Funding

Primary funding for the Connecticut Bird Atlas comes from "Pittman-Robertson" funds, provided to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Wildlife Division. These funds come from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, which uses an 11% excise tax on all ammunition, firearms, and hunting equipment sold in the US. These funds are pooled and re-allocated to each state. Hunters and shooting enthusiasts support important conservation work for all birds, not just those that are hunted.

Pittman-Robertson funds must be matched by non-Federal funding and the Connecticut Bird Atlas has received matching support from various sources, including major contributions from the Connecticut Audubon Society, Audubon Connecticut, Connecticut Ornithological Association and Great Hollow Nature Preserve & Ecological Research Center, and important donations from the Hartford Audubon Society, New Haven Bird Club, Menunkatuck Audubon Society, Potapaug Audubon, and Western Connecticut Bird Club.

The volunteer birders who will be out collecting the lion's share of the data for this project also will be contributing much more than their observations. All of the time and mileage they log while collecting this vital information serves to help match the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration monies and reduces the need to seek additional grant funding for data collection. Volunteer time and mileage will constitute a large share of the match for this project!

The University of Connecticut's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is also contributing to the project by providing faculty research time and infrastructure. The technicians that will be working on the project are also being funded through the University of Connecticut's Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.