Hi Folks,
As we all know, on Monday the governor issued a stay-at-home order, which
tentatively extends until June 10th. Understandably, this has raised many
questions in folks minds about the implications for the Atlas field season
and birding in general.
Based on review of the specifics of the governor's order and discussion
with both university and state agency colleagues, here are the current
VABBA2 project guidelines on birding for the next 4-6 weeks:
1 – Birding falls under outdoor activity and is still allowed (see
recent VDGIF press release
<https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/Press-Release-DGIF-VMRC-Encourage-You-To-Be-Safe-While-Outdoors.pdf>
and
our recent VABBA2 article
<https://ebird.org/atlasva/news/atlasing-is-a-great-way-to-exercise-and-maintain-sanity-while-still-practicing-good-social-distancing>
on
following safeguards while engaging in outdoor activities).
2 – As long as VABBA2 volunteers are able to maintain social-distancing
guidelines while venturing away from home to bird, we encourage them to
keep working on targeted priority blocks or other areas they've identified
for further Atlas effort. Note: this means that survey areas should be
confined to within day-trip distance of your home base for now.
3 – For the time being, we discourage overnight travel for Atlasing, as
this would push the bounds of the governor’s order and be difficult to
achieve while maintaining social distancing practices.
4 – Ultimately, *please prioritize your health and safety first!* Everyone
needs to decide what they feel safe and comfortable doing for both
themselves and their community. If you feel that venturing away from home
for any reason isn’t a good idea for you, then don’t feel pressured to do
so.
*At the end of the day, my greatest concern is that our awesome community
of volunteers maintain both their physical and mental well-being.*
If anyone has any questions about these policies and guidelines, please
feel free to reach out to me with questions at (ashpeele@xxxxxx).
Wishing you all good health and good birding. I hope you can get outside
and enjoy the ever increasing stream of northward migrants moving through
the Commonwealth.
Ashley Peele, PhD
Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas Coordinator
Conservation Management Institute - Virginia Tech
Office: 540-951-9378 (*Emails preferred. No longer working at office.)
Fax: 540-231-7019