Dear Hampshire Bird Club member,
“May you live in interesting times.” This ironic curse has been attributed to Chinese culture, but there is no evidence to support that notion. No matter the source of the quote, it most surely applies to our current times.
We, the members of the HBC Board of Directors, recognize the damage being done by federal actions freezing funds and cutting staffing for institutions, programs, and individuals that conduct research on, educate about, and protect our natural environment. HBC’s incorporating document states “The purpose of the HBC is to help its members and the general public enjoy birding, to educate them about birds, bird watching, and bird habitats, and to support the conservation of birds and bird habitats.” We take this commitment to heart. Therefore, the HBC board pledges its energy toward resisting efforts that will lead to the degradation of our environment, loss of scientific expertise in the environmental field, reduction in protections for wild birds, and damage due to these actions.
The board has discussed ways in which HBC as an organization can resist the threats noted above. Although we are a small, member-supported organization, we recognize that losses of already approved federal grants imperil many private and public environmental organizations, both local and national. Locally, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment has lost over $500,000 in federal grants in the past week. Staffing and support of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, of which our local Fort River Division and the Fannie Stebbins Wildlife Sanctuary are prime examples of preserved bird habitat, is under threat. Likewise, the Northeast Region Headquarters of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Hadley has been proposed for closure on August 31, 2025. There are more examples of destructive orders from the federal administration that will have detrimental to devastating effects on the environment in the Connecticut River Valley. As birders as well as conservation-aware citizens, we intend to educate members and nonmembers, support our birding and conservation resources, and cultivate creative responses in this challenging time.
The HBC board at its April meeting voted unanimously to send $1,000 of club funds to the Hitchcock Center. We will continue to help local organizations as best we can with financial assistance. We will monitor local threats and publicize them. We will stay focused on our founding purpose. We will join with other organizations, large and small, to protest the outrageous actions that threaten our environment, ecosystems, and wildlife. We hope that you will stand with us. We encourage everyone to increase their own financial support to local and national environmental, educational, and scientific organizations. We recognize that the birdwatching community, including our own membership, is quite diverse along many dimensions and includes, for example, many immigrants, individuals of different gender identities, and members of diverse cultural backgrounds; the HBC board pledges to continue to welcome all birdwatchers and to support the diversity of our community.
In solidarity,
The Hampshire Bird Club Board of Directors
PS -- Here's the open letter in PDF format: HBC Board open letter April 2025.pdf
