NERRA & Audubon: Birds of a Feather
Like other Reserves, our Maryland Reserve’s Jug Bay site provides habitats for marsh birds that are “secretive”—and irresistible to birding enthusiasts. The Reserve is working with their local Audubon chapter to host Representative Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) for a visit this spring. Photo courtesy of the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary.
Reserves are a favorite spot for casual birders and stalwart twitchers alike, so it’s no surprise that National Audubon is teaming up with NERRA to conserve the habitats that are so near and dear to all of our hearts. This fledgeling national partnership builds on efforts of local Audubon chapters to speak up for Reserves like Florida’s Rookery Bay and Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. Both of these Reserves will work with their local Audubon groups to host site visits from Representative Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) and Representative Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD). Audubon also will partner with other NERRS sites like our San Francisco Bay Reserve to host “bird walks” for other Members of Congress.
“The National Audubon Society values its partnership with the NERRS because together we can encourage Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to visit Reserves and get outside and in nature,” says Dr. Karen Hyun, Vice President for Coastal Conservation at the National Audubon Society. “This drives home awareness of the importance of Reserves to research, education, and stewardship of the coasts, including the shorebirds and seabirds, and the places they need to survive.”