April & May 2019
April & May 2019 Color Issue
April & May 2019
Color Issue
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important to do that and finish, no matter what. I started in the business<br />
school. That lasted all of one year, and after financial accounting I decided<br />
it wasn’t for me… so I poked around trying out different things. I took an<br />
environmental history class that got me interested, and so I went down<br />
the rabbit hole of environmental economics, environmental ethics, biology,<br />
chemistry, ecology etc. But it was a field ornithology class that really<br />
blew my mind and opened my eyes to birds. That was 1995.<br />
How much do you and Inga encourage this in your children, or do<br />
you believe they should follow their own paths without any nudging?<br />
We try and get them outside as much as possible. I hate the “when I was<br />
your age” stories, but damn! When we were their age we were feral creatures!<br />
Come home, do your homework (or not), run outside. All we had to<br />
do was be home before dinner. They will follow their own paths, whether<br />
we like it or not. We’re just trying to give them the tools necessary to make<br />
the best decisions. That last sentence sounds really great. If only it were<br />
easy… or, like, even possible. My dad always said, “Parenting is the hardest<br />
job with the least experience, and no good manual.” Amen.<br />
What’s your mission at CMBO? Connecting people to nature, and<br />
stewarding the nature of today for the people of tomorrow. I had a real<br />
hard time the first time I read that. It seemed very people-focused and<br />
I felt it was lacking the intrinsic value of nature. But it quickly became<br />
clear how right-on it is. Birds don’t vote; only people do. It’s beautiful in<br />
its simplicity. If you can’t connect people to nature in Cape <strong>May</strong>, where<br />
can you?! And if you connect people to nature, you’ll be able to take the<br />
next step, and build community to steward the nature of today for the<br />
generations to come.<br />
Beginning in 1976, Pete Dunne began building what would become a<br />
very successful model of connecting people to nature. He made birding<br />
accessible, put Cape <strong>May</strong> on the global birding map, wrote wonderful stories<br />
about birding in Cape <strong>May</strong>, and started several long-term research<br />
projects that are the DNA of the organization today. When I came on<br />
five years ago I saw some great opportunities to elevate the long-term<br />
data we’ve been collecting. We took our 40-plus years of data on raptors,<br />
waterbirds and songbirds and built a proper database where we could<br />
collect new data and display it with the historic data online in real time.<br />
Now we have online visitors from around the world checking in to see<br />
what’s flying over Cape <strong>May</strong>, and talking about it all over the internet!<br />
Ultimately, I want CMBO to reach its full potential as a bird observatory:<br />
keeping our finger on the pulse of migration, training the conservation<br />
leaders of tomorrow, and connecting more people than ever to the<br />
wonders of nature. As Pete would say, we’re a tank of gas from 60 million<br />
people. If we can’t do it, who can?!<br />
What constitutes a birder? Do you even like the word? I love the<br />
word, but I’m also okay with not using it. I mean, I love to ride my bike,<br />
but I’m not a biker. I love to swim, but I’m not a swimmer. So I can see the<br />
reluctance of some folks who do enjoy birding to not be defined by it. I’m<br />
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