Did you know that…
…protected areas around lakes, streams, and rivers are good for the economy and provide crucial bird habitat. In 2016, the Kittatinny Coalition in Pennsylvania completed a Return on Environment Study for Dauphin County, the source of water for the state capital, Harrisburg. The study showed the annual benefits for stormwater mitigation ($11.4M saved), nutrient uptake ($2.0M), groundwater recharge ($4.0M), pollination ($2.4M), erosion prevention ($0.2M), and carbon sequestration ($0.5M). (SOURCE: Dierolf, T., J. Ortiz, T. Poole T., and J. Rogers. 2016. Capital region water, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Capital Region Water, Harrisburg, PA. www.kittatinnyridge.org)
…birds can plan a key role in reducing damage to trees and crops, and in some cases, birds can provide as much crop protection as pesticides, without the negative side effects. (SOURCE: Sekercioglu, C.H., D.G. Wenny, and C.J. Whelan. 2017. Why Birds Matter. Univ. of Chicago. Pp. 53-55.
http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo23996771.html)
…birds can provide valuable seed dispersal services. Researchers in Sweden estimated that Eurasian jays provided between $4,900 and $22,500 of seed dispersal services per pair of birds. (SOURCE: Hougner, C., J. Colding, and T. Söderqvist. 2006. Economic valuation of a seed dispersal service in the Stockholm National Urban Park, Sweden. Ecological Economics 59:364-74. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800905005124)