After careful consideration, we will be closing all IBO banding activities to the public through at least June 30th, 2020.
This includes our popular Hummingbird Banding Days as well as our Boise River Research Station Songbird Banding at the Diane Moore Nature Center. We believe this is the safest course of action to take given the nature of our banding days, where many visitors gather closely together to observe the stars of the day: the birds!
We determined that there was not a way for us to safely invite the public during banding without putting yourselves, our scientists, or volunteers at risk. The best part about visiting our banding station is getting to see the birds up close, and with social-distancing guidelines in place we just can’t do that.
This is in line with guidelines in place by Boise State University (which has canceled all public gatherings until July 5th) as well as with the Governor’s “Idaho Rebounds” plan which requires that social distancing precautions stay in place throughout the summer.
At the end of June we plan to re-evaluate in light of current Governor’s orders as well as Boise State guidelines.
Please stay tuned for announcements from our team. We hope that we will be able to bring you opportunities to observe our research “virtually” through live videos and social media updates. If you don’t already, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more updates. And don’t forget to register for future IBO updates including COVID-19 related schedule changes using this newsletter signup form.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact our team. IBO@boisestate.edu
While we will be closed to visitors this summer, our funding needs have not changed: we hope to keep our biologists and outreach team employed during the pandemic, and we could use your support to make that happen. If you are in a position to give during these trying times, please visit our giving page.