Tag: pollution

Urgent Steps Needed to Save Birds Now

Urgent Steps Needed to Save Birds Now

Many birds are experiencing major population declines and need our help more than ever. According to American Bird Conservancy, almost 3 billion – yes billion – adult breeding birds have been lost to the US and Canada. We’ve lost more than 1/4th of our birdlife just since 1970! 90% came from just 12 bird families, including sparrows, warblers, finches, and swallows. Why is this important? Bird declines are indicative of a broader crisis in the natural world including losses of insects, amphibians, and wildlife.

Habitat loss is the main cause of bird declines. Habitat degradation through fragmentation, invasive plants, or poor water quality is another major cause of losses. In this case, habitat doesn’t disappear outright but becomes less able to support birds, such as when habitat is fragmented, altered by invasive plants, or when water quality is compromised. Other significant threats to birds come from cats and other invasive species and exposure to pesticides and other toxins.

Many birds are killed through collisions with glass, industrial communications towers, and wind turbines. Steady burning lights on communication towers attract, confuse, and disorient birds at night and cause nearly 7 million bird collisions annually. A simple solution to reduce bird fatalities is by switching to flashing lights.

But what can you do as an individual to make a difference near term? Plenty! Take Action to Help Bring Birds Back.

Learn more about each of the actions below at American Bird Conservancy American Bird Conservancy has been a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator for 10 yrs https://abcbirds.org.

Sea Bins – Another tool for cleaning trash from our lakes and oceans

Sea Bins – Another tool for cleaning trash from our lakes and oceans

People have designed several ingenious ways to capture trash that is in our waterways. Of course, preventing it from getting there in the first place would be the best option but failing that, we need effective ways to remove it. A post from the World Economic Forum highlights Sea Bins. Each bin can capture 90,000 plastic bags a year.

That is a lot of plastic out of our waterways but it still is only a dent in the approximately 8 million tons of plastic that ends up in the ocean yearly. The Seabin Project, maker of the Sea Bins, is a cleantech startup trying to help solve the global problem of ocean plastic pollution. Their Sea Bins act like floating trash cans, collecting garbage, oil, fuel, and detergents. The idea is to skim floating debris from harbours before it enters the ocean.

Learn more: http://ow.ly/cBY550Lp86w

Simple Steps to Save our Feathered Friends

Simple Steps to Save our Feathered Friends

1 in 8 bird species face extinction due to habitat loss. You can help protect them simply by hanging or giving birdhouses.

Photo by Jongsun Lee on Unsplash

How big is the problem? In just 50 years, there are 2.9 billion fewer birds! Loss of habitats can be from human land development or from natural causes such as the many hurricanes and fires over the last few years that have swept through areas and removed available shelter and food sources.

Consider donating bird houses or roosting pockets to local wildlife refuges or hang some to attract birds to your own yard.

Other powerful ways to encourage birds to thrive – avoid pesticides. Pesticides harm birds in many ways including direct contract and through contaminated food sources. Reduction of insect life through pesticides also reduces their numbers as an available food source.

Avoid single use plastics and increase recycling. Many bird species have been found to eat plastic and other trash, mistaking it for food. Birds, fish and other wildlife can become entangled on plastic bags, can loops and other plastic waste. Microplastics or plastic bits have been found everywhere – in our oceans, in animals, and in humans. Reducing plastic use helps all of us.

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

Use your computer to make a small change today for free! For a short time, the GreaterGood Rainforest site will fund the equivalent of 21.7 square feet of protected habitat for each user who watches a short video to learn more about the issue. Click on the link above.

Free the Ocean LogoFree the Ocean is another website that supports plastic removal. Answer the daily trivia question and you’ll help remove one piece of plastic from the ocean. Help make an impact today.

Small steps have big payoffs in protecting wildlife. Take some today.