About Saralyn Wasserman
Saralyn Wasserman is an avid human rights supporter, plant and animal lover and outdoor enthusiast with a history of working to give back to her community. Saralyn previously worked at Channing Bete Company where she was trained on “Prevention Science” processes and principles under acclaimed social scientists such as Richard Catalano, PhD, James Prochaska, PhD, and David Hawkins, PhD about prevention and mitigation of teen problem behaviors such as substance abuse, violence, teen pregnancy, delinquency and school drop-out. Helping children navigate life challenges while facilitating supportive environments for others is a passion of Saralyn in her personal and professional endeavors.
Saralyn has experience as a mentor working with the Fairfax County “Be-Friend a Child Program,” an organization that provides companionship, support and guidance for at-risk youth, and she states that the values the program upholds are useful for both mentors and mentees alike.
Saralyn is recognized as someone who cares deeply about challenges that people face in their day to day lives, and she is dedicated to helping build a better world for future generations.
Saralyn Wasserman Discusses the Decline of the Bird Population in North America
As a supporter of animals and the outdoors, Saralyn Wasserman is deeply invested in conservation efforts and the issues impacting the health and wellness of animals worldwide. One of her key interests is in the decline of bird populations in North America and the importance of intervention on the part of government and industry to mitigate the problem. Here, Saralyn explores the decline of bird populations over time, and what we can do about it on a government, industry, and personal level.
What is the Scope of the Decline?
Experts have found that the decline of bird populations in North America has been a growing issue for years. A recent study found that the US and Canada have lost over 3 billion birds in the past 50 years, which is nearly 30% of the bird population in the entire region. Saralyn mentions that people who were born before 1970 can remember a time when birds were much more prevalent. This supports research findings that common birds, ones that many see around every day, have suffered the most in terms of loss. Over 90% of the declining bird population are common birds from 12 families which include blackbirds, finches, sparrows, and warblers.
What Has Caused the Problem?
Saralyn Wasserman finds that there are several contributing factors to the declining bird populations over the years. One of the primary factors is the loss of avian habitat. Researchers have found that in North America (as well as Central and South America), bird numbers have suffered greatly due to deforestation, as forests alone have lost an estimated one billion birds since 1970. There is also the issue of climate change and its associated erratic weather patterns, which has further reduced bird populations by changing peak times for their food supplies, changing habitat distributions, etc.
Some of the decline has been due to other animals negatively impacting birds’ biomes. For example, domestic cats are the number one killer of birds, accounting for 2.4 billion bird deaths per year. Invasive, non-native species introduced to environments where they have few, if any, natural predators have also played a huge role in the decline of certain bird species that are smaller and lower on the food chain.
Another issue that has further contributed to the scope of the decline in bird populations is the liberal pesticide use on farms can impact birds’ health either directly through the ingestion of treated seeds — as well as indirectly through eating small insects and pests that have ingested pesticides. Pesticides have also reduced bird food supplies and have caused certain migrating species to seek alternative geographical areas in order to find nourishment, or face possible starvation.
It is also important to note that, as we further develop land that was previously home to birds and other native species, they can be harmed by coming into contact with our infrastructure. Collisions with glass buildings, for example, are a frequent way for birds to be injured or killed.
What Can We Do?
As we become more aware of the massive scope of the decline in bird populations, it can be easy to fall into thinking that there is little we can do to mitigate the problem. This is simply not true, as there are many methods we can leverage in order to support repopulation efforts — provided we act collectively. Saralyn finds that it is most helpful to consider efforts in terms of three categories: governmental, business/industry, and individual.
Government
On a governmental level, The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 provides a framework for future policies, as one of the oldest wildlife protection laws. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act serves to protect birds from humans by making it unlawful to “kill, possess, sell, purchase, barter, import, export, or transport any migratory bird, or any part, nest, or egg or any such bird, unless authorized under a permit issued by the Secretary of the Interior.” In Canada, the Convention on Biological Diversity has made concerted efforts to conserve nature to better protect its wildlife, contribute to sustainable use of biological diversity components, and to ensure the equitable and fair sharing of benefits that come from the utilization of genetic resources.
There are also a variety of policies that have been penned that could have a positive impact on bird populations if they are put into law and adhered to. Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021 is one that could serve to help protect the roughly one-third of America’s wildlife species currently facing the risk of extinction. The bill aims to provide state and territorial wildlife agencies with much needed funding, to invest in Tribal Nation-led conservation efforts, and to further support efforts to recover threatened and endangered species. And the Bird Safe Building Act of 2021 aims to reduce bird deaths due to collision with public buildings through streamlined design strategies.
Business
For industry, efforts to reduce the impact and scope of declines will need to come from a commitment to more sustainable processes. For example, it would be a huge contribution to sustainability if businesses used and purchased only certified sustainable forest products.
In farming and agriculture spaces, cattle grazing management could go a long way towards ensuring that birds have space to congregate and find food. The energy sector could have an enormous impact by supporting policies to reduce climate change through the eventual phasing out of fossil fuels and the use of wind turbines in order to limit disruption to specific breeding areas and migratory corridors. Many of the steps that businesses can take to prevent future bird population declines are much more attainable through policies that help guide, monitor, and continuously evaluate their processes in order to ensure adherence.
Individual
Saralyn Wasserman mentions that, on an individual level, there are many things that we can collectively do to ensure that we’re not harming birds or inadvertently playing a role in their reducing populations. Knowing that collisions with windows is a common way for birds to be injured or killed, it is a great idea to install tape or adhesives that break up reflections and make windows more visible to passing birds. It can also be extremely helpful to keep cats indoors as they can have a drastic impact on bird biomes across the country. When it comes to gardening, replacing lawns and non-native plant species with native plants can offer both food and shelter for birds, while avoiding pesticides can prevent direct and indirect poisoning.
One of the most significant things we can do on an individual level to protect birds and wildlife is to avoid single use plastics such as bags, bottles, wraps and disposable utensils. These plastic products often wind up in areas where they can wreak havoc on native species.
Changing Our Ways to Protect Our Birds
There are many steps we can take to commit to protecting bird species and other native wildlife in North America. It begins with recognizing the problem, our role in it, and making concerted efforts to change for the better. By holding ourselves and our institutions more accountable for sustainability efforts, we can attack the issues facing our wildlife head on, and work to prevent, mitigate, and even reverse declining bird populations – as well as other wildlife populations — for future generations.
References
1. Loss et al. 2014. Bird–building collisions in the United States: Estimates of annual mortality and species vulnerability. Condor
2. American Bird Conservancy. New Window Tape Can Significantly Reduce Bird Collisions At Homes
3. North American Bird Conservation Initiative. State of the Birds 2014 Report
4. American Bird Conservancy. Cats Indoors
5. Blancher 2013. Estimated Number of Birds Killed by House Cats. Avian Conservation and Ecology
6. All About Birds. FAQ: Outdoor Cats And Their Effects On Birds
7. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Acres of Forest Land Converted to Developed Land, 1982-1997
8. Milesi et al. 2005. A strategy for mapping and modeling the ecological effects of US lawns. Journal of Turfgrass Management
9. Alvanja 2009. Pesticides use and exposure, extensive worldwide. Reviews on Environmental Health
10. American Bird Conservancy. Pesticides: Home and Garden
11. Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. About Bird Friendly Coffee
12. Geyer et al. 2017. Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances
13. Parker. 2018. Here’s how much plastic trash is littering the earth. National Geographic
14. Wilcox et al. 2015. Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
15. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2773
16. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1986?s=1&r=3