Bicknell's Thrush John Schmitt

How are forest birds faring on our public lands? What types of recreational activities potentially have an impact on birds? In 2001, college student Amy Jungclaus, retiree Al Smith, and three other interns from the Student Conservation Association joined up with the U.S. Forest Service and Cornell Lab of Ornithology to help answer these critical questions.

The Birds in Forested Landscapes Recreation Study is a nationwide study of breeding thrushes at campgrounds and recreation areas in national forests. Site coordinators from the U.S. Forest Service recruit volunteers to survey areas affected by recreational development. In 2001, at least 107 volunteers from local communities surveyed 127 campgrounds in 27 forests nationwide. We expect these numbers to climb even higher as we receive more reports.

The interns from the Student Conservation Association helped the site coordinators recruit, train, and organize the volunteers, which ensured the high quality of data collected. Most interns had never worked with the public in conservation education before.

After working in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon, student intern Amy Jungclaus said she improved her bird identification skills, gained confidence in her ability to communicate with volunteers, and learned about the effects of forestry on birds.

"The 11 weeks of the internship were much more intense and rewarding than an entire semester of school," Jungclaus said. "Just witnessing the study's target species was uplifting. It was very exciting to be able to identify the thrushes by sight and voice. The Varied Thrush, with its unique song that echoes throughout the landscape, proved to be my favorite species to find at the survey points."

Al Smith, a retired environmental engineer and business owner, may not have fit the typical profile of a Student Conservation Association intern, except for his enthusiasm. "I often felt more like I was on vacation than at a job site," he said of his work surveying sites along the steep terrain and rivers of the White River National Forest in Colorado.