{"id":7047,"date":"2017-08-23T10:21:07","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T15:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/?p=7047"},"modified":"2017-08-24T12:20:07","modified_gmt":"2017-08-24T17:20:07","slug":"changing-the-world-one-birdwatcher-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/?p=7047","title":{"rendered":"Changing the World – One birdwatcher at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posting and photos by Amy Simso Dean<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I want to change the world. But how can one introverted, bird nerd from Minnesota inspire world environmentalism? I am no John Muir or Rachel Carson. My answer (or at least I hope it is): Kids.<\/em><\/p>\n

My story starts in Minneapolis\u2026 ventures toward Azerbaijan\u2026 and ends who knows where.<\/em>
\nMinneapolis, Minnesota
\n<\/strong>In 2015, I had the crazy idea of starting a youth birding club for 4th<\/sup> and 5th<\/sup> graders at my daughters\u2019 school in South Minneapolis.<\/em><\/p>\n

Luckily the school principal (\u201cYou want to start a what?\u201d) gave me the go ahead. Julie Brophy and Amber Burnette, local birders, heard about my idea and stepped up to help.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

We make poster and build our own birds.<\/p><\/div>\n

Now each fall, winter, spring we spend 4\u20136 weeks introducing kids to birds. This fall, we\u2019ll have grown to 5 sessions at 4 locations. MYBirdClub (MN Youth BirdClub) is a club, not a class, so learning happens organically as we wander or play indoor games and activities.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

The kids play a game called “field guide race”, where they learn how to use a field guide to ID birds.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

If you ever run across us in the field, be ready for high-energy, explosive enthusiasm. They point. They shout. They run. They battle with dandelions gone to seed. (And yes, they amble, quietly oblivious, engrossed in conversation.)<\/em>
\n\"\"But when one birder spots a downy woodpecker, all the binoculars snap up. These birders run to see a Blue Jay teed up on a treetop, shouting, \u201cWhere is it? Where is it?\u201d and \u201cI see it! I see it!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

And the interest is contagious. They soon start pointing out birds to their parents and siblings. Suddenly an entire family is scanning the skies, lakes and trees; I have the email and texts to prove it.<\/em><\/p>\n

I believe that once you notice something, you start to care about it. And once you care about something, you want to protect it. So, while I might not be able to change the world, maybe, just maybe, one of these kids will.<\/em>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Youth in Azerbaijan
\n<\/strong>This summer\u2019s rather harebrained scheme is gathering used binoculars to send to Nature Friends, a program in Azerbaijan that also hopes to inspire the next generation of birders and conservationists.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Bird Camp Besh Barmag,Azerbaijan. April 2017 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a9 Emin Mammedov\/Nature Friends<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Minnesota birders, a truly generous flock, have rallied to the cause and donated more than 24 new and used binoculars. My next challenge is getting them there\u2014a task that is proving to be much harder.<\/em><\/p>\n

Transportation costs, customs, distance\u2026 I now have to figure out how to bridge these gaps. But if a Ruby-throated hummingbird that weighs as little as a penny can cross the Gulf of Mexico, I know I can get these binoculars into the hands of the next generation of Azerbaijani conservationists.<\/em><\/p>\n

Who knows, maybe some day, one of them will team up with one of my Minnesota birders and set the birding world\u2026 or the entire environmental community\u2026 on fire.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy Simso Dean is a freelance writer in Minneapolis. She volunteers at The Raptor Center, runs MYBirdClub afterschool youth birding clubs and does a little stained glass on the side.
\nIf you\u2019d like to learn more about MYBirdClub, you can contact her at MYBirdClubInfo@gmail.com
\n<\/a>Youtube video about bird camp in Azerbaijan: Bird Camp Besh Barmag documentary, Azerbaijan\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posting and photos by Amy Simso Dean I want to change the world. But how can one introverted, bird nerd from Minnesota inspire world environmentalism? I am no John Muir or Rachel Carson. My answer (or at least I hope … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-birds","category-nature-guardians"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7047"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7081,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7047\/revisions\/7081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}