Remember when you first got into birds? It probably started with one experience or one bird that sparked a fascination and then grew through other experiences and the support of the birding community. Wouldn’t it be great if you had gotten into birds sooner? Think of how much better your ID skills would be! Maybe your love of birds started at a young age, but for me and for many folks that I know, the spark didn’t happen until later in life. The Missouri Young Birders Club (MYBC) would be a chance for young Missourians to ignite a passion for birds and the outdoors, and be able to share that passion with their peers.
The Missouri River Bird Observatory first got the idea to start a young birders club in the state years ago, but it wasn’t until the Spring of 2018 that the idea became a reality. The first young birders club in the country was started by six students in Ohio with the assistance of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory. They formed what is known as the Ohio Young Birders Club. Since then, young birders clubs have sprung up all over the country with the help of the YBC Toolkit developed by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In the spring of 2018, the Missouri River Bird Observatory hosted the Spring Meeting for what was then known as the Audubon Society of Missouri. During that Spring Meeting, professionals from all over the state, and outside the state, gathered at a workshop to launch the Missouri Young Birders Club (MYBC). The MYBC is a 3-year-old program starting out under the umbrella of the Missouri River Bird Observatory and its mission is to bring together young Missourians to enjoy, experience and conserve Missouri’s birds and other wildlife. The MYBC is part of a framework called the Young Birders Network (YBN). The YBN aims to provide all the resources a young birder needs to know about a life with birds. The YBN is a community of young birders and Young Birders Clubs (YBCs) from all over the United States and the world. The YBN thrives under the philosophy that Young Birders Clubs encourage the next generation of naturalists to grow their interest in the natural world. The Missouri River Bird Observatory aimed to start a Young Birders Club because Young Birders Clubs increase awareness and appreciation of the natural world and instill a conservation ethic in their members. Many young adults cite young birders clubs, camps, and other networking groups as a turning point for them in their career development. Young birders often have trouble finding similarly-minded peers and YBCs fill this niche.
Our vision for the Missouri Young Birders Club is to have a club that is by kids and for kids. Empowering Missouri’s youth is a large part of the MYBC mission. Youth members will be involved in making decisions for all aspects of the club, as well as have the opportunity to mentor younger naturalists. The club will provide field trips to local birding areas and opportunities for members to get involved with various aspects of conservation. Currently, we are recruiting students ages 8 to 17 years old. The goal is to establish local chapters in different regions of the state. We currently have the Greater Kansas City Area Chapter, Central Region Chapter, and our new Greater St. Louis Area Chapter! Local chapters will be guided by adult members, but spearheaded youth members. When a young birder signs up to be a member, they elect to take on one of the following roles:
Mentee: These members are typically between the ages of 8-11 or the younger members of the group who are eager to learn more about birds and nature, share their experiences and have fun!
Leader: These members are typically between the ages of 11-14, but can be any age. These members want to take on more of a leadership role within the club, but don’t quite yet have the birding experience to be mentors.
Mentor: These members are typically between the ages of 14-17 or the older members of the group who have some experience with bird identification and a desire to be leaders within the Missouri Young Birders community.
These three membership roles encourage our older members to take on more of a leadership role within the club and help mentor the younger ones. We are hoping this structure will help bring in young birders from the whole age range of 8- 17.
The MYBC also has a conservation focus. Members not only are able to enjoy and experience Missouri’s birds, but also take action to conserve their habitats. Examples of how this can be accomplished are assisting with habitat restoration projects and taking part in citizen-science programs such as eBird and FeederWatch. Our hope is to not only involve young Missouri birders, but any young person looking to enjoy the outdoors with their peers. We hope to involve students interested in art, music, design, technology, sports, cooking and any other interest they may have in additional to their interest the natural world. With this hope in mind, we plan to host various events designed to attract young audiences with a wide diversity of interests.
A great deal has been accomplished since that first workshop in the spring, but there is still a long way to go. If you are interested, there are many ways to help:
- Promote MYBC! This could be at events you are volunteering at or spreading the word to any young Missourian you may know who might be interested. Ask Paige if you need promotional materials.
- Donate new field guides for new MYBC members.
- Donate old quality binoculars and/or scopes.
- Lead a field trip in the St. Louis area!
- Let Paige know of any contact information to present in schools and/or clubs about this opportunity for students.
With your help, we can make the Missouri Young Birders Club a statewide phenomenon in which we bring together students of different backgrounds to enjoy, experience and conserve Missouri’s birds and other wildlife. You can learn more about the MYBC on the website moyoungbirders.org. Please don’t hesitate to contact MYBC State Coordinator, Paige Witek, to find out more about how to get involved! Email: paige.witek@mrbo.org
