We asked you to contribute toward an ambitious goal of $40,000 in 24 hours and your response astounded us! You have inspired us and you’ve demonstrated the power of our network of bird lovers and advocates.

The donations we received from you and others last week exceeded our goal, but we still don’t know how much it will ultimately cost to save this colony and here is why — as we speak, agencies are working hard to find a solution that helps this landowner overcome challenges due to this difficult drought year, but also protects this huge colony of this rare species. The funds you raised are critical to that discussion and will play an important role in saving Tricolored Blackbirds in the coming days.

While negotiations continue, you should know that you and your fellow bird heroes have made a real difference. Because of the response of this community, state and federal agencies, and other stakeholders, the colony remains safe and will not be harvested pending negotiations but we’re not out of the woods yet.

As the story with this colony continues, we will post updates to Facebook, our Twitter feed and to our blog. This colony stands out because of its incredible size, but similar stories are playing out across the Central Valley. We and our partners are working with other farmers to help save additional colonies as the breeding season begins and are also raising money to create a fund that can be on-hand for the next emergency. Most importantly for the long-term success of the species, we are trying to prevent the birds from using agriculture by creating natural wetland habitat.

Your contributions will be used to help save this bird from extinction. Thank you for being a bird hero.

Warm regards,

Meghan Hertel
Working Lands Program Director

Photo by Jerry Ting.