By Doug Parker, new Executive Director of Audubon Vermont
I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the Green Mountain Audubon Chapter newsletter. It has been a short time since I began as the new Executive Director of Audubon Vermont and since then, I have been enjoying the opportunity to get out around the state to meet people involved in Audubon and other conservation activities. I’ve been impressed by the number of interested and committed people who are involved in many different environmental efforts. Vermont is certainly a green state.
As I have gotten around, I have come to appreciate the special relationship between Audubon Vermont and the Green Mountain Audubon Chapter. I recently met with the Chapter Board for an exchange of ideas. I am looking forward to working with the chapter and hope to be able to identify projects we can do together to contribute to the conservation of Vermont’s birds.
This is a very important time for conservation in Vermont. Development is putting increasing pressure on habitat and on birds, leading to declining populations for some species. At the same time, compilations of existing breeding bird data are showing that the northern forest – from the Adirondacks, across Vermont and New Hampshire, to the Maine coast – is a globally significant nursery for birds. There is a greater diversity of breeding birds here than in any other part of the country, and it makes sense that Audubon, which has so long stood for birds, should find ways to contribute toward conservation while there is still time to have a significant impact.
The Audubon family has a lot to offer conservation efforts:
- The chapters’ presence around the state with their broad membership and large number of volunteers.
- The state program and staff, and the Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington with its successful 40 year track record, thanks to the Green Mountain Audubon Chapter.
- The potential for working together with other statewide Audubons in adjoining states. We cannot work in isolation in Vermont and expect our bird populations to remain healthy.
- Our connection to the National Audubon Society and its resources. Many of our birds are migratory, so Audubon’s national, even international reach can be important components of an integrated approach.
I am looking forward to developing new programs that will have a beneficial impact on birds in Vermont, and joining forces with chapters in areas such as monitoring, land management, education, and any other activity that will contribute to conservation and have a lasting impact on bird populations. We have identified a group of “responsibility birds” – those which have a large percentage of their home range right here – in which we have a special interest and for which we will work to ensure a viable future.
In particular, we need to find ways to reach out to the decision-makers who will determine the quality of future bird habitat. Since 85% of Vermont land is private, we will endeavor to develop programs to provide receptive landowners with information about management practices that enhance bird habitat. This will call on Audubon’s strengths in education, birds and science. And while there is a very important piece of this work that Audubon Vermont can do on its own, I think that chapter involvement will be central to its ongoing success.
Vermont is a great place to try out new approaches to bird conservation. Over the next year, I hope to be able to work with you to do just that.
