Holy City Birding Conservation Youth Program

Did you know that one of the world’s longest-running shows is happening just outside your window—no streaming login required? Birdwatching is meditative, rewarding, and often entertaining. And in Charleston, South Carolina, passionate birder Charles Donnelly is bringing its delights to students. 

Through his Holy City Birding Conservation Youth Program, he’ll promote bird conservation and teach local youth how to find, identify, and experience local birds. He also provides each student with a junior birding kit, which includes a soda bottle bird feeder attachment (see photos for details!). Charles has already piloted the program with 157 first graders, and our grant will help him reach even more students. Plus, we know that kind of early exposure can have an impact. Christian Cooper, the Black man who was the target of false, racist accusations in New York’s Central Park in 2020 and host of the upcoming National Geographic show Extraordinary Birder, fell in love with birding at 10! 

We can’t wait to watch Charles’s work take flight!