Country or countries in which project was active: Bahamas; Canada; Colombia; Costa Rica; Dominican Republic; El Salvador; Guadeloupe; Guatemala; Honduras; Jamaica; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Puerto Rico; United States

Eco-Index categories that best describe this project:

• Migratory species
• Communications
• Environmental education
• Birds

Date this survey was updated:

December 2011.

Responsible organization(s):

Environment for the Americas, United States.

Project director(s):

Susan Bonfield.

Contact information:

Address: 2129 13th Street, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA

Telephone: +303/499-1950

Fax: +303/499-9567

Email: sbonfield@birdday.org

Web site: http://www.birdday.org

Web site 2: http://birds.fws.gov/imbd

Project summary:

International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) is an annual celebration of one of the most important events in the life of a migratory bird - the journey between its summer and winter homes. IMBD was created to focus public attention on the need to conserve migratory birds and their habitat through celebrations and education programs.

International Migratory Bird Day is now a project of Environment for the Americas, a non-profit organization committed to sharing information, education, and education materials about the conservation of shared natural resources throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Project objective(s):

• Increase public awareness of migratory birds and their conservation needs.
• Help educators, nature centers, wildlife refuges, classroom teachers, bird clubs, and bird-focused businesses provide information about birds and their conservation.
• Offer IMBD participants a place where they can find the materials needed for a festival or education program focusing on birds.
• Encourage groups of all kinds to host an education event focusing on migratory birds and their conservation.
• To motivate people to become involved in conservation.

Date project began:

1993.

Expected duration (or date project was concluded):

Permanent.

Current funders:

Boreal Songbird Initiative, Canada (site); Bureau of Land Management, United States (site); ConocoPhillips, United States (site); Defenders of Wildlife, United States (site); National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, United States (site); National Park Service, United States (site); Optics for the Tropics, United States (site); United States Department of Defense, United States (site); United States Fish and Wildlife Service - Wildlife Without Borders Program (site); United States Forest Service (USFS) (site); Birdzilla.com, United States.

Project budget:

$200,000

Principal accomplishments to date:

• International Migratory Bird Day’s principal accomplishments are its continued growth over the last 10 years and its increased recognition in the birding community. IMBD is becoming known as an important source of quality education materials focusing on birds and provides a venue for diverse groups to share with the public.
• IMBD is also one of the few programs that provides materials in Spanish to Mexico and countries in Central and South America. The program works with a number of funders and collaborates with biologists in Latin America, Canada, and the United States.
• IMBD was selected as one of the top six biodiversity education projects in the United States.
• The IMBD website was recognized as “Best of the Web”.
• IMBD’s website has grown to include a variety of project ideas, downloadable materials, and information about birds and bird conservation.
• The number of IMBD events and programs increased by 15.5% from 2010 to 2011. Since the program began, more than 520 events have been held from Canada to Colombia.

Anticipated accomplishments:

• IMBD’s 2012 theme is “Connecting People to Bird Conservation”. More information is available on our website.
• IMBD materials will continue to address conservation efforts throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Project monitoring and evaluation methodology:

Registration of IMBD events is critical to our understanding of participant numbers. From 2008–2011, the number of events increased from 350 to over 520. Environment for the Americas staff work to learn about events each year via telephone calls and web searches. In addition, organizations may register their own events on the www.birdday.org website.

Lessons learned:

• IMBD is a large initiative that requires financial support and international support. If a group were to start a similar initiative, an important component is the message that is to be delivered. In addition, such programs must have a means of distributing materials efficiently and of handling the large number of phone calls, faxes, and emails that result from a national and international program.

Other Web sites that have further information about this project:

• www.eco-index.org/new/stories/2003/april.cfm -- An interview with Susan Bonfield on the Eco-Index's "Stories From the Field" feature.
• birdday.org/birdday/themes -- More information about current and past IMBD themes, with links to detailed information about each year’s celebration. In English.

Available reports and studies related to this project:

•  [PDF ~268K] A fact sheet about International Migratory Bird Day. Two pages.
•  [PDF ~149K] A fact sheet about why, how, where, and when IMBD is celebrated. Two pages.

© 2001 - Rainforest Alliance