Georgia Audubon’s educational programs have been taking flight across Georgia.
Georgia Audubon offers a variety of education programs for youth, teens, and adults. While some of this work continues to be in person, the launch of our new Morgens Environmental Education Gateway later this summer will enable us to reach youth and adults across Georgia with bird-related educational programs, workshops, curriculum, and other materials.
Through our Connecting Students with STEM through Birds program, we provide resources to teachers and schools that enable them to teach students about birds and the environment. As part of this program, a bird-friendly native plant garden is installed on campus with the help of students and teachers. Areas of dirt and turf grass are transformed into valuable wildlife habitat, and teachers receive training to provide standards-based lesson ideas and curriculum resources in STEM and other subjects to enhance their use of the new outdoor classroom. In addition, each school partner receives a classroom set of binoculars and field guides, as well as other resources to help teachers instill a conservation ethic in the next generation.
This fall, our 8th annual Georgia Urban Ecologists program for students in grades 8 through 12 will be offered in Atlanta, Athens, and Brunswick, providing teens with fun, hands-on outdoor learning experiences with environmental nonprofit organizations while introducing them to conservation concepts and careers.
In addition, Georgia Audubon will host two Taking Wing Teacher professional development workshops to train educators how to teach students about birds by immersing them in place-based, bird-related experiences and science, coupled with active demonstrations of how to successfully engage students in STEM and meaningful outdoor learning experiences. These workshops have a multiplier effect as teachers return to their school systems to share their knowledge with classrooms full of students throughout their careers.
For adults, Georgia Audubon’s popular Master Birder program has recently been offered in Atlanta, Athens, and the Savannah/Hilton Head Island. This fall,we will have two cohorts in Atlanta, as well as a cohort, on the coast in partnership with Ogeechee Audubon Society and Hilton Head Audubon. This six-week program includes virtual weeknight courses in bird classification and identification, birding apps, equipment, bird songs, bird ecology, anatomy, and physiology, bird behavior, flight and migration, and conservation. Weekend field trips with birding experts reinforce lessons learned in the class and help participants hone bird ID skills. Upon graduation, Georgia Audubon Master Birders are required to complete annual volunteer service hours for Georgia Audubon or their local Audubon chapter. Scholarships are available.
The launch later this summer of the Morgens Environmental Education Gateway will provide a one-stop-shop for these learning opportunities, providing additional resources and supporting materials, including downloadable curriculums, activities, and study guides, as well as providing a place for participants to connect with each other. Funded by a generous grant from the Morgens West Foundation, the Morgens Environmental Education Gateway will house several of our education programs, including our Homeschool Program, Master Birder, Urban Ecologists, and Taking Wing. Sessions will be offered within the Gateway that program participants may watch live or as their schedule allows. Office hours, handouts, quizzes, and other resources will be accessible via the Gateway. Free programming for members as well as other on-demand educational programming will ultimately be available as well.
Taken together, Georgia Audubon’s education efforts are effectively building a network of informed, engaged bird enthusiasts, volunteers, and community scientists who can help address and educate others about birds and potential solutions to climate change and other issues affecting Georgia.
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