I'd like to encourage everyone to join us for the 2nd annual Ohio Young
Birders Club BIG SIT Fundraiser for Habitat Conservation, this Saturday,
October 15th, from 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Port Clinton Lakefront
Preserve in Port Clinton, Ohio.



A bit of background...

The Lakefront Preserve project is a wonderful success story. In addition to
the scenic value, it's important to note that less than 16% of Ohio's
lakeshore is accessible to the public. The mile-long protected stretch of
the Lakefront Preserve adds considerably to the public's opportunity to
enjoy Lake Erie. Plans are to continue removing invasive phragmites and
improving the habitat, and to construct a boardwalk to allow better access
to this wonderful coastal wetland. Linda Hartlaub, President of the Port
Clinton City Council says, "The City has worked for more than twenty years
to obtain the property now known as the Lakefront Preserve. Now that we have
succeeded, we can boast that we have one of the longest stretches of public
access shoreline on Lake Erie. We are honored that the young people in the
Ohio Young Birders Club appreciate our vision of the property enough to work
hard to raise money to support it."



OYBC students have adopted the Port Clinton Lakefront Preserve as their 2011
habitat restoration project. In addition to raising money through the BIG
SIT, the kids also conducted a BioBlitz on the property this summer to
establish a baseline inventory of all the species on the area. This will be
a big help in evaluating the success of the restoration of the habitat of
the Preserve. Not only did they tally nearly 200 species, they found TWO
state endangered species of mussels!



The mission of the Ohio Young Birders Club is to encourage, educate, and
empower our youth conservation leaders. We provide monthly outdoor
experiences that help develop a deeper awareness and appreciation of our
natural world. We also recognize that it takes more than the ability to
identify birds to be good stewards of our natural resources. We strive to
give young people the tools to empower their ability to be strong
conservation leaders. Financial support is critical for conservation
efforts, and teaching the students about fundraising and charitable giving
is an important part of their leadership development.



We're really proud of the City of Port Clinton for seeing the value in
preserving a natural area and we want to help them make the Preserve a great
place for birders and anyone who enjoys nature! We're very close to our
$5,000 goal, and if a bunch of great birders join us to help spot birds,
we're sure to reach it!



Visit the OYBC website for all the details:
http://ohioyoungbirders.org/2011_big_sit_fundraiser.htm



Thanks, and good birding!



Kim



Kimberly Kaufman

Executive Director

Black Swamp Bird Observatory

13551 West State Route 2

Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449

419-898-4070



www.bsbobird.org <http://www.bsbobird.org/>

www.ohioyoungbirders.org <http://www.ohioyoungbirders.org/>

www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com
<http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/>
www.birdingwithkennandkim.blogspot.com



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