Wild Birds Unlimited® Donates Bird Feeders to National Biodiversity Parks

By: Wild Birds Unlimited | 0 Shares 132 Reads

CARMEL, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wild Birds Unlimited donated WBU Window Feeders to the National Schoolyard Birding Challenge (NSBC), a monthly bird watching contest open to students in all public and private schools in the continental United States.

This contest (www.fledgingbirders.org/challenge.html) is one of the many environmental education programs supported by Fledging Birders, a key component of the National Biodiversity Parks (NBP), a non-profit conservation organization.

Wild Birds Unlimited made the donation as part of its mission to reconnect children with the outdoors through its Pathways To Nature for Kids® (www.pathwaysforkids.com) initiative. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, today's overscheduled youth spend an average of 44 hours per week staring at some kind of electronic screen, creating America's first generation to grow up detached from nature.

"This was a great opportunity to bring nature up close, into the classroom and to the students," said John Schaust, Wild Birds Unlimited Chief Naturalist. "It's yet another pathway to connect kids with the natural world around them, to enjoy it and to not be frightened by it," Schaust added.

"Introducing our kids to birding is beneficial to all stakeholders – the kids, the birds, the birding community and ultimately everyone else through increased conservation awareness," said Dave Magpiong, Program Director with NBP's Fledging Birders.

Fledging Birders uses a bilateral approach to inspire people who are new to the birding hobby. "Based on state-of-the-art educational methods, we will provide birders with practical strategies for sharing their hobby with others," added Magpiong, "We will also develop bird-centric projects for use in classrooms of various curricular areas and grade levels. NSBC participants will work together to observe, identify, and record various bird species found on their school grounds."

Wild Birds Unlimited is the original and largest franchise system of backyard birdfeeding and nature specialty stores with more than 300 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Wild Birds Unlimited specializes in bringing people and nature together with their birdfeeding and nature products, their expert advice and educational events. Visit and shop the Web site at www.wbu.com. For more information about the Pathways To Nature for Kids initiative, visit www.pathwaysforkids.com.

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