Wings Across the Americas

Klamath Bird Observatory’s executive director John Alexander has recently been awarded for his years of effort in conservation through international partnerships. The U.S forest service awarded him the Wings Across the Americas award, recognizing the partnership between KBO, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad in Costa Rica and Dr. C.J Ralph of the U.S Forest Service in Arcata, CA. Through their efforts many Latin American biologists have been brought to the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion for an extensive six month bird banding training. The trained biologists are then able to use these skills back home to help expand the network of scientists throughout the Americas. Data collected through this partnership will help computer modeling tools show projections of how birds will likely react to changes in climate, the environment and land use in the future.  The goal is for these tools to help public land agencies make decisions about land use practices. Many of the species seen here in the spring and summer are migratory, therefore conserving habitat in Latin America not only benefits the endemic birds found there, but also the migrants we commonly see here. To read the full article and learn more about what Klamath Bird Observatory and its partners are doing, click here.