THE 30TH ANNUAL BARTLETT
​BIG SIT FOR EDUCATION

!!YOUR DONATION DOUBLED!!

Dear Friends,

Support the 30th annual Bartlett BIG SIT Fundraiser for Education and you’ll help thousands of children discover the joy of birds and the value of science!

If you’re a long-time friend of BSBO, you know our hero Tom Bartlett. This year, on World Migratory Bird Day, Saturday, May 10, Tom will conduct the 30th annual Bartlett BIG Sit fundraiser for BSBO’s education programs. The way it works is that Tom spends 12 hours (5 a.m. to 5 p.m.) tallying all the birds he sees or hears from one location next to the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area Boardwalk. You support his efforts. And kids learn all about migratory birds! Be sure to read the interview with Tom here.

Thirty years of Tom sitting—and thousands of folks like you giving—has raised more than $200,000 for youth education. These funds are critical because they help BSBO provide free school programs for thousands of students each year. And this year, your gift will be DOUBLED up to $30,000!

Over and over, we have seen first-hand how these curriculum-based programs:

• Increase knowledge and understanding: We bring students into the habitat to work alongside our research staff, reinforcing the value of science and building a powerful, personal connection to birds. 
• Foster conservation awareness and action: Our programs promote understanding of the conservation challenges faced by migratory birds, including habitat loss, climate change, predation, and human impact. 
• Instill wonder and connection: Learning about the incredible, long-distance journeys of migratory birds evokes a sense of awe and a desire to protect birds and their habitats. 
• Promote empathy and compassion: The empathy students develop can extend to other species and environmental issues, promoting a more responsible approach to the world.

Your support makes it possible to provide these school programs at no cost to schools, and makes the cost of our public programming free or accessible to all income levels. 

Please give generously to our most important education fundraiser. We can’t connect kids to birds without you!

---

         Former students say: 

“I can attest to the profound
impact [BSBO] has had on my life, my career, and the lives of many of my peers. I would not have a PhD today, or be working on the project
I am a part of, without the skills
​and network I gained through my participation...The power of this community for young people
cannot be stated enough.”

Auriel M.V. Fournier, PhD
Director of Forbes
Biological Station
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

“The six years I spent as a student member of BSBO’s young birders club built my self-confidence as a struggling teen, trained me as a science educator, instilled in me
​the importance of community outreach, and launched my career as an avian ecologist. Without this support…I would not have become the scientist that I am today.”

SK Winnicki, PhD
Postdoctural Research Scholar 
The Ohio State University

Kimberly Kaufman
​Executive Director