"The Bird Banding Laboratory has turned duck hunters into citizen scientists. What happens if it is defunded?"
"For more than a century, the Bird Banding Laboratory has placed small metallic bands on the legs of birds across North America. Each year, the lab receives thousands of reports from bird watchers and biologists who spot the markers on the birds and report them to the lab. In this way, the lab tracks and monitors the movements and numbers of birds, from sparrows to sparrow hawks.
At a moment when bird populations are declining globally, banding is essential for conserving species and tracking population changes over time. It is also integral in setting regulations and limits for waterfowl hunting. Indeed, no group reports more bird bands — or prizes them more — than hunters.
“It’s the trophy of trophies for a hunter,” said Rusty Creasey, a duck hunter from Arkansas.
The trophy may not last. The lab falls under the U. S. Geological Survey’s Ecosystem Mission Area, the agency’s major ecology program, which under President Trump’s 2026 proposed budget would see funding reduced to $29 million, from $293 million. Many hunters are unhappy at the prospect."
Alexa Robles-Gil reports for the New York Times July 8, 2025.
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