PNW bird populations are on the decline, report says

A new report shows bird populations are declining around the Pacific Northwest.

“What the State of the Birds report is showing is if the Earth is our coal mine, let's take a look at what the birds are doing so we can understand how we can make sure that our coal mine remains healthy," Klamath Bird Observatory's John Alexander told Jefferson Public Radio.

The report states that climate change, drought, and a century of forest mismanagement are to blame for the decline, especially in the western United States.

Alexander is trying to secure more federal funding to help improve forest health and bird populations.

While birds in more arid regions are on the decline, since 1970, there have been population gains in wetland habitats.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helped compile the State of the Birds report.

Read the full story from Jefferson Public Radio here.