Supporting the next generation is essential

As 2024 comes to a close and I reflect on the many global events impacting our world, I’m proud that Manomet Conservation Sciences is doing such great work to make our planet healthier. In addition to the grassroots science and conservation work we do to reverse the decline of shorebirds and promote
coastal resilience, we are committed to education and community engagement as critical pillars of our conservation work. Across our hemisphere, we are educating and empowering the next generation of
conservationists by providing hands-on experiential and science-based education to students.

To continue to make progress, we need your help. As you weigh your year-end giving priorities, I hope you will consider making a generous gift to Manomet before December 31.

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Known for our on-the-ground science, we are getting our boots muddy (and sandy, and salty) monitoring and measuring, collecting, and analyzing data with partners in local communities across the hemisphere. Our goal is to understand rapidly changing conditions and implement conservation actions to address them.

RECENT RESULTS

Some specific results we have seen from our work this year include:

• Data analyzed and published in 2023 from Manomet’s International Shorebird Survey (ISS) has directly contributed to 16 shorebird species being reclassified to higher threat categories by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
• In the Gulf of Maine, we gathered data on over 2,000 acres of mudflats — crucial ecosystems on which wildlife and people depend — to study the elevation, sediment composition, and impact of invasive species. We also collected over 350 observations from shellfish harvesters and municipal managers documenting mudflat change over time.
• In Massachusetts, we completed the second Shorebird Blitz, with more than 100 participants documenting the presence of shorebirds during peak southbound migration to identify previously unknown habitat critical for their survival. We also conducted the first-ever aerial survey of spawning
  horseshoe crabs to shed light on the impacts of a new state government regulation.

HELP US SUPPORT THE NEXT GENERATION

And, with our education and outreach programs, we’re proud to say we are getting kids’ boots muddy, too. Here are a few examples of how we are educating and inspiring kids from kindergarten to college, thanks to the support of friends like you:

• In Argentina, we created the Experiencia Ambientalia, or Environmental Experience, to empower young local leaders to design and implement impactful community projects. They identified solutions to mitigate threats to the Laguna Mar Chiquita wetland, a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site. To date, this program has engaged more than 14 local towns and over 5,000 community members, while also expanding to 7 WHSRN sites across 4 other countries.
• At our Manomet headquarters overlooking Cape Cod Bay, we have been educating kids and young adults for decades. We provide science-based learning with hands-on exercises to students of all ages, and last year had over a thousand students visit the campus. Additionally, in Brockton, we partner with Wildlands Trust on the Resilient Brockton Initiative, a wide-ranging collaboration focused on inspiring environmental stewardship by improving access to nature and boosting climate resilience. In 2024, our work included building outdoor learning spaces that served 800 students and it will continue to endure as teachers play a more integral role. Finally, in its third year, the Ornithology Careers Institute continues to broaden access to higher education in ornithology and support the careers of aspiring ornithologists from historically underrepresented groups.

Your support is needed to keep this critical work moving forward. Your year-end gift will have a much bigger impact than you realize, no matter the size. This holiday season, let’s work together to create a better tomorrow.