A revered Brighton-based wildlife conservation group more accustomed to thinking about diversity of species is suddenly in the crosshairs of the federal campaign against using resources for diversity in human interactions.
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, expert in bird banding, species and habitat research, and connecting people to open space, is appealing to donors for help after $1.37 million in federal agreements were “abruptly canceled.”
“Blindsided,” the Bird Conservancy said. The conservancy leaders only learned about the cut through an article in the conservative Daily Caller.
That media outlet said the Interior Department had canceled the grant over language in Bird Conservancy’s strategic plan on “recruiting, hiring, training and investing in staff and the organization to increase engagement, diversity, accessibility and inclusivity across the communities we live and work.”
None of their federal money was used to promote the kinds of DEI programs the Trump administration officially loathes, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies said.
The canceled grants account for about 10% of the group’s annual budget, meant to support cooperative research agreements with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. But the risk is even higher, the donor appeal says, because Bird Conservancy “leverages” the grants with state and private matches.
“This looks like the logical result when they blindly cancel vital and worthwhile scientific work without warning or explanation,” one Bird Conservancy of the Rockies volunteer said.
One of the higher-profile efforts of the conservancy is a bird-banding station in spring and fall at Barr Lake State Park, a popular birding, walking and biking sanctuary southeast of Brighton.
Bird-banding, including both tagging new birds and recording the info from previously tagged birds, is a primary tool in helping biologists understand migration patterns, social behavior, lifespan and more. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Laboratory brags that its volunteer bird banders, for example, helped them learn that hummingbirds considered flighty and ethereal can actually live up to 12 years.
The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies appears to be choosing a nonconfrontational path for now, as have many nonprofits or universities still hopeful funding could be restored without a complete overthrow of their missions.
“Unfortunately, we are not in a position to discuss the changes to our federal funding at this time. We are working to position our organization in the best possible way moving forward. We hope you’ll understand,” one Bird Conservancy spokesperson said.
The group promised donors it would “push back against this decision.”
The federal agencies previously involved with the Bird Conservancy grants are part of the shutdown precipitated by the Congressional budget standoff, and did not respond to inquiries about the group or the canceled grants.