Terry Rich in the 1990's....

Terry Rich is the Partners in Flight (PIF) National Coordinator. He has LOTS of memories to share, so look for your name over the coming weeks!

I was working in North Dakota in 1990, when I first heard about Partners in Flight. Like a lot of us, I thought, it's about time we had a conservation initiative for all the birds. I arranged for a presentation on PIF to be given at the annual meeting of the ND Chapter of The Widlife Society in Grand Forks. The person who gave the talk was Stephanie Jones (USFWS Denver), who later became a friend and colleague. Of course, I had no notion that PIF would become a major part of my life, beginning in 1992. That was the year that BLM hired a number of Senior Technical Specialists to oversee national wildlife programs. I got birds. Yay!

Bird Conservation Education Takes Wing

The early 1990's were also an important time for the development of bird conservation education programs. Susan Gilchrist of Wisconsin and the creator of "One Bird - Two Habitats" recalls some of those education programs.

Noel Cutright kept the Education Committee on the books in Wisconsin PIF. He is still a solid supporter of bird education for conservation. Wisconsin is further fortunate now that Andy Paulios, the PIF contact for the state, is a former teacher who really understands the value of education as a conservation tool. I remember Sumner Matteson, who works in the Bureau of Endangered Resources at the WI Dept of Natural Resources (DNR), standing up on something - a table, a chair or a stepladder maybe - something that raised him up above the crowds, and shouting into a bull horn to get people to stop and notice the peregrines that had taken up residence on the capitol dome. After helping plan the first couple of bird festivals in Madison, Bill Volkert, a Wildlife Educator in the WI DNR, stopped investing in Madison efforts and created a weeklong, very popular and successful celebration of birds at Horicon Marsh (an internationally acclaimed Important Bird Area)where he works: “Marsh Melodies”. This event still continues today with great success.

Alison Dalsimer worked for National Fish and Wildlife Foundation during the early days of Partners in Flight. She is now a Conservation and Natural Resources Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton, a strategy and technology consulting firm. One of Alison's earliest memories is, "Peter Stangel told me he knew PIF would be a success when he could work himself out of a job...He did, and it was."

Peter (pictured in the photo) is now the Director of Science and Evaluation at National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Share Your Memories!

Do you have memories, funny stories, or photos of conservation projects, Partners in Flight (PIF), or other activities? Please share them through this blog or email the information to sbonfield@aol.com.

Celebrate 20 Years of Bird Conservation!

Welcome to this new blog, where we hope to collect your stories and information about the partnerships that have benefited birds and their conservation. In 2010, Partners in Flight will celebrate its 20th Anniversary. To complement the celebration, the International Migratory Bird Day 2010 conservation theme is The Power of Partnerships. The art and other education materials will feature 20 species of birds, created by artist Bob Petty of Montana.

Join us in an opportunity to gather stories, photos, and other information focusing on the last 20 years of bird conservation, the people who have made it happen, and the birds whose futures we are helping to secure.