The Ornithological Council is pleased to provide this bimonthly report covering activities in September and October 2022.
The Ornithological Council’s mission is to:
- Ensure that the best ornithological science is incorporated into legislative, regulatory, and management decisions that affect birds;
- Enhance the ability of ornithologists to pursue professional activities; and
- Promote the influence of ornithology in public affairs.
Our work focuses on animal welfare issues, permits, research funding, and other policies that affect ornithologists and ornithological societies. We greatly appreciate your support. Please contact Laura Bies with questions or concerns about this report or about any other matter of concern to your society or your society’s members.
In this time period, Ornithological Council staff:
Attended the Association of Field Ornithologists’ 100th annual meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts. OC Executive Director Laura Bies spoke to the AFO Council about the Ornithological Council and also presented to AFO members about the OC’s activities and services.
Partnered with the AOS Collections Committee to take part in the AOS Student Affairs Committee professional development webinar series, in a webinar about navigating the permitting process.
Continued to reinvigorated its ‘supporting membership’ category, to expand its membership and its reach to ensure that all ornithologists can benefit from the OC’s resources and expertise. Now, organizations and institutions can become part of the OC community of those who work with and love birds. Two applications for supporting membership have been approved by the OC board, from the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and the Ventana Wildlife Society. Learn more here. https://birdnet.org/oc/supporting-members/
Continued to launch two new working groups, focusing on (1) the use of wild birds in research and (2) permitting issues. The board’s vision is that each working group will have about 5 or 6 members, representing the breadth of our societies’ geographic and taxonomic diversity. This will offer ornithologists of all ages and career levels a chance to interact with representatives from other societies, contribute to the ornithological community in a new way, and dig deeper into issues they are interested in. OC representatives will be reaching out to their Society leadership soon, if they haven’t already.
Participated in a quarterly meeting with Bird Banding Lab staff, to discuss issues of mutual interest.
Continued work on our update of the Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research. We are currently in the process of reviewing the literature for new papers published since the 2010 publication of the current edition. New reference lists for each chapter are being made available on BIRDNET.org once completed (only one chapter is left to be completed!), and once all chapter updates are ready, a new PDF of the complete Guidelines with the new references will be compiled and posted online. If you’d like to help with Chapter 3: Capture and Marking, please contact our Executive Director.
Provided direct individual assistance to ornithologists who belong to OC societies regarding how to obtain the permits necessary to complete their research. During September and October, we assisted two individuals with permit issues.
Posted articles and updates on the Ornithology Exchange regarding:
- Updated avian influenza dashboard
- Emperor Penguin listed as an threatened species under ESA
- The Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act introduced in U.S. House of Representatives
- U.S. State of the Birds report released
- APHIS to revise fees for import/export permits, quarantines, other services
All these updates, and more, are always available on the ‘News From the OC’ forum on Ornithological Exchange. Each time OC posts in the News from the OC forum, the link is sent to the OC society representatives to share with their networks. If your society would like these emails sent directly to someone else in your society, please let me know.
NewsBRIEF is sent to Ornithological Council member society secretaries and representatives to the OC board. We encourage you to share it with other leaders within your society. (If you received this email directly from the OC and are not a current society representative or secretary, please let me know so I can update our roster.)
Thanks for your support!
Laura Bies
Executive Director
Ornithological Council
202.905.9141
Providing Scientific Information about Birds
