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Join Friends of the Marsh and The Nature Place for the 2026 Great Backyard Bird Count, the world’s largest citizen science project. The GBBC is a three-day event, sponsored by the Audubon Society, the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, and Birds Canada, to monitor the extent, health, and movement of bird species in this age of climate change.
The GBBC, now over 20 years old, grew out of an even older citizen science project: the North American Breeding Bird Survey, which began in 1966. This survey, organized by the United States Geological Survey, assessed bird populations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It has become a key indicator not only of bird populations, but of habitat and climate change.
Come to The Nature Place Saturday morning, February 14, between 9:00 and 11:30 AM. The La Crosse River Marsh is our “backyard.” Take a short or a long walk and count birds. We’ll have binoculars to loan, bird books for reference, and if you are a novice, no worries, we’ll get you started.