Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial 1916-2016
Band together for birds and celebrate 100 years of bird conservation!
Throughout 2016, we are celebrating the Centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty and 100 years of bird conservation and encouraging people to take action for birds. There are many ways to get involved!
Pledge to take action for migratory birds (and get a special prize)
(we are in a friendly competition with our Canadian partners to see who gets to most pledges - help the U.S. win!)
Share your love of birds!
...Upload pictures to our Facebook page of your favorite bird, or of you birding with a friend, making your home bird friendly, buying a Federal Duck Stamp or taking other action for birds.
...Or post a photo on your own Facebook, Instagram or Twitter feed and tag it with #birdyearpics
Show off your knowledge of birds! Share a picture your favorite #birdfact on social media
Use #birdyear in all of your bird-related posts
If you're attending the North American Ornithological Conference, use #NAOC2016
Look for us on Instagram and Snapchat!
Partners! Be part of the celebration all week long and leverage the Centennial to highlight your own role in bird conservation in the last century and into the future.
Issue a news release or blog post; hold a special event or fundraiser; encourage your web and social media fans to share their photos or pledge to take action for birds; or simply use the hashtags. We have tools to help you!
Template news release - customize and adapt with your messaging
Fillable version
Accessible PDF
Centennial Week Social Media campaign strategy and hashtags
Social media and multimedia resources
Centennial branding & graphics
Centennial key messages & talking points
Why Celebrate the Centennial?
This year we mark the centennial of the Convention between the United States and Great Britain (for Canada) for the Protection of Migratory Birds - also called the Migratory Bird Treaty - that was signed on Aug. 16, 1916. This Migratory Bird Treaty (446.6KB), and three others that followed, form the cornerstones of our efforts to conserve birds that migrate across international borders.
The treaty connects the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with our federal, state, private, non-government, tribal, and international partners who share a long, successful history of conserving, protecting, and managing migratory bird populations and their habitats. Celebrating the centennial of the first treaty allows us to bring together those who have contributed to its success, and to galvanize efforts to protect migratory birds for generations to come.
Migratory birds...
- connect people with nature and add beauty, sound and color to our world. They provide countless opportunities for enjoyment by birders, hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts, and they have cultural and spiritual importance.
- contribute environmental benefits, including pollination, insect and rodent control, and seed dispersal.
- are good indicators of environmental health because they are so visible and are relatively easy to study. Studying birds can give us a picture of what is going on in the natural world.
- play a key role in the U.S. economy, supporting recreational opportunities (22.9MB) that create jobs and generate billions of dollars in revenue.
Centennial Campaign Goals
Create awareness about the importance of migratory bird conservation by encouraging news media stories about treaty achievements, migratory birds, and habitat conservation, and connecting people to migratory bird conservation via social media.
Promote key actions that anyone can take to help birds. This includes participating in citizen science programs such as bird counts; expanding property and homeowner use of bird-friendly practices such as lights out programs, reducing collisions, and maintaining wildlife-friendly gardens; and increasing sales of the Federal Duck Stamp, which protects habitat for migratory birds.
Increase support for migratory bird conservation programs and initiatives by strengthening naitonal and international partnerships and increasing knowledge and understanding of key legislation for migratory birds.
Expand opportunities for engagement in activities such as bird watching, hunting, and conservation, including bird-focused programs and festivals, especially in Urban Bird Treaty Cities and Urban Refuge Partnerships, International Migratory Bird Day events; participation in the Junior Duck Stamp program; and youth birding and hunting events at national wildlife refuges.
Get Involved! Information and Tools for You
Nestbox: Toolkit of resources from Centennial messaging to social media links to key documents.
Interactive Timeline of migratory bird conservation milestones
Centennial events calendar: Find an event near you!
List of regional Centennial team members
We are grateful to all of our Centennial partners
