The BBC is engaged in ongoing conservation advocacy on its own initiative and in alliance with the other eighteen member clubs of the Association of Massachusetts Bird Clubs. In June 2019 the BBC supported a Citizens Climate Lobby campaign to pass a state bill intended to reduce carbon emissions. In July we joined the Association in sending a letter to Historic New England urging HNE to help protect Eastern Meadowlarks by re-evaluating its haying practices and management of grasslands at Cogswell’s Grant in Essex and its other properties.
At a July meeting of the Association, club representatives agreed to urge their members across the state to report sightings of birds on the state Endangered Species list. State ornithologist Drew Vitz reported that the Eastern Meadowlark will likely soon be a state-listed species. Through the efforts of Zack Weber, the BBC has taken a lead on this issue by offering annual field trips focused on finding and reporting state-listed species.
The July Association meeting included a discussion of “plirding”—picking up trash while birding—an idea being promoted by a group led by Ray Brown of the Talkin’ Birds radio show. Stay tuned for further “plirding” developments. The Association will meet next at 10:00 on Sunday, November 17 at the Mass Fish and Wildlife offices at Westborough WMA. Any individual member of any member club is welcome to attend Association meetings and join the Association’s Google Group. If you’re interested, contact John Nelson, chair of the BBC Conservation and Education Committee and acting Association chair: jnelson@northshore.edu.