How You Can Help

Alexander Dzib, from Mexico, received a Home Study Course scholarship.

Home Study Course Scholarships Help Young Conservationists

Two scholarships for the Home Study Course in Bird Biology are helping bird enthusiasts make a difference in their communities in Mexico and Nigeria. In 2005–06, one award was granted to Alexander Dzib, a 26-year-old professional naturalist guide from Celestún, Mexico. Alexander is working with Conservación de las Aves Peninsula de Yucatán and Niños y Crías to monitor birds in sensitive areas and promote conservation and environmental education for children.

The second award went to Rachel Ashegbofe Ikemeh, a 25-year-old conservationist from Lagos, Nigeria, who is working as an intern at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation. Rachel is developing an environmental monitoring project focused on shorebirds as indicators of ecosystem health in the Lekki Peninsula area.

Tricolored Heron

Photo by Michael Costello/CLO

Congratulations to Alexander and Rachel. We wish them the best of luck in their efforts to create positive change through bird conservation and education in their communities.

The Home Study Course Scholarship Program is funded entirely by private donations. The success of this program depends on the continued financial support of those who share our goal of providing formal training in ornithology to people who want to devote their lives to biodiversity conservation and education but have limited access to funding.

To make a tax-deductible gift or to apply for a scholarship, please contact Jason Mobley at jam276@cornell.edu or (607) 254-2121. Send inquires or donations to the Home Study Course Scholarship Program, Attn: Special Gifts, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850-1999. Make checks payable to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and include "HSC Scholarship Program—Acct. #1718732" in the memo line.

How a Special Gift Can Help

Lab members and friends generously provide most of our annual operating budget, but we also have a wish list for special projects. To sponsor a project or for more information, please contact Scott Sutcliffe at (607) 254-2424 or sas10@cornell.edu.

• Provide five autonomous recording units for studies of elephants in Gabon—$1,000 each

• Sponsor an intern in our Conservation Science program—$2,000

• Fund annual maintenance for the trails of Sapsucker Woods—$5,000

Help Nest Box Cams Stream Video!

Each season, our free Nest Box Cams provide a close-up look at family life in nest boxes to nearly 250,000 viewers on the Internet. In 2006, a generous donor made it possible for us to stream live video of Barn Owls in Texas (see the article Barn Owl Blogs). Our viewers have told us again and again how much they love the streams and that more video of other species would be even better!

In addition to the costs of the camera, streaming video for one cam costs $600 per month in bandwidth charges. Please help us continue to grow our streaming cam program by pledging what you can as often as you can to support this unprecedented and fascinating learning experience. To give, please visit www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/nestboxcam/stream_pledge.

For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Laura Erickson, editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Phone: (607) 254-1114. email: lle24@cornell.edu