HistorY of BEAC
 
In the late 1980s, scientists became concerned about declines in the populations of some migratory bird species. In response to this concern, a coalition of public and private organizations in North and South America joined together to combine their resources and coordinate efforts to conserve bird populations in the Western Hemisphere. Partners in Flight (PIF) was created and 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. PIF's mission is to conserve bird species at risk, keep common birds common, and to form partnerships with others who are working for conservation.

In addition to international, national, and regional working groups, PIF hosts an education working group, which has worked on a variety of educational endeavors over the years. In the 1990s, educators collaborated under the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to review and evaluate existing curricula and education materials focusing on birds. Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center created an annual bird festival, International Migratory Bird Day, and the National Conservation Training Center (USFWS) developed a Bird Education for Educators workshop. A number of other national, regional, and local bird education projects were inspired by the need for bird education tools, but bird educators continued to collaborate informally.

In February 2007, the first conference focusing solely on bird education and attended by educators from all over the U.S. and the Caribbean was held in Texas. The effort was organized by CEE and resulted in an opportunity to identify many partners in bird education. Participants benefited from a variety of presentations about diverse education projects and made decisions about the future direction of bird education and explored ways of improving collaborations among bird educators. During the Texas meeting, several goals were outlined, and participants passed two resolutions: 

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF BIRD EDUCATION: Participants of the 2007 Bird Conservation through Education Conference urge that education about birds designed to bring about action to protect and enhance birds and their habitats be supported strongly and that such education be emphasized in the formal school curriculum and given high priority in agency and organization education programs.

RESOLUTION FOR DEVELOPING A BIRD EDUCATION PLAN: Participants in the 2007 Bird Conservation through Education Conference recommend that a comprehensive plan for education about birds and their conservation be developed, and that this plan set priorities and recommend the most practical and effective strategy for implementing a dynamic program of bird education.

To follow up on the resolution to develop a bird conservation education strategic plan, a Working Group met in Denver in July, 2007 and formed committees to further develop an active network among bird conservation educators and to focus our efforts. This Strategic Plan is one of the outcomes of this meeting. It is national in scope and includes input from many other bird conservation educators.