Bird+Conservation+Projects


 * Indoor and Outdoor**


 * What do I need?**
 * Pencils
 * Bird Journals
 * Materials according to the conservation project selected


 * Getting Ready**

Humans have a large affect on the habitat and resources birds need to survive. For example, cutting down trees alters a bird's habitat and littering contaminates it with toxic waste.
 * Background Information**

Bird conservation has been a national priority in the ‍‍United States since the early 1900s, when scientists realized that humans could negatively impact the long-term sustainability of bird populations. The biggest threats to birds in the United States and globally are habitat loss and degradation due to human actions. Without sufficient habitat, bird species cannot survive. **Need similar information about Latin America.**


 * Big Idea:** It is possible to counter act and prevent the negative affects people have on bird habitats, no matter how old you are. Either by being conscious of your own actions or by taking on bird conservation projects in your school and/or community.


 * Activity**

- First brainstorm a list of local bird conservation issues individually. - Then, as a large group, share your ideas with the class.
 * 1. Brainstorm a list of local bird conservation issues.**

- First brainstorm a list of bird conservation projects individually. - Then, as a large group, share your ideas with the class, being respectful of all ideas and not discounting anything as too difficult, costly or far-fetched.
 * 2. Brainstorm a list of action projects you could take on to address one or more of these issues.**

Possible Ideas:
 * cleaning up shorelines to help protect waterbirds from eating toxic garbage or choking or plastic rings
 * cleaning up land habitat and planting trees to create bird habitat
 * building bird boxes for species such as swallows, wrens, etc.
 * educating family and friends about not throwing rocks at birds (ideas: create murals, posters, etc. for your school and community)
 * educating family and friends about not buying birds as pets
 * educating family and friends about not removing baby birds from their nests
 * Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
 * Ask students about renewable verse non-renewable resources. Many of the resources used by birds are renewable, but can take thousands of years to recover after human degradation. Ask students how recycling plays into non renewable and renewable resources. //(Throwing away plastics and paper causes non renewable resource such as fossil fuels to be wasted harvesting renewable resources like trees to produce more paper. Even though trees are considered renewable, they can take hundreds of years to recover.)//


 * Important note:**Whatever project you do decide upon, we strongly encourage you to monitor your local birds before, during, and after, either through citizen science projects such as eBird, or just by recording data in your Bird Journals. It is important to monitor birds in conjunction with the class' chosen conservation project to help you and your students evaluate whether planting trees or educating the community about not harming birds with slingshots has helped improve local bird populations.


 * 3.** **Choose one project you will tackle as a class, or as individuals.**

- Sample Action Plan:
 * 4. Create an Action Plan for undertaking this project.**
 * Research your issue and decide on an action to address it.
 * What are your goals?
 * What might be some of the obstacles to achieving your goals, and how could you address them?
 * Who are the people involved? What will be the roles of each person involved?
 * What are the materials needed?
 * Where will the project take place?
 * What is the timing of the project?


 * Did we accomplish what we hoped to?
 * What lessons did we learn?
 * What will be the long-term impacts of the project?
 * Where else could the project take place?

__**Sample Action Plan: Educational Mural About Not Harming Birds**__ //Research your issue and decide on an action to address it.// Many birds are harmed by people using slingshots to hit them or their nests. //What are your goals?// Our goal is educate our community - specifically family, friends and teachers - about the importance of not harming birds. //How do you want to achieve your goals?// We want to design and paint a mural on an empty wall at our school with messages that will convey the importance of birds and why we should not harm them with slingshots. //Who are the people involved? What will be the roles of each person involved?// Our whole class, including our teacher, will be involved. We will also design an idea for the mural, and vote on our favorite one as a class. Then everyone will be involved in painting the mural. //What are the materials needed?// Paper and coloring pencils to design the mural. Non-toxic paint and paintbrushes to paint the mural. //Where will the project take place?// On school property. //What is the timing of the project?// We will spend two weeks designing murals individually, before voting on our favorite design. Then we will spend two weeks painting the mural as a group.

//Did we accomplish what we hoped to?// Yes, we painted a beautiful mural that the community has commented on, which allows us to engage in discussions about why it is important not to harm birds. //What lessons did we learn?// That we can encourage some people to change their behaviors, but others might be more difficult to convince. //What will be the long-term impacts of the project?// We hope that over the long-term fewer people will harm birds with slingshots. //Where else could the project take place?// In many other countries throughout Latin America where this is an issue.

// What are the materials needed? //

 * ====== A map of the shore ======
 * ====== Trash bags ======
 * ====== Gloves ======
 * ====== A vehicle to take way trash bags or trash receptacle ======

Yes, we had people walk the entire shore slowly and pick up all the trash they saw
// What lessons did we learn? // Garbage not put in trash cans can end up anywhere and everywhere // What will be the long-term impacts of the project? // Blue Bird beach is clean of trash and safer for birds and other animals, for now // Where else could the project take place? // Any piece of shoreline or the same beach again in the future!

Once a year, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will be collecting success stories about different projects students have undertaken to help birds. Make sure you document your actions through photos and journals!
 * Share Your Actions!**

To be developed--figure out how kids across the globe can communicate with each other on the theme of bird conservation.

- Set up a wordpress blog for sharing your actions - trying to figure out the best way for kids to share and post - work on Birds in Two Homes lesson: make lessons less North American-centric - focus on one or two of your migratory birds and figure out where they go (check out Rainforest Alliance link) - find links to sites describing different migratory bird projects

- once a year,