April heralds Earth Day, sustainability opportunities

Eastern bluebirds are one of hundreds of bird species protected by a group of laws that are together known as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The MBTA is one of the oldest and most important wildlife conservation laws in the United States. This year, the MBTA will celebrate its centennial. The Treaty for the Protection of Migratory Birds, a precursor to the MBTA, was signed on Aug. 16, 1916, between the United States and Great Britain. (Great Britain, at the time, negotiated treaties for Canada, who did not have the power to establish foreign relations for itself until 1926.) This treaty ensured that both nations would agree to protect their shared bird populations.  

In the decades following this initial agreement, similar treaties with Mexico (1936), Japan (1972), and Russia (1976) bolstered the protection for migratory birds and the ecological, economic, aesthetic and recreational opportunities that they provide. These laws provide protection to birds, like this bluebird, who cross international borders on their yearly migrations, and will help their populations to remain strong for another hundred years. 

To learn more about the MBTA Centennial and the history of bird conservation in our country, click here.   

For resource-management updates, read the Annual Sustainability Report from 2015. It's hot off the presses and lives on the external JSC sustainability website, along with the April newsletter. April 22 is Earth Day, so there are many opportunities this month to get involved.

An eastern bluebird drops a cricket from a JSC telephone line. Image Credit: NASA/Lauren Harnett