Susan Hindinger

Dear Friends and Family,

Each day in May holds new surprises right outside the door, as migrating birds return from their wintering grounds to breed in the fields and forests of eastern North America. I love listening to find out what new songs will greet us each morning as the season progresses. And I've dedicated my working life to the science of conserving birds, their habitats, and the food webs that support them.

At the conservation organization where I work in Vermont, we celebrate the spectacle of migration each May with a fundraiser called the Birdathon.

The Vermont Center for Ecostudies’ Annual Birdathon is a beloved tradition raises funds for VCE, the wildlife research and conservation nonprofit based in White River Junction.

Birdathon is like a walk-a-thon, but instead of counting miles, I’ll be counting bird species during one 24-hour period in May. 

I'll be birding with VCE's staff team, the Green Mountain Goatsuckers. We'll aim to set a record for the GMG, which has birded every year since VCE started in 2007!

You can help us reach our fundraising goal by either making a donation today or by pledging to give a specific dollar amount per species I see on my birding day.

Your generosity funds everything VCE does, including: 

• Long-term Monitoring: Decades-long datasets reveal how wildlife responds to changing lands and climate.

• Innovative Conservation Science: Pioneering studies build knowledge to protect biodiversity

• International Collaboration: Partnerships in the Caribbean foster local capacity to sustain ecosystems.

• Mentorship for the Next Generation: Interns and graduate students gain career skills while collecting vital data.

To learn more about VCE visit our website at vtecostudies.org.

You can make a donation or a per-species pledge on my individual page by clicking the donate button above. You can also mail a check to Vermont Center for Ecostudies at PO Box 420, Norwich, VT 05055 and include my name on the memo line.

Thank you for chipping in to help protect the colorful, feathered songbirds (and their habitats) that sing us into spring!

With appreciation,

Susan