[mou-net] MOU $5,000 Savaloja Fund Challenge - Update

[Bob Dunlap]

Hello MOU members and MOU-net subscribers,

We’re almost halfway through our $5,000 Savaloja Fund Challenge, with a
little over a month to go before the Paper Session on December 4. Donors
really stepped up since the last update, and I’m happy to report that our
current total is over the halfway point at 2,985! Let’s keep up the
momentum as we look ahead to the finish line, so please, if you’re thinking
of donating and haven’t done so yet, do so today:

https://givemn.org/story/Savaloja

The Savaloja Fund was established in 1993. Twenty-eight years later, we’ve
learned some pretty important information critical to our understanding of
Minnesota’s birds and their populations, and we’re continuing to learn
more. We know what conditions are necessary to support healthy populations
of Red-headed Woodpeckers and Purple Martins in the state. We know that
certain parasites have been implicated as a significant cause of mortality
for some birds. We know that Barn Owls appear to be staging an impressive
comeback in Minnesota nearly three decades after they disappeared. With the
advent of the Motus network and related transmitter technology, we’re
learning where our birds come from and where they go outside Minnesota. As
we continue to ask questions about our birds, the Savaloja Fund remains a
significant source of funding studies like these so that we continue to
find answers.

Remember that if you’d rather send a check, please send it to our physical
address below and make it out to Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union, including
“Savaloja” in the memo line:

Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union

Carpenter Nature Center

12805 Saint Croix Trail South

Hastings, MN 55033



Your donations help make important research possible. Thanks for your
support!

Bob Dunlap, Past President


Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net
Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html

During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social 
distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.

[mou-net] MOU $5,000 Savaloja Fund Challenge - Update

[Bob Dunlap]

Hello MOU members and MOU-net subscribers,

We’re just about two weeks into the $5,000 Savaloja Fund Challenge, with
seven more weeks to go until the Paper Session on December 4. Our current
donation total is $835, which is a good start, but we’ve got a long way to
go yet. You can donate online here:

https://givemn.org/story/Savaloja



In a recent MOU membership survey, just over 95% of respondents said they
knew about the Savaloja Fund. However, less than half of them had ever
donated or considered donating to the fund. Let’s change that statistic,
starting today.

Take it from living legend Bob Janssen, who has described our Savaloja
grants program as one of the most important things that the MOU does. Bob
would know, as he’s been birding in Minnesota since the 1940’s and has seen
changes in both Minnesota’s birds and birders. As an MOU member long before
the Savaloja Fund was established and a close friend of Terry Savaloja, Bob
was instrumental in the fund’s creation as he recognized the potential of
these grants to help us learn more about our birds and encourage more
people to pay attention to them in a rapidly changing world. As he
approaches 90 years of age, Bob remains steadfast in these assertions.

Please, consider donating to the Savaloja Fund via the link above. You can
also mail a check to our physical address (be sure to make it out to
Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union and include “Savaloja” in the memo line):

Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union

Carpenter Nature Center

12805 Saint Croix Trail South

Hastings, MN 55033



As always, many thanks for your continued support!

Bob Dunlap, Past President


Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net
Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html

During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social 
distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.