Birders, Bird Conservation, and State Wildlife Agency Websites

The 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation estimated that 47,000,000 Americans feed and/or watch birds, and that bird watching has increased over recent decades as participation in hunting... [ view full abstract ]

The 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation estimated that 47,000,000 Americans feed and/or watch birds, and that bird watching has increased over recent decades as participation in hunting and fishing has steadily declined. Also over the last few decades, the scientific foundation for bird conservation has steadily advanced, culminating in recent large-scale, multi-species assessments such as The State of North America’s Birds (2016) and the Partners in Flight Landbird Conservation Plan (2016). Nexuses for synergy between the birding community and the bird conservation community are the state wildlife agencies who meet with bird conservation partnerships every 6 months under the auspices of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. However, an analysis of the 50 state wildlife agency websites in 2013, 2104, 2015, and 2017 reveals little prominent or active content for topics such as “birds,” “birding,” “bird watching,” “migratory birds,” or for the flagship bird education and outreach website, “International Migratory Bird Day.” There also appears to be no trend to increase such content. The links between birders and bird conservation are not only deserving of vastly increased effort under the Public Trust Doctrine, but are also fundamental to the very future of these agencies. One problem is likely the powerful influence of tradition on how these agencies view themselves, and the long-term pervasive effect of the North American Model for Wildlife Conservation which inhibits innovation. A paradigm shift is still available, if leadership will seize it.