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| The
Rouge River Bird Observatory (RRBO), the only full-time, urban bird research
program in the United States, is facing a serious shortfall of funding.
Recent state economic difficulties and the resulting budget cuts to higher
education have affected RRBO’s funding. A dramatic increase of
outside, private funding for RRBO operations is crucial if we are to preserve
the program as it stands today.
The Rouge River Bird Observatory is clearly a unique endeavor, since intense study of such a wide variety of birds is rare in an urban area. The project is unique not only in its research focus and location, but also because of its longevity. Research of this nature requires a long-term commitment to data gathering — we have banded over 20,000 birds of 118 species and recaptured nearly 5,000 of them. The importance of projects that go uninterrupted for ten or twenty years cannot be underestimated. They take into account natural phenomena that bias short-term research results, and they allow for the accumulation of enough data to make biologically and statistically significant conclusions. We have operated without interruption for eleven years and have published in twenty scientific papers or notes, and contributed data to over a dozen other research projects throughout North America. The Rouge River Bird Observatory is extremely cost-effective. Through efficient use of trained volunteers (1,100 hours a year) and in-kind donations of space, utility costs, etc. from UM-Dearborn, one staff person is able to run a nationally known research project that provides critical information for the study of migratory birds. Help us continue our current work. We need funding now to synthesize, analyze, and publish our fall stopover research. Publication of these results will make a significant contribution to the current understanding of how to assess the stopover ecology of migrant birds. In December we begin our winter bird surveys which examine population trends of resident birds. These data can be used, for example, to examine the impacts of West Nile virus on particular species of birds or to track the spread of the exotic Emerald Ash Borer through woodpecker population trends. Help us continue our ongoing public education efforts via the RRBO web site; banding demonstrations to school groups; lectures to community groups; and articles in regional newspapers and national publications, including Birder’s World, Birding, and Bird Watcher’s Digest magazines. Your donation will help the Rouge River Bird Observatory continue to play an important role in the science of conservation and preservation. Click here to make a contribution to RRBO via mail or online, or to talk to a development officer for more options or call us at (313) 593-5130.
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