Friday, October 25, 2002

Tracking The Ever-Changing Bird Populations, A Lecture By Conservationist Chandler Robbins, November 5

Chestertown, MD, October 25, 2002 — Washington College's McLain Program in Environmental Studies and the Center for the Environment and Society, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE KENT COUNTY CHAPTER OF THE MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, present “Tracking Our Ever-Changing Bird Populations: What Do We Know, What Can we Do?”, a lecture by Chandler S. Robbins, Research Wildlife Biologist with the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. The talk will be held Tuesday, November 5 at 5 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.
An ornithologist and biologist with the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center since 1945, Robbins has led the effort to monitor populations of nongame birds, and in 1966 developed the North American Breeding Bird Survey to track population trends of birds across the continent to provide essential data for conservation decisions. After surveys revealed that many migratory songbirds were in decline, Robbins was part of a research team who studied the status of bird habitats in the 1980s, revealing, among other factors, that many bird species require large, unbroken tracts of undeveloped land to breed and rear young. More than a scientist, Robbins is a passionate conservationist who has passed on his enthusiasm to generations of Americans, authoring one of the most popular birdwatching field guides used since the mid-1960s.
“Chandler Robbins is a pioneer in this field, and we plan to honor his contributions to birdwatching and conservation at this talk,” said Wayne Bell, Director of the Center for the Environment and Society and Kent County Coordinator for the Maryland/DC Breeding Bird ATLAS Project. “A recent report from the Audubon Society revealed that urban expansion and loss of open space, including both forests and grasslands, have placed 25 percent of North America's bird species in trouble or decline. Clearly, Robbins' commitment to biodiversity and preserving natural habitat is as critical now as it was 35 years ago when he began the Breeding Bird Survey.”

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