[Tweeters] Putting Your Money Where It Counts

[Carol Riddell via Tweeters]

Hi Tweets,

A while back someone, I think Jim Betz, asked about 501(c)(3) organizations that are helpful to our avian friends. I will post some thoughts. Any of the major environmental organizations are good bets because they deal with habitat issues that impact birds. Most of us care about habitat issues for all wildlife even though we have a more intense interest in birds. There are a couple of bird-specific organizations that I like:

1. Organization for Tropical Studies is a four-star charity at Charity Navigator. I have been supporting this organization ever since I stayed at one of its research facilities in Costa Rica in 2008. It is a consortium of 63 universities and research institutions from the US, Latin America and Australia. It was started in 1963 to lead in education, research, and the responsible use of natural resources in the tropics. It conducts graduate and undergraduate education, facilitates research, participates in tropical forest conservation, maintains three biological stations in Costa Rica, and conducts environmental education programs.

2. American Bird Conservancy is also a four-star charity at Charity Navigator. It was founded in 1994 to work on bird conservation throughout the Americas. It acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while unifying and strengthening the bird conservation movement.

3. Field Inclusive is a young and relatively small organization based in North Carolina that does not yet have a Charity Navigator rating. There is an article about it in the Autumn 2024 issue of Cornell’s Living Bird magazine. It provides support to undergraduate and graduate field researchers who are not white men. It recognizes the safety issues for solo researchers who are people of color/women and helps with safety workshops and small grants. Field Inclusive was started by a couple of graduate field researchers who faced such issues as women of color. You can read more about the organization at its web site: fieldinclusive dot org.

The Center for Biological Diversity, another four-star Charity Navigator 501(c)(3), takes an interconnectedness approach because it believes in and acts on the fact that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature—to the existence in the world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. It works to secure a future for all species hovering on the brink of extinction, through science, law, and creative media. The focus is on protecting the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive.

Donations to organizations can be made through the Charity Navigator web site or directly through the 501(c)(3) web sites.

For local organizations, I like land trusts. Every acre that is taken out of development secures habitat for wildlife, including birds. Birders can look to see if their home counties have land trusts, and research them to see if they like the work of these organizations. Two that I specifically value are the Whidbey Camano Land Trust and the Skagit Land Trust. As birders, we should also consider the value of organizations that work to keep our marine waters healthy. Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, based in Seattle, is also a four-star Charity Navigator organization. It focuses on the health of Puget Sound. It does not specifically address seabirds, but focuses on water pollution, salmon, and orcas. Clean waters that support those species will also support seabirds.

These are just some of my favorite organizations that would be deserving of any birder’s charitable donation. If any of you have other organizations that you support, I for one would like to hear about them. I suspect others would, too.

Happy new year and good birding,

Carol Riddell
Edmonds, WA
cariddellwa at gmail dot com