Programs

Every Yard Counts: Backyard Contributions to Bird Conservation

Wednesday, April 8, 2026, Noon
Matt Shumar
Program Coordinator of the Ohio Bird
 Conservation Initiative

Despite global conservation efforts and successes, many bird species have continued to decline over the past century. These declines received significant attention recently with the published paper in Science, detailing the loss of 3 billion birds in North America, as well as Audubon’s report on the impacts from climate change. Many of the species detailed in these reports are neotropical migrants and cover vast amounts of land annually. Join us to learn about how you can make your yards and homes bird-friendly and support populations of migratory birds.

Matthew Shumar is based in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University where he is Program Coordinator of the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative. He was the Project Coordinator and co-editor for The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Ohio and is Co-Director for the upcoming Ohio Bird Atlas 3. Matthew also runs a private research station with a year-round bird banding program in southeastern Ohio with his wife, Molly, and is currently serving as President of the Association of Field Ornithologists.