Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, or RMBO, was first founded in 1988 to address bird conservation needs in the Western United States of America. RMBO's mission is to conserve birds of the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and the habitats on which they depend through research, monitoring, education, and outreach. RMBO accomplishs missions through numerous research and public education programs which have dual goals: to conserve birds and bird habitat, and to increase people's understanding of birds--how they interact with humans, what habitats they use, and what factors threaten their survival.

RMBO's headquarters are located in Barr Lake State Park, just east of Brighton, Colorado. The Office is approximately 15 miles northeast of Denver. Barr Lake State Park is a nationally important stopover point for birds migrating along North America's Central Flyway and a popular spot for bird watching locally and throughout the region. The Park's importance to birds makes it an ideal location for a bird observatory's offices. The Observatory's programs are supported by grants from foundations, federal agencies, state agencies, other non-profits, the Denver metro area's Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Adams County Cultural Council, Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund, and dues and contributions from RMBO members.

Achievements and Goals

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory is devoted to the conservation of Rocky Mountain and Great Plains birds and their habitats. We conduct on-the-ground conservation and research in cooperation with other private, state, and federal agencies responsible for managing areas and programs important for birds. Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory works closely with private landowners and managers to encourage and promote management practices that foster good land stewardship. Much of our work is designed to increase people's understanding of birds and their habitat requirements; we accomplish this goal through the education of children, teachers, wildlife managers, and the general public.

Education

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory's education program introduces people to birds- their adaptations, their behaviors, their unique characteristics, and the places they use as homes. Developing an awareness of birds, we feel, is the first step toward appreciating and protecting them. A better understanding of birds benefits more than bird conservation. RMBO's education program emphasizes the link between birds and the environment to help develop an understanding of the natural systems and areas which support birds.

Our education programs also serves as an interpreter for our research and conservation work, helping us share our information with the public and making our research relevant.

We Conserve Only What We Love We Love Only What We Understand We Understand Only What We are Taught

Partners In Flight was launched in 1990 in response to growing concerns about declines in the populations of many land bird species, and in order to emphasize the conservation of birds not covered by existing conservation initiatives. The initial focus was on species that breed in the Nearctic (North America) and winter in the Neotropics (Central and South America), but the focus has spread to include most landbirds and other species requiring terrestrial habitats.

Strengthened linkages with other conservation efforts is leading, at least in some cases, to comprehensive conservation efforts for the entire avifauna. The central premise of Partners In Flight (PIF) has been that the resources of public and private organizations in North and South America must be combined, coordinated, and increased in order to achieve success in conserving bird populations in this hemisphere.

Partners In Flight is a cooperative effort involving partnerships among federal, state and local government agencies, philanthropic foundations, professional organizations, conservation groups, industry, the academic community, and private individuals. Currently partners include 16 federal agencies, 40 nongovernment organizations (NGOs), over 60 state and provincial fish and wildlife agencies, numerous universities, and the forest industry, and the list is growing daily.

External links

• RMBO

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