RMBO takes a unique and full-circle approach to bird conservation by combining science, education and stewardship. We work in landscapes that are biologically important for birds in the American West, from the Rocky Mountains of Montana to the tropical forests of Mexico, the most important country for our wintering grassland and montane birds.

RMBO is making a difference for birds by changing attitudes, building partnerships and increasing knowledge about conservation. Our education programs provide eye-opening experiences in the outdoors for our youth to instill an appreciation for nature. Our stewardship efforts engage citizens in protecting and enhancing habitat on private lands. And our cutting-edge science drives conservation planning and action throughout the West.

Become a Friend of RMBO today!

RMBO’s new Friends Program recognizes generous donors who provide critical seed money to develop new projects that strengthen and broaden RMBO’s capacity to conserve our native birds. Currently, RMBO’s funding comes primarily from grants and contracts, limiting our flexibility to develop and implement new programs and projects that are key to our mission. Private contributions are critical because they allow RMBO to set its own course, maximize the value of ongoing efforts and tackle the most pressing needs for bird conservation. Private contributions also have immense value to RMBO as they help leverage public and private grants.

Join us today in our fight to conserve birds and their habitats. By becoming a Friend of RMBO, you become part of RMBO’s efforts to leave a legacy of conservation for our children and grandchildren.

Levels for the Friends of RMBO are:

Guardian	$500-$999
Steward	$1,000-$4,999
Benefactor	$5,000-$9,999
Investor	$10,000+

(Membership at each level is based on cumulative gifts made during a calendar year.)

All Friends automatically become members of RMBO, and receive discounts on merchandise and select member events. To show our appreciation for our Friends’ extraordinary commitment to RMBO’s mission, our program also offers exclusive, tailor-made opportunities for Friends to spend time with our biologists, educators, executive director and board members in the field. RMBO board and staff members are experts in bird identification, biology, ecology, land management, education and engagement. The different Friends levels offer unique, one-on-one time with RMBO’s most amazing asset – its people.

At the Guardian level, you receive monthly updates on upcoming events and our annual report, plus a set of our one-of-a-kind notecards with photos taken by our staff biologists.

At the Steward and higher levels, you can join one of our biologists or board members in the field for experiences ranging from bird walks to banding trips to multiple-day excursions seeking out unique habitats and birds of the western United States and Mexico. It is a rare opportunity to see our mission – conserving birds and their habitats – in action. Contact Abby Churchill at 303-659-4348 ext 11 or abby.churchill@rmbo.org to become a friend and set up your exclusive day in the field.

RMBO activities that Friends can help support:

Science

• Implementing a new sampling design across Bird Conservation Regions (multi-states) in cooperation with state and federal partners to document how bird populations are responding to habitat change.
• Placing radio transmitters on Mountain Plover to evaluate brood survival in Nebraska. This is a first step toward evaluating the effectiveness of nest-marking on private agricultural land.
• Using radio telemetry to inventory and monitor wintering grassland bird survival in Mexico, providing a basis for conservation planning.

Education

• Creating an environmental learning center at the Old Stone House to expand our hands-on learning programs for children and adults, which annually reach nearly 10,000 youth.
• Launching a 6-week training program for RMBO Naturalists to increase our capacity to offer programs that engage audiences using birds as a hook and link to the outdoors.
• Training Mexican biologists in bird identification, scientific study design and population monitoring; hosting workshops on grassland bird conservation; and developing a best-management-practices manual in Spanish to encourage and guide conservation in Mexico.

Stewardship

• Conducting outreach and habitat projects for at-risk species in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming (including the Lesser Prairie-Chicken in Colorado) to engage landowners in these species’ survival.
• Establishing relationships with more than 650 landowners in the Great Plains and working on more than 100 ranches and farms to enhance more than 100,000 acres of habitat for at-risk species.
• Publishing the “Pocket Guide to Prairie Birds” to raise awareness among private landowners about priority birds; more than 50,000 have been distributed. The “Pocket Guide to Sagebrush Birds” will be out soon.