REGION – We said we were going to do it, and with your help we did. With your support, we made the 2021 Kirtland’s Warbler Census a success.
Late last year, the Michigan DNR came to us with a request: Could we help them conduct the census by identifying, training and organizing volunteers to help count Kirtland’s Warblers in the field? Given that it’s our mission to support Kirtland’s Warbler conservation, how could we say no?
Not only did the census come off without a hitch, it finished ahead of schedule and the final count showed that the population of the Kirtland’s Warbler remains healthy and stable.
Of his participation in the census, one volunteer wrote: “It was a wonderful experience, standing in the jack pines, surrounded by singing Kirtland’s warblers – can’t wait for the next census!”
Even though the census was our major accomplishment in 2021, it was not the only highlight of the year.
Alliance members meet with legislators
Over the past few months members of the Alliance Board have been meeting with members of the Natural Resources Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives to update them on issues surrounding Kirtland’s Warbler conservation. Meetings have been held in person in Lansing and remotely by video.
This work is necessary because even though most legislators know something about the Kirtland’s Warbler, they don’t understand its status as a conservation reliant species and why on-the-ground conservation work must continue. It’s also necessary because the legislature controls the DNR’s budget, so we remind legislators that jack pine management is beneficial for reasons that go well beyond the warbler.
As you might imagine, the DNR is not the most popular government agency with many folks around the state. Therefore legislators are often surprised when they hear us praise the DNR and say we appreciate their continuing commitment to jack pine management.
It is also gratifying how warmly we are greeted by (most of) the legislators. The legislators – or their aides – are very willing to take time out of their business to listen closely to what we have to say.
We’ll be setting up meetings with members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee soon.
Monument update
We continue to move ahead exploring the possibility of renovating the Kirtland’s Warbler monument in Mio.
We now have an estimate for repairs from an electrician and will soon have information about the stones that went into the monument and an estimate from a general contractor. It’s going slowly but we should soon have enough information to make an intelligent decision on how to proceed. Stay tuned.
But the best thing about 2021 was…
You might be thinking that we’re going to say something sentimental here about getting to meet so many great supporters, so many people around the state who are as passionate about the Kirtland’s Warbler as we are, after a year of limited travel and human-to-human contact.
And while that would be true, the best thing about 2021 was that we were back in the field with the Kirtland’s Warblers. Yes, we missed seeing you in person in 2020, but we could always call, text, write, or Zoom you. We couldn’t do that with the warbler during 2020 and that first day in the field – the first time we heard that song this spring – reminded us how much we had missed the previous year.
Don’t worry, you will always be a close second in our hearts!
