Live in Champaign-Urbana? Then This Local Bird Survey Is For You!
Here at the Champaign County Audubon Society (CCAS), we know that our members and friends care about birds. That’s why we’re excited about a new local bird research project that is seeking the input of people just like you who live in Champaign-Urbana!
This year, a select number of people who are at least 18 years or older and who live in Champaign or Urbana will be invited to share their thoughts about local birds through a brief survey (see “How you can participate…” below). The survey is one component of the Human-Bird Interactions project, launched in 2022 by a research team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“We’re trying to understand what motivates people to be connected to nature and empower greater connection to nature and conservation,” explains Henry Pollock, a Postdoctoral Research Associate on the team.
At CCAS’ virtual meeting on December 1, 2022, Henry shared findings from the project that identified the number and kinds of bird species residing in Champaign-Urbana’s public parks and private yards during winter and summer. (Watch the recording of Henry’s presentation anytime on CCAS’ YouTube channel.)
Now that the project has revealed hotspots of bird diversity across the two cities, it will next explore where and how people in Champaign-Urbana interact with birds.
“Are people connected to nature in the places where there’s high bird diversity?” Henry says the team wants to know. “Are there systemic disparities in access to nature among people with different backgrounds?” Through the survey, he and his collaborators hope to better understand where people interact with birds, their preferences for how bird communities should be managed, and the reasons why people decide to become environmental stewards.
Working with the Champaign Park District and the Urbana Park District, the Human-Bird Interactions project will ultimately determine which areas of the two cities are particularly important to both birds and people and where additional habitat management may be needed. And they need your help to do it!
How you can participate in the survey:
You may be randomly selected by researchers, who will be dropping off and then picking up copies of a questionnaire across town.
You can also opt into completing the survey online by clicking on the following link: www.cubirdsurvey.org
Everyone who participates in the survey will be informed of the results. A random selection of people will also receive a gift certificate for participating!
The Human-Bird Interactions project is supported by a FIRE Grant (Future Interdisciplinary Research Explorations) from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois. The research team is co-led by Carena van Riper and Mark Hauber and includes Henry Pollock, Seunguk Shin (recipient of a 2022 Kendeigh Grant from CCAS), Devin Goodson, Susannah Lerman, and Riley Andrade. If you have any questions about this study, please do not hesitate to reach out by contacting Carena van Riper at (217) 244-9317 or cvanripe@illinois.edu.