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Audubon Helps Launch International Fund to Protect Winter Habitat for Bicknell’s Thrush
Unique Partnership Announces Fund to Protect Habitat in Dominican Republic and Haiti

Wilmington, NY, July 17, 2007—Sometimes, conserving the natural history and biodiversity of one place, like the Adirondacks, requires taking action in a different place far away. A unique partnership of organizations, including the Adirondack Park Agency, Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Adirondack Council, Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Audubon New York, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Vermont Institute of Natural Science, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, embraced that notion as they announced the creation of the Bicknell’s Thrush Habitat Protection Fund.

The Bicknell’s Thrush is a rare migratory songbird that migrates each year from the Dominican Republic and Haiti to summer in the Adirondacks, returning to the Caribbean islands each fall to spend the winter. Because of its small population, limited distribution, and known threats, Bicknell’s Thrush is one of the highest priority songbirds in the northeastern U.S. Scientists believe that loss and degradation of the forests where it spends the winter are the greatest threats to the species’ long-term viability. The Fund, which will be administered by the Adirondack Community Trust, creates a mechanism to protect the rare bird’s wintering grounds in the Caribbean.

Click here to visit ORDA’s website regarding this and other efforts to protect Bicknell’s Thrush, read the press release about the habitat protection fund, see a map of the bird’s distribution, and/or hear its song.

To make a donation to the fund, click the link below, then enter the dollar amount of your donation, enter “Bicknell’s Thrush Habitat Protection Fund” in the place for Designation, click the “Add to Giving Cart” button, and follow the prompts.

Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation experiences.

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