Please support our youth birders if you are able! ...Norm
-----Original Message-----
The fourth YMOS Birdathon will take place Saturday and Sunday, 17 and
18 March 2012. This is the principal fund raiser for youth programs of the
MD Ornithological Society (YMOS). Funds earned are applied to youth
participation in the annual World Series of Birding (WSB) team competition
at Cape May, NJ, and to additional scholarships for the summer workshop,
Maryland Birds and Bird Habitats, at Washington College.
This is a call for per species pledges of support. The YMOS Birdathon is
not just an attempt to rack up a big species list on Maryland's Eastern
Shore. The youth approve in advance a difficult "Must-See" list of 100
species. Each Must-See species missed requires the youngsters to see two
additional species, one to make up for the miss and one as a penalty. At
Birdathon's end, the penalties are deducted from the grand total of species
seen to produce a net species total. This is the total to which a per
species pledge is applied. In addition, we ask each donor to double their
per species pledge for each species over 100 in the net total. This
arrangement makes the second day a real challenge as the aspiring young
birders have to decide between going after a difficult Must-See and
attempting to locate other easier to find birds. They learn a lot about
what particular habitats offer the most promising prospects. The excitement
mounts as the day progresses and, hopefully, the number of missed Must-See's
dwindles to ensure a net total of 100 or more species.
Last year, the Birdathon raised $2,000 for the YMOS. Some of those seasoned
young birders have now taken their life skills to college. They have been
replaced by a cadre of highly enthusiastic middle school kids from MOS
Chapters across MD. These youngsters have honed their birding skills on
four YMOS field trips from Chincoteague to Cape May, contributing data to
eBird and to the St.
Michaels Christmas Bird Count. The MOS will be represented by at least one
very competitive middle school team at the WSB in May!
Please consider a pledge of $0.25, $0.50, $0.75, or $1.00 per species. Each
person who pledges will receive an advance copy of the Must-See list. Email
your pledges to:
Wayne Bell, MOS Past-president
or
George Radcliffe, YMOS chair
Thank you very much for your support and encouragement,
-- George and Wayne
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