Spread the Word!
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| Green Heron, Mark Eden, FL, 2011 GBBC |
Your Help Will Make a Difference
The success of the Great Backyard Bird Count depends on participants from every community helping count birds across the United States and Canada. Spread the word in your town by asking people to count birds for at least 15 minutes during February 17-20, 2012. It's fun, easy, raises awareness of birds, and provides an important record of where the birds are--a record that scientists can use well into the future to track how birds are faring as their environments change.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Bird Studies Canada invite everyone to "Count for Fun, Count for the Future."
Seven Ways to Spread the Word in Your Community
1) Put up posters and distribute brochures in your community. You can download a poster/brochure (Note: 2012 posters not yet available.) and print it out. (Note that posters from ink jet printers may not last in the rain.) If you prefer to receive posters in the mail, we will send them to you. Just email Jennifer Smith at jls39@cornell.edu. Write "GBBC poster" in the subject line. In the body of the text, provide your mailing address and the number of posters you would like.
2) Alert bird clubs, community groups, and newsletters about the count. You can print out a poster and news release or send an email with a link to the Great Backyard Bird Count web site, www.birdcount.org.
For suggestions about which groups to contact, see our list of community groups.
3) As the count nears, send email messages to your friends, relatives, and favorite list serves, encouraging people to participate.
4) Send the news release to local newspapers and television and radio stations about the count in January or early February. See our tips on how to contact the media. A timely calendar announcement or feature can significantly boost participation in your area. Be sure to mention if you are willing to be interviewed about the count.
5) Give a GBBC slideshow or lead a workshop for a school, bird club, library, or other community group. Or lead a workshop by helping people learn about the common birds in your area and explaining how they can count birds for the GBBC. If you are planning a slideshow or workshop, or know of one in your area, publicize it by alerting your local media. Let us know about it too so we can add it to the GBBC event calendar. Send the date, location, and contact information to Pat Leonard at pel27@cornell.edu.
To download a slideshow and script, go to the Great Backyard Bird Count Slideshow page. |
| Female Northern Cardinal, Lesley Mattuchio, MA, 2011 GBBC |
6) Set up a count site at an Audubon Center, park, or nature center in
your area. During the count, lead bird walks or give
demonstrations to visitors. Be sure to let local media know about our
event in advance to help publicize it. If you organize such an event,
let us know about it so we can add it to the GBBC web site calendar.
Send the date, location, and contact information to Pat Leonard at pel27@cornell.edu.
7) Provide data forms and regional checklists for people without Internet access. Ask them to return the data forms to you so you can enter the data on the GBBC web site by March 1, 2008. If you cannot enter the data, the forms can be sent to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
8) Help enter checklists sent to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon. Help our staff contribute needed information to the GBBC database by entering data received on forms from people without Internet access. We can send you forms that we receive from participants after the count. If you can enter the counts online, please fill our our online ambassador form to let us know you can help in this way. Let us know how many checklists you can enter (minimum of 15).
Would you like to be on our list of Great Backyard Bird Count ambassadors? As the count approaches, we'll send you email with ideas and updates about this year's count. Visit our GBBC ambassador page to find out more.
