A self-described “bird nerd” is the new executive director of Audubon North Carolina. Curtis Smalling brings a long record of advocacy and conservation work to the job.
Smalling honed his birding skills during his years as an Appalachian State University student and High Country resident. His work with Audubon includes helping create the Bird Friendly Communities initiative and developing the organization's first urban forestry program.
Smalling says North Carolina’s diverse ecology supports about 500 species of birds from the coast to the mountains. But the threats to those birds are significant.
“Some of the strongest declines in forest birds and grassland birds are happening in the Piedmont because of development pressure and transportation infrastructure expansions and all those kinds of things,” he says.
Another problem is birds flying into buildings at night, which can kill hundreds to thousands at a time, Smalling says.
Audubon works with Winston-Salem, Greensboro and other cities on the Lights Out program to address the problem by urging building owners to turn off their lights at night to protect migrating birds.
“You can reduce collisions by up to 80 percent just with turning the lights off without taking any other measures," he says. "And so it's really cost-effective because you actually save money on your electrical bill as well. And save birds from hitting the glass.”
Audubon estimates that there are 3 billion fewer birds in North America now than there were in 1970 as a result of habitat loss and climate change.