500 reasons we’re thankful!
SOS receives Bird Protection Fund grant as bird lovers raise record amount; salutes efforts of those helping save songbirds one yard, one window, one cup of coffee at a time
We’re thankful for American Robins, brightening our days in late fall and winter, and for the many groups, individuals and businesses that helped SOS take flight in 2023 and saved songbirds one yard, one window and one cup of coffee at a time! Photo: Cynthia Carlson
More than 500 bird lovers logged their bird observations and collected pledges for the Great Wisconsin Birdathon in 2023 and raised an amazing $122,162 — a new record — for bird conservation.
We’re honored and excited to again receive a grant from the Bird Protection Fund of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, and made possible by these birders’ good work! See the 2023 Birdathon report and list of grant recipients.
“SOS Save Our Songbirds has done tremendous work this year, and we are grateful this is being recognized and funded once again by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin,” says Karen Etter Hale, chair of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership.
This collaboration of 180 conservation and other groups are working to sustain native birds in Wisconsin. SOS Save Our Songbirds is an initiative of the partnership.
Etter Hale also thanked Badgerland Bird Alliance, formerly called Madison Audubon, for being willing to serve as fiscal agent for SOS. This involves alliance staff taking on additional financial duties, web work and more on top of their own full slate of fantastic bird conservation and education work.
As well, the organization is generously allowing access to their donation platform so people have the opportunity to donate to SOS to bring our outreach and supplies to more people in 2024.
These groups, businesses and individuals were the wind beneath our wings in 2023
We share our sincere appreciation to these and others whose help and support were the wind beneath our wings in 2023:
Birdathon teams, representing 29 counties and the great diversity of bird lovers in Wisconsin, for raising record levels of funding in 2022 and 2023 for statewide and local bird conservation and education projects.
The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and Soumi Gaddameedi for coordinating the birdathon and the Bird Protection Fund committee that selected SOS to receive funding.
The many statewide and local conservation groups and individuals who helped share and distribute SOS outreach materials and social media and invited us to their events!
Generous business partners including Johnson’s Nursery of Menomonee Falls; White Pelican Farm Native Nursery of Wyocena; and Prairie Nursery of Westfield. Their donations and discounts helped grow more bird-friendly plants in hundreds of yards and public spaces across Wisconsin.
Partnering window treatment manufacturers Feather Friendly Technologies and Acopian BirdSavers for discounts that helped make hundreds of Wisconsin windows safer for birds; Birds & Beans Coffee, for helping more of us brew coffee that protects our songbirds’ winter habitats; and Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Brookfield, Middleton and Wausau.
The thousands of individuals who added native plants to help birds, took action to reduce the threat of birds flying into their home windows, and bought coffee that protects our birds’ winter habitats.
Earl Madden, retired UW-Madison communications art director, for designing the beautiful SOS logo, yard sign and other materials, and the many talented photographers who allowed us to use their images, among them Nick Anich, Ryan Brady, Cynthia Carlson, Linda Deith, Chuck Henrikson and Jeremy Meyer.
Mariette Nowak, author of Birdscaping in the Midwest, for her review and contribution to newsletter articles, and Karen Etter Hale, chair of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership, and Craig Thompson of DNR for the same!
We look forward to working together again in 2024 to save songbirds one yard, one window, and one cup of coffee at a time!