The Quest For Widespread Bird Education Begins!

Photos courtesy of Benny Jacobs-Schwartz

The Bird School Project (BSP) is an idea created by Kevin Condon and Darrow Feldstein--two environmental educators and graduates of UC Santa Cruz with degrees in environmental studies. Our goal is to bike from the California-Oregon border south along the California coast to San Diego during the fall bird migration of 2014 (October-December). Along the way, we hope to visit as many schools as possible in order to provide bird-related education to students along the coast. Our mission is to empower young people to explore the natural areas and organisms of their hometowns in order to create a more ecologically literate population.

It is certainly a unique project, we're not really sure if anyone has ever done anything like it before, but we are excited to try it out and see how it goes. You may be asking yourself some questions about it.


Why would you do that? What's the point? How are you going to fund it?



These are all valid questions. Well, as young 20-somethings who are absolutely in love with the outdoors and the study of natural history, we couldn't help it! We were recently faced with a decision: wander about as vagabond naturalists and outdoor-enthusiasts (something we have both done in the last couple years) or settle down for more work or go to graduate school. The thing is, we couldn't just pick one. The wandering lifestyle is fun and all, but we are aware that we have the teaching, planning, and leadership skills to really do something helpful and meaningful for the world. And we could stay in one place and work a 9 to 5 but we also desire something a bit more exciting and liberating. And so we came up with this project. It's a way for us to be mobile and have an adventure yet apply our skills to make a difference in people's lives and inspire a stronger sense of nature connection in our fellow citizens.
Sounds pretty good, right?

Now for the point, what is the point anyway? Students on the California coast already live in one of the most beautiful places in the country and probably have or will receive some type of experiential outdoor education from one of our many fine outdoor education institutions. Do they really need more? Actually, we believe the answer to this question is...YES!

California is the most biologically diverse state in the US. And with over 200 bird species and an impressive millions of migratory bird visitors each year, birds are an enormous and invaluable part of California’s natural history and heritage. In a critical time of climate change, urban and residential development, rapid population growth, and landmark decisions about our state’s future, we must remember to not lose sight of the unique and valuable natural resources that our state has to offer. And we need to present these ideas to our youth. The first step toward preserving our state's biodiversity is by having our population fall in love with it. We hope to help students and communities along the coast do just that.

So how ARE we going to fund something like this? Good question! This seems to still be uncertain. We have just received a generous sponsorship from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdSleuth program and they have agreed to provide us with some curriculum materials and bird feeders. This is our first sponsorship and we are beyond thankful for it! We have also applied to a couple of grant organizations for some funding as well and will hope for the best. Finally, we will soon be creating a Kickstarter campaign and will be contacting all you readers out there for your support--so stay tuned!

That's it for our first post but keep following us and tell your friends. Stories, more information, and adventure to come soon!