Bedford Audubon Society

Bedford Audubon at John Jay High School Sustainability Fair
May 2009

Atom, a three-year old male American Kestrel, made quite a hit at Bedford Audubon's display at the Katonah-Lewisboro School District's second annual Sustainability and Wellness Fair held on May 30 at John Jay High School.

Hundreds of kids and adults stopped by to ask about Atom, which gave BAS Executive Director Jim Nordgren the opportunity to talk about the alarming 25% decline of American Kestrels in New York State in the last 40 years. This decline was caused in part because of the loss of farmlands and the use of pesticides. Kestrels require fields of 10 acres or more and feed mainly on insects—especially grasshoppers so they are especially affected by pesticide use.

The fair was held on the opening day of the Katonah-Lewisboro Farmer's Market, also held at John Jay High School, and Jim pointed out that by eating locally-grown foods we could help keep area farmers in business and preserve critical kestrel habitat, and by eliminating pesticide use, we all can have a hand in helping the American Kestrel recover.

Jim pointed out that BAS is involved in many local environmental projects including its role in the Kestrel Recovery Project, having reached an agreement with the utility NYSEG to put kestrel nesting boxes on utility poles next to fields in North Salem.

Other projects include the BAS demontration Native Plant Garden and the Bird Friendly Vegetable Garden at Bylane Farm, BAS's headquarters in Katonah, New York.

See Other BAS Pictorial Highlights

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