A recent study sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology revealed that almost 3,000,000 birds have been lost from North America since 1970.  In addition, the National Audubon Society issued a report on birds and climate change estimating that 2/3 of the continent’s birds are at risk of extinction if global temperatures continue to rise.  To address these issues, the Friends of Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and New Jersey Audubon are partnering to present a panel discussion that endeavors to educate and inform the public about this biodiversity crisis. 

Join six experts in the birding field on March 7, 2020, at Stockton University, Alton Auditorium, for Gone Missing:  3 Billion Birds.  This event is free and open to the general public.  Doors will open at 2 p.m.

Seating is limited so reserve your spot early, to register, click here.

Adriaan Doktor from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, one of the co-authors, will provide a summary of the recent report from Science: Decline of the North American avifauna.  NJ Audubon will lead a panel discussion including John Cecil (New Jersey Audubon), Dr. Emile DeVito (New Jersey Conservation Foundation), Virginia Rettig (Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge), Joshua Gant (Ocean County Parks and Recreation), and Linda Widdop (Delaware Valley Ornithological Society).

Panelists will discuss why bird populations continue to decline, what birds are being affected, efforts to track the remaining bird populations, the effects of bird loss on biodiversity in North America and the world, and offer actions that people can do to help stem this decline. The audience will be invited to participate by asking questions to the panelists.