This February, show your love of birds by making a donation to Audubon Alaska . Give a Valentine's Day gift that shows your love for Alaska's birds. Make a donation to Audubon Alaska in honor of your special someone, friends, family, pets, or your favorite backyard birds.

 

Every dollar donated directly to Audubon Alaska goes to work in Alaska - so your gift is greatly appreciated! Spread your love for bird conservation this month. The birds of Alaska THANK YOU!

The 2016 Great American Arctic Birding Challenge starts March 1! Birds from six continents rely on America's Arctic in Alaska for nesting, breeding, staging, and molting; their ranges reach across the Lower 48 states and beyond. Birders from around the U.S. can test their skills this spring to find the most birds in their state from the contest checklist of Arctic birds.

 

The contest runs from March 1 through June 1. So find a warbler expert, your friend with the top-of-the-line scope, or someone with supersonic hearing to identify those sparrow calls...or head out with your regu­lar birding buddies. Is your team ready?

 

  See the Challenge rules and download your checklist.

Today kicks off the Great Backyard Bird Count. Join in the fun of this 4-day citizen science project sponsored by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It's simple: pick your favorite birding spot, whether it's a feeder in your backyard or a park near where you live. Count birds for a minimum of 15 minutes on one of the count days, or for as long and as many of the count days as you like. Then enter your sightings online. If you have an eBird account or have previously participated in a Cornell Lab of Ornithology project, you're already set. Do you enjoy taking photos? Check out the rules for the photo contest as well. For more information or to set up an account, visit http://gbbc.birdcount.org . Happy counting!

The Tongass National Forest is home to birds and other wildlife that depend on old-growth trees. Even after decades of large-scale old-growth logging, the Tongass contains some of the largest stretches of old-growth temperate rainforest left in the world. Yet, as the logging practice continues, it threatens wildlife and birds such as the Queen Charlotte Goshawk and the declining Alexander Archipelago wolf.

Tell the U.S. Forest Service to end outdated and destructive old-growth clearcutting, to protect the birds and other wildlife of the Tongass Forest.

 

Susan arrived in Alaska expecting to spend a year working for a judge in Anchorage before returning to the Lower 48. But she was quickly captivated by this great state's spectacular wildlife and complex environmental challenges. She now feels like a Kolea, or Pacific Golden-Plover: at home snowshoeing and trekking in Alaska, but also making trips back to Hawaii to spend quality time with family and the waves at Waimanalo beach. Outside of the office, Susan can be found exploring local trails on skis or ice-cleats in the winter, and hiking near bodies of water in the summer. Her plans for the future include learning to fish, visiting the Arctic, and meeting more of Alaska's people and birds.