The Ornithological Council is pleased to provide this bimonthly report covering activities in March and April 2023.
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:
Updated the Ornithological Council’s website, www.birdnet.org, which contains extensive information about the permits that are required for ornithological research. That information has recently been reviewed and updated as needed – including information and links to scientific collecting and banding permit applications for all 50 states in the US. There is also information about US federal permits, as well as the provincial and federal permits required in Canada. Check out the updated permitting information here.
Continued the transfer of the Ornithology Exchange. Earlier this year, the OC took over management of the Ornithology Exchange. Since then, we have been reviewing existing content, cleaning up old parts of the site, and exploring new ways to use the OE. Some OC societies are currently taking advantage of the ability to have private discussion forums on OE for their boards or committees. If you are interested in doing so, or have other feedback on OE and how to make it more valuable to the ornithological community, please contact me (laurabiesoc@gmail.com).
Welcomed a new Supporting Member – the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley. Learn more about supporting members and see the list of current supporting members here. https://birdnet.org/oc/supporting-members/
Explored new CDC guidance regarding import permits and reached out to both the CDC and the Department of Transportation regarding how this guidance will affect importation of bird specimens and samples. These conversations are ongoing. The OC’s Import Guide will be updated to reflect this information once our questions are answered.
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, and once all chapter updates are ready, a new PDF of the complete Guidelines with the new references will be compiled and posted online.
Provided direct individual assistance to ornithologists who belong to OC societies regarding how to obtain the permits necessary to complete their research. During March and April, we assisted seven individuals with permit issues.
Posted articles and updates on the Ornithology Exchange regarding:
- Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Reintroduced
- Guam Kingfisher reintroduction finalized
- Critical habitat designated for Rufa Red Knot
- Scientists challenge USFWS director qualifications
- CDC release new permitting e-tool
- USFWS reopens bi-state Sage Grouse comment period
- Ornithological Council’s website on permitting updated
- ABC and partners sue FAA over rockets’ effects on birds
- COMMENT OPPORTUNITY: Black-capped Petrel listing open for comment again
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
laurabiesoc@gmail.com
Providing Scientific Information about Birds
