PSF's spring coordinators, from left to right – Karen Cotton, Nicole Delacretaz, Charles Hofer.
Pictures by Yigal Gelb.

Project Safe Flight (PSF) – a NYC Audubon program focused on helping migratory birds pass safely through our city – can point to many accomplishments this past spring: a new color brochure, two orientations, planning a Birds and Glass Task Force meeting, starting new collaborations, expansion of the volunteer network, daily monitoring of sites in downtown and midtown, completion of a unique science program, extensive media coverage, weekly updates, and involvement in International Migratory Bird Day. Despite all this, we must remind ourselves that with millions of migratory birds passing through our city every spring and fall, our work is only beginning.

Many of the PSF accomplishments of the past spring can be traced back to three very special volunteers – Karen, Nicole, and Charles, also known as the PSF coordinators. Karen, PSF's Education and Outreach Coordinator, came to us with extensive experience in animal welfare issues. She also was a board member at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for eight years. Interested in "overlaps where the animal world and the city intersect," Karen worked extensively on forming new partnerships to help fund PSF. She also took a lead role in organizing a Birds and Glass Task Force, dedicated to creating a new type of glass that would be visible to birds. As she puts it, "one of the things I was interested in doing was building a partnership between animal protectors and conservationists."

Nicole, PSF's Field Coordinator, came to us from Switzerland. After completing her masters, she was eager to join PSF, partly to gain field experience. Nicole worked tirelessly on expanding PSF's network of field volunteers. She assigned routes that volunteers walked every day, and was in constant communication with volunteers, rehabilitators, and people from the press who requested tours to learn more about the bird collision problem in New York City. As she put it, "I think all the volunteers saw me as the person who could help them out with any question."

Charles, PSF's Science Coordinator, is a student at Columbia University's Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC). He was very excited about the idea of launching a science program to study when and where bird collisions take place in the city. He also formed a science advisory group to help with this project. But according to Charles, there is more work to be done – "It would be nice if PSF could take a lead role in tackling the bird-window plague across the US."

If you want to learn more about the Project Safe Flight, visit our website at www.nycaudubon.org. If you wish to become a PSF volunteer this fall, please write to volunteer@nycaudubon.org.