During the last few months, I have been traveling to study sites that will be conducting Project PigeonWatch through our Parents Involved/Pigeons Everywhere (PIPE) grant. This grant from the National Science Foundation’s Informal Science Education Program is a collaborative effort between the Lab, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and KCET Community Television in Southern California. Its purpose is to use Project PigeonWatch and other scientific activities to enable children along with their parents and mentors to feel comfortable with science and achieve an understanding of the scientific process. See the cover story in the Summer 1999 issue of Birdscope for more information about the PIPE grant.

I’ve gone from the bugling elk of the Rockies and mountain lions of the Badlands through the high-peak snows of Alaska and fires of the prairies, then south to the blues clubs of Beale Street in Memphis, TN to visit PIPE site coordinators. The majority of these sites are Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies and most will be working with birds for the first time. One great thing about these site visits was being able to help the agencies make connections with local people, such as birding organizations and scientific institutions. Because many of the site coordinators are just beginning to learn about birds, these local support systems are instrumental in making the project work.

In one city, children and their mentors will work with a Boy Scout who is hacking (releasing to the wild) Peregrine Falcons. In others, they will visit local lofts where people raise racing pigeons. Local nature centers and Audubon members have offered to help with the project or give presentations. Raptor centers are inviting the kids and adults to come and see their hawks and learn about large birds of prey. Educational staff at zoos and museums have offered to provide programs, materials, or “behind the scenes” opportunities for interested children.

Many people have negative impressions of pigeons-this was also once true of me. But, now I know pigeons can make a difference. What better way is there to encourage kids to look at local environments in their own neighborhoods and want to learn more? What better way for kids to get up close and personal with an animal about which there are still real scientific mysteries? In every city I visited, the coordinators saw pigeons and PigeonWatch as a stepping-stone to a whole new way of looking at the world-it’s infectious.