CT State of the Birds 2021: Recommendations
Rusty Blackbird populations have fallen by about 85%. Photo Carolinabirds.org.
“Three Billion Birds Are Gone. How Do We Bring Them Back?”
The basis of the report is a study published in Science in September 2019. Written by 11 top ornithologists from the U.S. and Canada, it shows that over the last 50 years, North America has lost about 30% of its birds.
In other words, there are three billion fewer birds in North America today than there were in 1970.
Connecticut State of the Birds 2021 is a call to action for our state’s response to that crisis.
Read the Bird-lover's Guide to the 2021 report
Here are the report’s recommendations
Congress should pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.
This bill, introduced in Congress for each of the last several years, would direct some $1.3 billion of existing revenue annually to state-led wildlife conservation efforts, allowing states like Connecticut to fully implement their Congressionally mandated Wildlife Action Plans.
Connecticut would receive about $12.6 million annually from the fund—an almost 10-fold increase in what it spends on the plan now. It would be a game-changer for habitat protection in the priority climate stronghold areas.
Pick up the pace of land protection in Connecticut. The state has not come close to its official goal of protecting 21 percent of the land in Connecticut by 2023. Focus on areas identified as “climate strongholds” in the Natural Climate Solutions Report. With literally hundreds of conservation organizations, governments, and agencies able to work on this, Connecticut has the ability to make a big difference quickly.
Land acquisition remains the best way to protect habitat. Governor Lamont and the Connecticut General Assembly must restore, fully fund, and protect the Community Investment Act as a source of open space funding.
Similarly, we call on state officials to increase funding for the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program, and the Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust Program and look for new and innovative ways to fund land conservation and stewardship.
Long-tailed Duck numbers are falling but the waters of southern New England are still crucial wintering areas for them. Photo by Patrick Comins.
To the U.S. Congress, pass the Migratory Bird Protection Act of 2021 (H.R. 4833) to replace the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
Analyze the Connecticut Bird Atlas results to prioritize areas for species of greatest conservation need. Work with partners to identify protection opportunities within those areas and strategies to protect and improve habitat utilizing a proactive approach to identify the most important places for each species of concern.
Equally essential are actions that individual residents can take to reduce the number of birds that die from well-known and preventable causes. Outdoor cats, for example, kill an estimated 1.3 billion to 4 billion birds in North America every year. Windows killed approximately 1 billion birds each year.
Keep cats indoors. Letting your voice be heard by decision makers. Work on preventing window strikes. Eliminate or reduce the use of pesticides on your property. Plant native.
A more extensive list of what you can do to help can be found at: ctaudubon.org/helpbirds.
