For Immediate UseContact: Garrison Frost
December 9, 2008(510) 601-1866, Ext. 225
Bird enthusiasts across California ready for annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count
Thousands of Californians will participate in world’s longest-running
wildlife census this holiday season
Sacramento, CA – Californians from all walks of life will take to the outdoors this holiday season to participate in the 109th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the longest-running wildlife census in the world. Between Dec. 14, 2008 and Jan. 5, 2009, thousands of Californians will transform into volunteer scientists to assess the size of bird populations in local communities throughout the state.
The data from these counts will be compiled with others from around the nation and beyond, and will ultimately help Audubon track the progress of imperiled species and gauge the impact of environmental threats to birds and habitat.
To learn more about the Christmas Bird Count in your area, contact Garrison Frost at (510) 601-1866, Ext. 225, .
“The beauty of the Christmas Bird Count is that it encourages bird enthusiasts to get outside and do what they enjoy most, and at the same time make a tremendous contribution to science,” said Glenn Olson, executive director of Audubon California. “To a lot of people, the Christmas Bird Count is a holiday tradition that goes back years and year.”
Christmas Bird Counts will take place in virtually every county throughout California – in places both familiar and remote. This year, well over 100 counts are scheduled in the state, and more than 5,000 are expected to participate.
Audubon California is helping organizing counts in Important Bird Areas that might be otherwise overlooked, such as the Tejon Ranch. Audubon California was recently part of a landmark agreement to set aside as many as 240,000 acres of spectacular wildland on Tejon Ranch, and this Christmas Bird Count will be one of the first opportunities to document species on this ecologically significant parcel.
“Because of how the Christmas Bird Count data is used to guide conservation and inform policy initiatives, it’s important to get into some of these remote areas and make sure that we get the best possible snapshot of birds and habitat,” said Graham Chisholm, director of conservation for Audubon California.
