Big News for All Birders!
Fast forward to last year, 2019, when I spoke at the National Audubon Convention in Minneapolis and met Liz Todd and Ryan Hobbs. The two of them began designing the map!
Within five months, Liz had produced a draft and forwarded it to me. She used my Access Considerations document, which focused on nine issues. She turned the document into an interactive survey, one which anyone could complete to assess and instantly pin the site. Brilliant! I wondered how I was going to assess all the possible sites by myself!!!
After I approved the draft, National Audubon soft-launched it on March 1, 2020 with a number of people at Audubon, Birdability Captains and myself.
Birdability Captains really got out there, and we watched in amazement as pins began appearing in Florida, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Georgia, Illinois, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Indiana, Washington, and of course, Texas!
March 12 saw the hard launch, and within a week, 100 birding sites across the country had been assessed for accessibility and pinned. OH HAPPY DAY!!!
You can access the map, and hopefully begin completing accessibility surveys at every park you visit! Go to birdability@audubon.org and get started! If you have any problems with or questions about the map, please contact me at info@birdability.com.
I think you will agree it is awesome! It also is only ONE of the many goals to reach.
I want to get Birdability programming at camps for kids with mobility challenges nationwide. If you or someone you know has relevant contacts in that area, please let me know at info@birdability.com.
Birdability also wants to get birding stations set up at as many assisted living facilities as possible. Again, if you have any contacts in that area, contact me at info@birdability.com.
I sure appreciate your support. Y'all, bird earlier now to avoid heat, and bird safely! See my masked look above.😷
Thank you!
Virginia
