Volunteer Opportunities for the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas
We need your help! The ultimate success of Ohio's next breeding bird atlas depends on the active participation and efforts of birders and outdoor enthusiasts from throughout the state. Please note that the most important way in which you can contribute to the atlas is by volunteering to survey atlas blocks and submitting as many observations as possible. However, there are many additional ways in which you can contribute to the success of the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II. We welcome your inquiries concerning the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II!
PLEASE NOTE: internet access is NOT REQUIRED to participate in the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II.
Block Ownership - we encourage volunteers to survey multiple blocks during the five-year atlas period. A few especially motivated individuals will survey twenty or more blocks during the Atlas, although we understand that most volunteers will not be able to contribute in this way. There is a variety of alternatives, but we suggest that most volunteers sign-up for 1 to 3 blocks and work on these simultaneously. We suggest that volunteers “complete” these within 2 years and then aquire another 2-3 blocks. We believe this strategy, if widely adopted, will significantly aid the progress of the project. Please contact the Project Coordinator or your Regional Coordinator for suggestions about how to allocate your field effort.
Additional Volunteer Opportunities
- Submit Incidental Observations! – you do not need to "own" a block in order to submit valuable atlas data. Every record counts, and we want to hear about your records from all blocks that you may visit! The Cornell online data entry interface will allow any registered user to submit observations from any block in the state. Click here to access the data entry website and to create a user account.
- Data Entry – many volunteers have limited access to the internet and will submit their atlas data in hardcopy form. We welcome any help with inputting these data through the online data entry website. Please contact the project coordinator or the appropriate regional coordinator for additional details.
- Observation Follow Up – over the course of this atlas, many records of rare or unusual species (code 3) will be reported. Since the atlas seeks to confirm breeding for all of these observations, special efforts may be needed to accomplish such a task. If you are interested in providing additional effort to help secure breeding confirmations for qualifying observations, please contact the project coordinator and the appropriate regional coordinators.
- Atlasing on Private Lands – the majority of Ohio is privately owned and gaining access to private lands in the state will be a hurdle than many atlas volunteers will face. Over the course of the survey period, OBBA II will be seeking the cooperation of as many private landowners as possible in order to create a private lands access partnership. Many Ohio landowners may be interested in opening their properties to atlas volunteers for breeding surveys. Please contact the project coordinator or the appropriate regional coordinator to learn more about private lands that are available for atlasing.
- OBBA II Newsletter – OBBA II is in the preliminary stages of creating the official Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II Newsletter. This publication will provide an exciting opportunity to learn more about the current status and progress of OBBA II. If you are interested in helping with the organization and creation of the newsletter or submitting pertinent articles or photographs, please contact the project coordinator.