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Land Trusts do a fantastic job of conservation by not only protecting critical habitat across the State, but also, in many cases, through active management on those protected lands. Many Land Trusts have birds foremost in mind as they target acquisition. Unfortunately, many of our bird species are declining at an alarming rate. We have seen the disappearance of over 3 billion land birds from North America in the last 40 years. Habitat loss is one of the key reasons for these drastic losses. Habitat loss occurs everywhere, but for some species, such as our grassland and shrubland birds, habitat loss can have a more profound effect. Once released, the recently completed CT Bird Atlas will provide needed information to Land Trusts, Municipalities, and other NGO’s interested in land protection that will specifically benefit our birds. The Atlas will show what species are declining in the State and where habitat protection and management would be best suited for those species.

Acquisition and management require capital investment. One of the ways in which the State conducts habitat management on State and Private lands, is through the CT Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp Program. The Program since its inception in 1993 has generated over $1.3 million in revenue which has been leveraged with an additional $4 million to acquire over 3,500 acres of critical habitat and conduct over 80 habitat enhancement and restoration projects on both State and Private lands. Every year the stamp image is determined through an art contest that draws from CT artists from kindergarten through 12th grade. The participants also go through a conservation curriculum so that they have a connection to the birds they are painting.

In these times of fiscal uncertainty and increasing pressures on our remaining land, it is even more imperative that we try and conserve as much habitat as possible. Migratory bird hunters are required to purchase a stamp every year. Currently, only 2% of stamp sales are to non-hunters. We would really like to expand the scope of the contributors to this great conservation Program. Please consider spending $17 annually to help conserve our birds and critical habitats.

Connecticut 2024 Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp

https://portal.ct.gov/deep/wildlife/ct-migratory-bird-conservation-stamp