| Contacts: | Erin Curtis, Public Information Officer, (970) 244-3097 |
BLM Joins With Audubon for 110th Annual Christmas Bird Count
Montrose, CO -- The Bureau of Land Management and the Audubon Society are looking for a few good birders interested in helping out with this year’s Christmas Bird Count.
This will be the 110th annual bird count conducted by the Audubon Society nationwide. This year they have partnered with the BLM’s Uncompahgre field office to continue the tradition locally.
The count will take place between December 14 and January 5. Volunteers ranging from families and students to birders and scientists will go out armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists to collect data and assess the health of local bird populations.
Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations.
The count takes place within Count Circles, which focus on specific geographical areas. Each circle is overseen by a Count Compiler. Beginning birders will have the opportunity to join a group that includes at least one experienced birdwatcher.
In addition, if your home is within the boundaries of a Count Circle, you can stay home and report the birds that visit your feeder.
Volunteers are needed to take part in the following counts in Gunnison, Delta and Montrose counties:
• Saturday, Dec. 19, Gunnison. Contact Arden Anderson for meeting time and location, 970-641-5322, kankan@frontier.net
• Saturday, Dec. 19, Delta. Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the Delta City Market parking lot. Contact Dennis Garrison, 970-527-4131, dennisgarrison@hotmail.com
• Sunday, Dec. 20, Montrose. Meet at 8 a.m. at the BLM/Forest Service parking lot on South Townsend Avenue. Contact David Sinton, 970-729-2089, david.sinton@gmail.com.
• Sunday, Jan. 3, Hotchkiss. Meet at 8 a.m. in the Hotchkiss City Market parking lot. For more information and for those who want to meet earlier for observing owls, contact Jason Beason at 970-527-4625, jason.beason@rmbo.org.
For more information about Christmas Bird Count participation, visit Audubon's website at http://www.audubon.org/bird.cbc and click on the "Get Involved" link on the left-hand side of the page.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
2465 South Townsend Ave. Montrose, CO 81401