The Spark Bird Project logo created by Canisius University Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation student Genevieve Fontana.
Author: Jenn Lodi-Smith Hebrank, PhD, Earth Spirit Board Member
The Spark Bird Project leverages the tools of social science to study spark bird stories, with research findings going directly back to community partners to inform their efforts towards engaging people in birding. Knowledge gained from the over 400 birders around the world is already helping to craft inclusive experiences that can facilitate spark bird moments for the benefit of the birding community, the new birder, the economy, and – most importantly – the birds and our world! By understanding what hooks and sustains birders, The Spark Bird Project helps grow the constituency of individuals creatively working to conserve and protect our planet. The Spark Bird Project also helps birders better understand each other by sharing spark bird stories in workshops, online, and through The Spark Bird Podcast.
Did you know? The Spark Bird Project was founded and is directed by long-time Earth Spirit member Jenn Lodi-Smith Hebrank! Jenn is scholar-in-residence with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute and a professor at Canisius University where she co-leads trips to the Everglades with Earth Spirit’s Jon Roth. She is also a parent of two Park school students which is how the whole family learned about Earth Spirit a dozen years ago. Earth Spirit has played a crucial role in the Hebrank family’s journey with nature in general and birds in particular. When Jenn shares her own spark bird journey in workshops she leads around the country and soon internationally, she speaks of how Earth Spirit holds an important part in not just sparking but regularly fueling the whole family’s appreciation for their place in our ecosystem!
We hope you will spend some time with The Spark Bird Project at www.spark-bird.org. The most important thing you can do to support the project is to share your story of how you got hooked on birds and encourage others to share their stories! You can also read the stories of hundreds of spark birders, learn about the preliminary findings from the project, link to the podcast, follow the project on social media, and enjoy news coverage including the recent articles in Audubon and BWD Magazines on the website. We can’t wait to see what happens next for The Spark Bird Project as it continues its international growth and aims to reach 1000 stories by the end of 2026!
Jenn Lodi-Smith Hebrank, The Spark Bird Project Director, pictured above at Everglades National Park in southern Florida