[Birdtalk] Fossil Free "Big Year"

[Hillary W]

I thought this was an interesting and inspirational article regarding a family's approach to have a fossil free big year while
also increasing awareness and raising money for bird conservation. For updated info go to http://www.birdyear.com/
Inspiration for a New Year's Resolution?!
Cheers,
Hillary White
 
 
>From the Albuquerque Journal:

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 Family on Trek to Find Birds By Andrea Schoellkopf Journal Staff Writer
    In birding circles, one of the greatest fantasies is a "Big Year," in which you spend an entire year in a contest to tally the most birds.    "They try to see as many birds as they can in North America," said Malkolm Boothroyd, 15, who is on a Big Year of his own— with a twist.    Malkolm and his parents, Wendy Boothroyd and Ken Madsen, have committed their year to traversing North America, without fossil fuels.    Since June, they have bicycled 5,200 miles from their Yukon home down the Pacific Coast and through the Southwest, spotting 358 species of bird.    The family camped for a week in the North Valley yard of Christianne Hinks— who is coordinating the trip for them from Albuquerque— and lives a few yards from city open space where the migrating geese and other fowl flock daily to forage for food.    Malkolm said he's tallied four additional species in New Mexico: Lawrence's gold finch, a barn owl, a prairie falcon and piñon jays.    Malkolm said it bothered him to learn that some of the more fervent Big Year birders were hopping on airplanes— an act that can be harmful to birds— in their quests to locate a rare species.    Malkolm— who has been the subject of a film and appeared on the radio at age 12 for a series about northern birds— would be a 10th-grader this year at F.H. Collins High School in White Horse, Yukon.    The Albuquerque stop was timed so that Malkolm could speak at the Festival of Cranes at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge south of Socorro last week.    Although the family will borrow a car fueled by 100 percent biodiesel under the "rules" of their trip, they will not count any birds they happen to spot on that particular leg of the trip unless they go back and find them again on their bicycles.    As a ninth-grader, Malkolm took extra classes to make sure he would not be behind when he returns as an 11th-grader next fall.    Wendy is taking a year off from her family medical practice, and Ken is a freelance writer and photographer.    "It's worth it," Wendy said. "It's easier than being at home. We have way less stuff."    "The main part of the planning is, we all wanted to make this a conservation project," Ken said.    On the Web    Malkolm Boothroyd and his family are trying to increase awareness and raise money for bird conservation.    Go to birdyear.com for more information.
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