🐦⬛12.16 Luxelakes: November-December Goals & Activity Progress Summary
This month's theme is "Our Neighbors." As Jane Goodall once said, “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.” If residents do not (or do not sufficiently) understand birds and do not care about them, how can they carry out future citizen science projects, such as investigating bird collisions or applying bird collision prevention stickers? Residents cannot blindly take actions that may not be necessary—such as measures they believe help wildlife but are not actually needed—or make changes that conflict with human aesthetics. Every improvement made in their homes must go through a preliminary assessment to determine whether there is a real need.
Assessment itself is a tedious process that requires basic knowledge and ethical considerations. Most residents participating in this project are beginners, so they need guidance in their thinking and values to help them develop a scientific mindset and approach. Only in this way can they collect accurate and scientific data in future projects.
Therefore, the goal and expected outcome of this month’s activities are to encourage residents to learn about the species around them, start observing local wildlife, and explore diverse observation methods. Only when people realize that their living environment is shared not just by humans but also by birds and other organisms will they begin to care about whether these creatures have suitable habitats, whether they can survive, and whether the environment is healthy—for example, whether the same species can be observed over time and whether it can support a diverse ecosystem.
I am very pleased with the results of this activity. Many participants have already begun using bird observations as a way to monitor changes and abnormalities in their surroundings and have even suggested ideas for creating bird-friendly communities. Since the activities were primarily conducted in parks, participants also thought more deeply about how to design parks that support biodiversity.