QLF Alumni host an Exchange to Strengthen Education and Programs on Migratory Bird Protection

During QLF’s 2016 Congress in Barcelona, QLF director and COO / CFO of Manomet Constance de Brun sat down with Amir Balaban, QLF alum and cofounder of the Jerusalem Bird Observatory (JBO), and an idea for a partnership began to form. Less than a year later, the two organizations began an exchange to explore the future and impact of bird observatories across borders, specifically how they can be catalysts for conservation by being centers for experiential science education.

Photo Credit: Constance de Brun

The first phase of the exchange was hosted by JBO in Israel last September. This Story Map beautifully demonstrates the important ideas and work that came out of this exchange, including a front row seat to bird banding and the nearby Rift Valley Flyway that hosts hundreds of millions of migrating birds each fall and spring. In October, Manomet hosted JBO’s experts in New England to complete the exchange. They stopped by a Sandwich, MA middle school, which is participating in Manomet’s Climate Lab project. Both organizations are dedicated to strengthening their education programs, and this partnership is an important next step in doing so.

Photo Credit: Constance de Brun

150 participants at the 2nd International Bird Observatory Conference listened as Manomet and JBO presented as partners on the progress made as a result of their Exchange, and how collaborating had expanded the reach of their programs. As this blog post from Manomet recapping the Conference elegantly states, “Birds know no borders, and at the IBOC there were no barriers between bird observatories, either.”

 

 

We are thrilled at the conservation progress made by these two amazing organizations, and highly recommend taking a further look at the resources we linked to above. We can’t wait to see what comes next from this partnership!