Saturday, May 4, is Audubon Birdathon for Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship

Jamestown, N.Y. – You are invited to join the Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) birding team of educators and volunteers – either in person or by pledging – to support a local student pursuing a natural sciences career or education.

On Saturday, May 4, you can join the Audubon Education Staff and their friends to see as many birds as you can on Birdathon 2019, a one-day-only bird count that raises money for the Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship.

At 6 a.m., the group will start on the Nature Center grounds and later head to other locations to find as many species of birds as possible. Participants are encouraged to stay at least till noon, but for some of the birders it will go until dark or later.

You can bird with the team or show your support by pledging online at
auduboncnc.org/scholarships/

The scholarship awards $500 to a local student with an interest in pursuing the natural sciences who is heading off to college. During the almost all-day Birdathon, ACNC educators, staff, and volunteers try to find as many species of birds as possible. Generous supporters pledge an amount, either per species or in total, and one result is the $500 scholarship.

The Ryan Exline Scholarship is named in memory of one of its first recipients. An Audubon volunteer, intern, nature-lover, and Duke University graduate student, Exline died in a car accident. This year marks the tenth anniversary of his passing, and Audubon and his family are hoping to make it the biggest year yet. Exline’s love of nature and of nurturing future generations of “nature nerds” lives on through this scholarship.

To be part of the birding team, call (716) 569-2345 by Thursday, May 2.

The Birdathon happens rain or shine. It is free to attend, but you are encouraged to pledge at auduboncnc.org/scholarships/ .

Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.

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