Hello birders, 
Happy new year! 
With the new year, the 9th Annual C&O Canal Midwinter Bird Survey is nearly
upon us! 
It will be held on Saturday, January 20. 
This is a long-term monitoring project of wintering birds along the entire
184 miles of the C&O Canal-- one of the longest surveys of its kind!  The
last 8 years have produced a lot of great conservation information.  Let's
keep this going!  Help us meet our goal of covering all 184.5 miles of the
canal!   

The format will be as in previous years:
*	Participants choose or are assigned mile posts along the towpath 
*	Participants complete a data sheet for each mile & tally the number
of species & individuals per mile
*	2-5 miles per team.  Remember-since you have to retrace your steps,
this will require 4-10 miles of walking
*	For more information or to view previous year's data, check out the
website at http://www.dcaudubon.org/canal <http://www.dcaudubon.org/canal> 

To participate, send an email to 
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>  or call Peter Vankevich at 202-468-2871 with
the following information:
*	Name & contact info for Team Leader (email, phone number, & mailing
address)
*	Miles you would like to cover, or one of the four MD counties or DC.
If you're flexible, we can assign you to sections we most need you,
particularly Washington County
*	Whether you would like to be paired up with an experienced birder
Once we hear from you, we will send you details such as information about
your miles and instructions on filling out and submitting the data sheet.

Spread the word & see you on the canal!

Mary Pfaffko

Check out the details and previous years' data on the DC Audubon website:
http://www.dcaudubon.org/canal <http://www.dcaudubon.org/canal> .
This event is sponsored by the Audubon Society of District of Columbia.
http://www.dcaudubon.org <http://www.dcaudubon.org> .  


Mary Pfaffko
Wildlife Biologist
Fisheries & Wildlife Division
DC Department of the Environment
51 N St., NE, 5th floor
Washington, DC 20002
202.535.1739