Below is what I’ve gleaned online, Marie. Also, John and Sue, I hadn’t considered that many Federal and State roads are now closed to access, thereby preventing ability to conduct many BBS routes.
https://ornithologyexchange.org/forums/topic/42854-breeding-bird-survey-cancelled-for-2020/?tab=comments#comment-46346 This was posted by Ellen Paul, an administrator on the Ornithology Exchange: Posted Friday at 04:18 PM<https://ornithologyexchange.org/forums/topic/42854-breeding-bird-survey-cancelled-for-2020/?do=findComment&comment=46346> We hope you and your loved ones are doing well during this trying time. After much careful deliberation, the U.S. Geological Survey, Canadian Wildlife Service, and Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity have decided to cancel all North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) field activities for 2020. We would prefer to be in the field collecting BBS data this spring, however, potential exposure to the health risks and hardships of COVID-19 is too great. Furthermore, the suspension of nonessential travel and activities in many locales as well as diminished access to roadways used by BBS routes due to public land closures would make conducting a BBS route illegal, if not impossible in many areas. Also, with national BBS staff having to work from home, we are unable to prepare or mail out your annual BBS packets/kits this season. As a result, we have decided that it is in the best interests of everyone to cancel the survey, to help ensure that we have a healthy team of participants for the 2021 season. The BBS staff at the national offices will not be idle during this time. We will instead take advantage of the next few months to make progress on exciting new developments outlined in the forthcoming “Strategic Plan of the North American Breeding Bird Survey: 2020-2030", which we will share with you soon. In the meantime, we hope that you will safely continue to sharpen your birding skills, using resources such as Dendroica or Merlin, in anticipation of the 2021 field season when we will continue our important BBS work. Please stay safe by following national and local COVID-19 response guidelines. Take care of yourself and of your families. Sincerely, BBS National Offices Sincerely, Chris T-H On Apr 15, 2020, at 7:35 AM, Marie P. Read <m...@cornell.edu<mailto:m...@cornell.edu>> wrote: Is this for real? I’m still not seeing any mention of cancellation on the USGS site, PWRC site or on eBird. Marie Ps Merlins were copulating at Myers Park yesterday morning ! Marie Read Wildlife Photography 452 Ringwood Road Freeville NY 13068 USA e-mail m...@cornell.edu<mailto:m...@cornell.edu> Website: http://www.marieread.com AUTHOR of: Mastering Bird Photography: The Art, Craft, and Technique of Photographing Birds and Their Behavior https://rockynook.com/shop/photography/mastering-bird-photography/?REF=101/ ________________________________________ From: bounce-124548385-5851...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-124548385-5851...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes [c...@cornell.edu] Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2020 4:37 PM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Fwd: [VTBIRD] BBS cancelled FYI...I hadn’t heard this and am somewhat surprised. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: Gretchen Nareff <marshbir...@gmail.com<mailto:marshbir...@gmail.com>> Date: April 14, 2020 at 16:17:39 EDT To: vtb...@list.uvm.edu<mailto:vtb...@list.uvm.edu> Subject: [VTBIRD] BBS cancelled Reply-To: Vermont Birds <vtb...@list.uvm.edu<mailto:vtb...@list.uvm.edu>> This was announced on Friday, but I learned today that the entire North American Breeding Bird Survey was cancelled for 2020. I suspect this has never happened before, so although it is understandable in these crazy times, I was shocked to hear it. It was announced on Ornithology Exchange—it's not showing on the USGS BBS website yet. -- Gretchen E. Nareff Bennington, VT -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- Chris Tessaglia-Hymes PO Box 488 8 Etna Lane Etna, NY 13062 607-351-5740 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
