Horicon Marsh Bird Club Highlights DNR Stopover Initiative

HORICON, WISCONSIN – Kim Grveles of the Wisconsin DNR’s Stopover Initiative, will present a program on migratory bird stopover sites on Thursday, October 19th at the next meeting of the Horicon Marsh Bird Club. The meeting will start at 7p.m. and be held in the lower level of the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center.

Every spring and fall, tens of millions of migrating birds sweep through the Great Lakes region and stop at a variety of sites on their way to breeding grounds as far north as Greenland and the Arctic Ocean and wintering grounds as far south as Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego. These stopover sites provide birds with critical food and shelter during migration. Loss of stopover habitats poses an ongoing threat to the health and stability of migratory bird populations in the Great Lakes region.

For decades, reported declines in migratory bird populations have resulted in studies focused primarily on breeding and, to a lesser extent, wintering bird populations. Only recently has serious attention been given to identifying, prioritizing and protecting migratory bird stopover sites.

This presentation will discuss the work of the Wisconsin Stopover Initiative including the following topics: 1) Migratory birds and why stopover habitats are important to their survival; 2) What is the significance of the Great Lakes region, particularly Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan basin, for migratory birds? 3) What are some backyard habitat features used by migratory birds? 4) Easy contributions that citizens can make to benefit migratory birds and the habitats on which they depend as they journey through our Great Lakes neighborhoods.

Kim has a master’s degree in conservation biology from Central Michigan University. Kim has worked on bird conservation in the Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation (formerly Endangered Resources) at the Department of Natural Resources since 2005. In addition to coordinating the Wisconsin Stopover Initiative, Kim also tracks rare and endangered birds for the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory Program and works on the Kirtland’s Warbler Conservation Strategy in Wisconsin. 

You do not have to be a member of the Bird Club to attend this free program. All ages are welcome. For more information, please visit www.horiconmarshbirdclub.com or call 920-387-7893.

The Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center is located at N7725, Hwy. 28 between the towns of Horicon and Mayville on Hwy. 28. Please use the lower entrance.

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