Migration season is well under way and preparations have begun for this year’s Southwest Michigan Team Birdathon on May 16! ASK’s Kal-Haven Trail Trekkers team, Kent Martin, Joanna Sblendorio, Seth Chapman, and Donna Keller, will spend a long day chasing birds in Berrien County, hoping to exceed last year’s total of 122 species.
Please consider supporting the team’s effort with a tax-deductible donation split between the two important causes outlined below. You can pledge per species or a flat dollar amount. Pledges received on or before May 14 will be included in the team total on Birdathon day, Saturday, May 16.
If you’d like to support bird populations by pledging, please visit this link: https://forms.gle/9RYEHig7Y5ZEBhQz7
How to pay if you pledge per species: If you pledge per species, you will receive an email after Birdathon with a species total, your pledge total, and instructions to pay.
How to pay if you pledge a total amount: You can pay any time between now and May 27 one of the following ways: visit our website at www.kalamazooaudubon.org/support-ask/ and indicate that you are making a Birdathon donation, or send a check made out to Audubon Society of Kalamazoo and mail it to P.O. Box 19333, Kalamazoo, MI 49019-0333. Please include “Birdathon” in the memo line on your check.
The causes:
Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s Sand Creek Preserve (local breeding grounds; not open to public due to habitat sensitivity)
Funds donated to the preserve will contribute to restoration and management of native grassland, oak savanna, wetlands, and forest on the site. At the preserve, wildlife habitat is enhanced for charismatic animal species such as Eastern meadowlarks, bluebirds, bobolinks, and box turtles — species that have been in decline due to habitat destruction, invasive species, and changing land practices. SWMLC’s Sand Creek Preserve will continue to provide habitats that serve as a haven where these species can find refuge in the waving prairie grasses and oak trees alongside hundreds of other species of flora and fauna. (https://swmlc.org)
American Bird Conservancy (The Americas, including where Michigan birds over-winter)
The American Bird Conservancy is a non-profit membership organization with the mission of conserving native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Its focus is on threats to birds in the Western Hemisphere—threats which include overuse of pesticides, urban sprawl, habitat destruction, and invasive species. ABC programs include habitat protection for our migrating birds in Mexico and Central and South America, the Golden-winged Warbler Project, and the Kirtland’s Warbler Project. (www.abcbirds.org)
ASK’s Birdathon team members are grateful for the continued support of the ASK membership!