Bird Rescue was thrilled to host a special public evening event on March 28, 2019, in Berkeley, CA –the birthplace of our first wildlife center back the 1970s. Our Executive Director, JD Bergeron, shared a lively and inspiring presentation “Albatross Adventures: Finding Wisdom on Midway Atoll” about his experience as one of 18 individuals conducting the 2019 Nesting Albatross Census on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, which hosts the largest colony of Laysan Albatross on the planet.
This special evening was held at the David Brower Center and brought a unique opportunity for staff and volunteers to connect face-to-face with over 120 Bird Rescue friends and supporters. We visited with many familiar faces and heard memorable and heartwarming stories from former volunteers, oil-spill responders, neighbors and even friends of our founder Alice Berkner, who resided in Berkeley herself.
The beautiful Brower Center’s unique history as an advocate for the environmental movement made it a perfect location to share the story of this important wildlife refuge and essential nesting habitat.
JD Bergeron presented about Midway Atoll not only as a geopolitical and strategic hot spot, but also as a critically important habitat for several species of wildlife including the Laysan Albatross. Midway Atoll is home to the largest nesting colony on the planet and JD’s specific mission was to participate in the nesting count. He described the steps and tools necessary to achieve the massive undertaking and shared the final result of all their work – approximately 600,000 nests counted!
A very warm thank you to everyone who joined us for Albatross Adventures! We had a great time gathering with friends and supporters to celebrate our work and hearing your stories about why seabirds matter to you.
Also see: Midway Atoll: Seabird Sanctuary