September 20, 2004

Contact: Lisa Green (802) 457-2779 ext. 107, lgreen@vinsweb.org

VINS INTRODUCES THE VERMONT eBIRD SITE SURVEY

Now Your Favorite Birding Location Can Help VINS Understand Bird Populations

WOODSTOCK - The Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology announced today that they have launched a new website that takes the Vermont eBird Project, a checklist project developed in 2003, to a whole new level. The Vermont eBird Site Survey, found at http://www.ebird.org/VINS/news/essintro.html, is designed to provide Vermont bird watchers a unique opportunity to contribute to valuable research efforts on North American bird populations by regularly reporting their sightings from their favorite birding locations. "Checklist projects like Vermont eBird, found at http://www.ebird.org/vins/, have proved to be immensely valuable to our understanding of North American birds, particularly when specific sites are repeatedly visited." says Kent McFarland, VINS Conservation Biologist. To that end, VINS and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have created the Vermont eBird Site Survey to archive checklists collected regularly from specific locations. "Through these repeated observations, birders can help the Vermont eBird Project move away from simple inventories of bird populations to actual monitoring of population changes over time. As a result, scientists can more accurately address broad-scale questions about the ebb and flow of bird populations across the years." continues McFarland.

VINS encourages birders to go to http://www.ebird.org/vins/ to register their sightings onto the Vermont eBird  site and become part of VINS' research team.    To go to the next level to participate in the Vermont eBird Site Survey, go to http://www.ebird.org/VINS/news/essintro.html . "Fall migration is upon us. There is no better time to sign up to the Vermont eBird Site Survey than right now. If you have a favorite location where you watch birds--your yard, a local park, a nearby refuge--we invite you to get involved. It's free, fun, easy to do, and will help VINS track bird populations across the continent." says McFarland.

VINS is a non-profit, member-supported organization headquartered in Woodstock, Vermont, with regional offices in Montpelier, Manchester, and Quechee. VINS' team of conservation biologists, working closely with more than 800 volunteer "citizen scientists", conducts vital research about the habitats and natural histories of at-risk populations of songbirds, Common Loons, Peregrine Falcons, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, bats, and other wildlife. The goal of these comprehensive field studies is two-fold: to better understand complex and vulnerable eco-systems; and to recommend sound ways of protecting wildlife populations and other natural resource. For more information about VINS, go to www.vinsweb.org or contact them at (802) 457-2779.