[mou] MOU membership

[Steve Weston]

Recently the question came up on why should someone join the Minnesota Ornithologist's Union.  I joined after I became what I considered to be a serious birder.  Here are some of the reasons why I continue to be a member.

1)  It is the state organization of birders and as such, it is an group that I feel part of and want to associate with.

2)  I joined so I could start receiving "The Loon" publication, which I read as soon as it arrives.

3)  I enjoy the paper session in December which I attend every year.

4)  Look at the website: http://moumn.org/ .  There ain't nothing like it in any of the other states.  I especially like the occurrence maps 
(http://moumn.org/cgi-bin/occurrence.pl?group=ducks&season=all ).  When Tony Lau asked about Red-breasted Nuthatches in the summer in Wright County, I checked the maps.  He definitely is living on the edge of its range.  I found it interesting that there is a breeding record for Dakota County, but no summer reports.  I use the maps all the time.  There is nothing like this on any other state organization website.

5)  Something that I appreciate is the support that MOU provides for Christmas Bird Counts.  I use the list every year to help plan my schedule.

6)  The MOU provides grants for bird projects.  I am interested in whether the nesting platforms for the Common Nighthawks will have an impact.

7)  They are the keepers of the data on what birds are being seen where in the state.

Yeah, you could report the birds you saw and use the website for free.  But, I prefer to support the website, and the data collection, and the publication of the Loon, and the grants, and the organization that puts them together.  Thank you MOU people.

Steve Weston
  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20070814/65b97123/attachment.html