The Ornithological Council reached out to the U.S. Geological Survey leadership today to support the important work of the Bird Banding Laboratory.
The OC wrote to express its support for the BBL, housed at the Eastern Ecological Science Center, which plays a crucial role in bird conservation and management in the U.S. and throughout North America. Long-standing USGS Species Management Research Program initiatives such as the Bird Banding Laboratory (and the Breeding Bird Survey) provide the primary long-term data on the abundance and distribution of avian species in North America. The Ornithological Council has become increasingly concerned about the BBL’s ability to deliver its vital services, given the financial challenges it currently faces.
The letter explained that the OC is concerned that the BBL’s funding in recent years has not been sufficient for it to continue to achieve its mission. Flat or decreasing budgets over several years have not kept pace with rising program costs or unsupported salary increases. Potential effects may include reduced band availability, delayed services and data delivery, and slower response time by BBL staff. The BBL works closely with government partners, so its current financial challenges also have the potential to affect the delivery of other federal migratory bird science, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Program and the USGS Breeding Bird Survey. While the BBL has continued to deliver on its partners needs during the past several years of declining budgets, the flexibility that the Eastern Ecological Science Center has used to maintain its operations has reached its limit. For the BBL to continue to provide the myriad benefits that it currently provides to researchers, hunters, and the public at large, sustainable future funding is needed.
Read the OC’s letter here.