How you can help birds and fight climate change

The Veery is a small perky forest bird that is 
common in the Lehigh Valley every summer.
By 2080 almost none will be seen here, Audubon says.

Nearly half of the bird species in the United States are at risk of extinction in just 75 years. Familiar or favorite species will leave for more suitable climates or take their place alongside Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon on earth.

You will see the changes coming gradually. As global temperatures rise, weather patterns will shift. Many bird species in the Lehigh Valley will move farther north, not to be seen again in this locale. 

Year by year, our climate gradually will become too hot, too wet and too variable. Many existing trees and plants will give way to new ones that may not suit today's bird species. The changes will seem imperceptible but over the long haul, they could gradually change bird life as we know it, according to a model designed by the National Audubon Society.

"It’s difficult to perceive the subtle shifting of rainfall patterns, of earlier flowerings that outpace the migration of hummingbirds, of the slow degradation of marine estuaries due to the inexorable rise of the oceans,” said David Yarnold, president and chief executive officer of the National Audubon Society.

Decades of bird observations, internationally recognized scenarios on climate change and several years of computer simulations went into the model on the future of bird behavior.

“Audubon is not in the business of using scary language or going beyond what science tells us,” Yarnold said.

So is there anything you can do to help stop this from happening?

First, Yarnold said, is to embrace the reality of climate change, a phenomenon that is invisible and gradual. He issued a call to action, urging Audubon members to become active in bringing their values to the conversation on climate change, just as they did a century ago to halt the killing of birds for feathers for the millinery trade.

The Audubon Society says there are five things that people can do to protect climate-endangered birds:

Join community organizations

Pledge to take part in climate-related volunteer efforts in your community and join bird observation projects, such as the Christmas Bird Count. This year's Christmas Bird Count is scheduled for:

• Saturday, December 20, in the Allentown area
• Sunday, December 21, in Wild Creek and Little Gap
• Saturday, December 27, in Bethlehem, Easton and Hellertown 

The Bird House will provide reminders as the events draw nearer.

Also you can sign up to receive from the Audubon Society the latest findings on avian science, explore climate-related volunteer opportunities in the Lehigh Valley or Pennsylvania, or enlist in a forthcoming citizen project to document how birds respond to a changing climate.

Locally, the Lehigh Valley chapter of the Citizens' Climate Lobby meets on the second Thursday of the month at the Unitarian-Universalist Church at 424 Center Street in Bethlehem. For information, call John Brown at 610-258-0528. You can follow the group on Facebook, too.

Make change happen in your backyard

Create a bird-friendly backyard. Refrain from pesticide use, let dead trees stand for housing opportunities (or add bird houses), install bird baths and convert lawns and gardens to native plants and wildflowers. Birdscape school grounds, parks, vacant lots and  common areas. Conserve water. Remove nonnative invasive plants. Join the conversation at the National Audubon Society on what others are doing. Keep in mind that a yard is not only a yard—it's a bird habitat. Be a caretaker for your part  of the earth. 

Preserve bird sanctuaries

Pitch in with Audubon's Important Bird Area program, which identifies specific locales vital to birds and biodiversity. The program must satisfy at least one of four criteria: globally threatened species, restricted-range species, large or significant habitats, and congregations of birds at flyways.

One example of an opportunity to participate locally is to help preserve Green Pond Marsh in Bethlehem Township from the proposed development of a housing tract. The marsh is an Important Bird Area that is home to 162 different bird species. Many of these are migratory birds that depend on the wetlands to refuel for their journeys. Eight of the bird species seen at Green Pond are listed as either "threatened" or "endangered" in Pennsylvania. Background on the issue is available on our blog here, here and here. For more information on how you can help save the marsh, visit savegreenpond.org. 

Alert others

Put birds on your community's agenda. Begin a conversation with neighbors, relatives, friends and local leaders on why it's important to protect birds in your community. Write a letter to your newspaper, arrange to visit local school classrooms to educate youngsters or speak at community events (or find a speaker). Many civic groups, such as the Lions, Rotary and homeowners associations, are desperate for speakers at their luncheon meetings.

Meet with decision-makers, such as township commissioners, city parks departments, wildlife agencies, extension services and legislators to educate them on how global warming imperils bird species and ask them how they are planning to address the issue. You'd be surprised how easy it is to get legislators to meet with constituents.

Learn and act

Push for policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Encourage renewable energy portfolio standards, energy efficiency targets and other measures to slow the progression of global warming. Make sure these issues are on policymakers' agendas.

The Lehigh Valley chapter of the Citizens' Climate Lobby meets on the second Thursday of the month at the Unitarian-Universalist Church at 424 Center Street in Bethlehem. For information, call John Brown at 610-258-0528. You can follow the group on Facebook, too.

An important opportunity is coming up to join your voice worldwide. The People's Climate March is scheduled for September 21 in New York City. Billed as the largest march for climate action in history, a coalition of environmentalists, civic leaders, youth groups, religious leaders and labor leaders—about 750 organizations in all—will try to focus attention on the issue of climate change. The march will occur two days before President Obama and other world leaders gather at the United Nations for an emergency Climate Summit. March organizers want government leaders to commit to bold action at the summit.

These are only some of the things you can do to protect bird life in our community. There will be others. Be inventive! Find solutions.