The Ohio Young Birders Club

I would like to thank Kate Zimmerman, the Education Director for the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, for helping me with this post.  It was wonderful to talk to you Kate, and I appreciate all the great information you shared.

Being a parent is hard.  Really hard.  You want the best for your child, but its difficult to say what that may be at times.  Despite having the feeling that I’m just winging it most of the time, there are a handful of things I know to be true.  1) Little girls are the best.  2) Little girls are the worst.  3) I don’t like it when my little girl steals food off of my plate just to play with it. I’m hungry and I need sustenance. 4) You must offer a variety of experiences to your children to help them discover who they really are.

Although Ruby is only two, she has already shown signs that nature is something that excites her.  I’m interested to see if she remains as curious about mammals, bugs, and birds as time goes on.  Although its a long time from now, when she gets into her junior high years I am planning on suggesting she get involved with the Ohio Young Birders Club.  What is the OYBC?  I’ll tell you.

In 2006, a group of 6 young birders approached the staff at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory with the idea of starting a club for young people interested in birds and nature.  Since then the OYBC has become a learning model for other youth birding programs around the country.  Programs in over a dozen states have been aided by expertise from BSBO to get their respective youth birding initiatives off the ground.

The OYBC has three regional chapters.  There is one in the Columbus area, another one that serves the Dayton-Cincinnati region, and the third and newest addition is right here in Northwest Ohio, primarily based in the Toledo-Sylvania area.  Kids ages 12 to 18 can join the OYBC for just $10.  A supporting adult membership is $20.  Those membership fees help to fund monthly field trips, service learning projects such as habitat restoration, as well as four statewide events in which all the chapters can attend and meet their counterparts from the other corners of the state.  Additionally, the club provides scholarships for members to attend nature related conferences, camps, and workshops.  Black Swamp is especially excited about this year’s annual OYBC Conference because it will be held at the Toledo Zoo in early November.  

All of that is great fun for kids who are 12-18 years old.  But what if you have a younger child?  There are still opportunities to get them involved with nature.  Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge offers “Nature Tots” and “Swampers”, two programs tailored for kids ages 3-5 and 6-10 respectively.  In the coming weeks I hope to pass on several more suggestions for parents looking for outdoor activities for their children. For more information about the Ohio Young Birders Club visit their page here. As always, thanks for reading and happy birding!