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A Birder’s Guide to U.S. Federal Public Lands

10,000 Birds

Birders know that some of the finest birding locations in the country are on federal land , which include national parks , wildlife refuges , forests , monuments , and seashores , among others. These lands support countless birds, either year-round, as migratory stopovers, or as breeding grounds. There is one gigantic outlier: Alaska.

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A Birder’s Guide to The Wilderness Act

10,000 Birds

The short answer is that wilderness areas are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System and they are protected by the Wilderness Act of 1964. Simply put, wilderness areas are the most protected public lands in America. But what is “wilderness” and how does it differ from any other federal land? The longer answer is below.

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The National Wildlife Refuge System: Birders Leading the Way

10,000 Birds

This is Jason’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds: Birders were rightly alarmed by the armed occupation of the Malheur NWR in Oregon. One of the nation’s premier birding locations had been overrun by an armed militia and the occupation unexpectedly endured for weeks. The vast majority of this area (about 85%) is in Alaska.

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The “Rufa” Red Knot is now protected under the Endangered Species Act

10,000 Birds

The other sub-species, Calidris canutus roselaari , migrates along the Pacific Coast and breeds in Alaska and the Wrangel Island in Russia. Birds in Delaware Bay. In South America, several key Red Knot sites are becoming shorebird reserves, and regional efforts are including the protection of habitats in urban development plans.

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Federal Public Lands: Pacific Seabirds

10,000 Birds

Controversies about federal public lands, including the 2016 occupation of Malheur NWR in Oregon and proposed bills in Congress to dispose of certain land, has focused attention on the value of federal lands to birds and birders. But if one focuses on specific types of birds, the results can be both illuminating and surprising.

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Linda Hufford: A Rehabber Comments on “Collecting” Rare Birds

10,000 Birds

She runs Birds of Texas Rehabilitation Center in Austin County, Texas. A number of years ago I was granted the privilege of flying into the Kuparuk Oil Field, above the Arctic Circle in the remote regions of the North Slope Borough in Alaska. Can a dead bird educate the researcher on its song? His answer surprised me.

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The Brightest Bird at HJ Andrews Experimental Forest

10,000 Birds

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “its roughly 3,900-mile movement (one-way) from Alaska to Mexico is equivalent to 78,470,000 body lengths.” Conservation of both their breeding and wintering habitats is essential to protect this bright light in the dark forest.

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