Community Leaders Program - Great Basin

BE A COMMUNITY LEADER! If you are a highly-motivated naturalist or member of the community who cares about landbirds and wants to contribute more towards their conservation, we want you!

Here's your chance to help us promote and deliver landbird conservation in Canada's Great Basin at the grassroots level! Through the Partners in Flight BC/Yukon Community Leaders Program you can help us partner with BC communities to link and strengthen existing monitoring, outreach and stewardship initiatives for the benefit of landbirds and their habitats in BC's Southern Interior. The Community Leaders Program provides three main venues for you to help us help birds:

Events and Celebrations,
Inventory and Monitoring,
Stewardship Activities.

• Events and Celebrations

We need your help to organize and participate in programs and events designed to increase local community involvement in landbird and habitat conservation actions, and to help us build a family of dedicated individuals, businesses and conservation organizations throughout BC's Southern Interior. Examples of the exciting events we are planning include annual International Migratory Bird Day and National Wildlife Week celebrations.

• Inventory and Monitoring

Inventory and monitoring programs are vital to determine the status of our bird populations and habitats. You can help us keep track of locally important landbird species such as the Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) and the Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei), or join with one of our partners to monitor birds through existing programs such as the annual Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) or Christmas Bird Count (CBC). As a Citizen Scientist, you will collect important data that will help increase our existing knowledge about landbird status, distribution and habitat needs. Amateurs will have the opportunity to hone their skills by learning from more experienced naturalists. We aim to provide free workshops and learning sessions for our volunteers.

• Stewardship Activities

Through the Community Leaders Program, you can contribute to existing stewardship programs to ensure that relevant information on the ecology and habitat requirements of landbirds, such as the retention of undergrowth, snags, and riparian buffers, is reaching landowners. You can also help with habitat restoration and enhancement projects. Or, you can help us to find and work with conservation partners to initiate new stewardship programs in areas where none exist. Wildlife Tree Stewardship Program (WiTs)
Contact: Lisa Scott (WiTs Okanagan)

How do I become a Community Leader?

We are looking for volunteers to help implement the Community Leaders Program in communities throughout BC's Southern Interior, including Merritt, Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton, Oliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos and Princeton. Please contact the PIF BC/Yukon Great Basin Program Manager if you are interested in getting involved with Partners in Flight BC/Yukon and the Community Leaders Program. If you are keen but do not see your community listed, please contact us and let us know about the landbird conservation needs in your neck of the woods!