| Contacts: | Deanna Masterson, 303-239-3671 |
BLM Uncompahgre Field Office Joins With Audubon for 111th Annual Christmas Bird Count
MONTROSE, Colo. – Volunteers are invited to participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count Dec. 14, 2010 through Jan. 5, 2011.
Each volunteer participating in the event makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this long-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations, and to help guide conservation action.
The count takes place within Count Circles, which focus on specific geographical areas and each circle is overseen by a Count Compiler. Count circles will be divided and areas assigned to participants during the meeting. If you are a beginning birder, you will be able 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.
The counts will take place on:
Saturday, Dec. 18, Delta: Meet at 8 a.m. in the Delta City Market parking lot at 122 Gunnison River Drive, Delta, CO. For more information and for those who want to meet earlier for observing owls, contact Dennis Garrison, 970-985-2244 or 970-527-4131, dennisgarrison@hotmail.com.
Sunday, Dec. 19, Montrose: Meet at 9 a.m. at the BLM/Forest Service parking lot at 2465 S. Townsend Ave., Montrose CO 81401. Contact Missy Siders, 970-275-6639, msiders@blm.gov.
Saturday, Jan. 1, Hotchkiss: Meet at 8 a.m. in the Hotchkiss City Market parking lot at 215 North 6th Street, Hotchkiss, CO. 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.
All data needs to be turned into the leader by the end of the day, or make other arrangements with the leader.
Fee: $5 per adult, free for anyone under 18. Please bring cash. Funds go to Audubon to compile the CBC data and publish the report. Reports will be available before the next annual count.
Bring: warm clothes, snack and/or lunch, drinks, binoculars, spotting scope (if you have one) and bird books.
Provided: map of birding areas, checklist of birds that might be seen and instructions.
For more information about CBC participation, visit Audubon's website at http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count 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.