Bill Drummond Young Birder Scholarship
The BBC Young Birder Scholarship program, initiated in 2015, has been renamed the Bill Drummond Young Birder Scholarship in honor of one of our club’s most distinguished leaders. Each year the BBC offers one or two scholarships to the Coastal Maine Studies for Teens program at National Audubon’s Hog Island camp in Maine. These scholarships, instituted to nurture interest in bird study and conservation among young birders, cover the full cost of the camp. The scholarships are supported entirely by member donations. BBC members can make a donation of any amount, in Bill Drummond’s honor, on the Join/Renew section of the website.
How to apply
The BBC is pleased to announce that we will again offer two Bill Drummond Young Birder’s Scholarships to nurture interest in bird study and conservation among young birders. The 2025 scholarships will cover the full cost ($1725) of the Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens program at National Audubon’s Hog Island camp on June 15-20, 2025. The cost includes housing, boat travel, and all meals. Scholarship recipients will be responsible for transportation costs to and from the camp.
Applicants must be New England residents, ages 14-17 as of June 1, 2025, and must submit a written application and two letters of reference. Preference will be given to applicants with individual or family BBC memberships. To be considered a member, an applicant may join the club at the time of application. A youth membership for one year is $10. All our previous scholarship recipients have had tremendous adventures at Hog Island. “I thoroughly enjoyed my week on Hog Island,” wrote 2022 recipient Johnny Owens, “from learning about tracking bird migration, to landing on Eastern Egg Rock and seeing the large colony of nesting seabirds, to meeting the researchers who work on Eastern Egg Rock. It was so amazing to have the chance to meet highly influential researchers and conservationists, and to see the successfully restored puffin colony on Eastern Egg Rock up close. I loved spending time with birders my own age with whom I could relate. . . I am immensely thankful for this incredible opportunity.”
All completed applications and references must be received by the BBC scholarship committee by Monday, February 17, 2025. Selection and notification of recipients will be completed by March 12, 2025. You can click on these links to read the application instructions and download an application form:
Donations
Scholarships are supported through the generous donations of BBC members. To donate, you can designate an amount on the “BBC Young Birder’s Scholarship” line on the back page of the club bulletin when you renew your membership or, especially for life members, at any other time you might wish to donate. You can donate online by clicking the Join link on the BBC home page and entering an amount in the box for “Additional Donation to the Bill Drummond Young Birder’s Scholarship.” The BBC thanks members in advance for their donations.