Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society's MBTA Support Sign On

This year, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), our most important bird protection law for more than 1,000 species -- nearly every native bird in the country -- is under attack. Legislation in Congress (HR 4239), and a new interpretation of the law by the administration, would end the ability to hold industries accountable for bird deaths.

These proposals would prevent enforcement of “incidental” bird deaths, removing incentives for companies to adopt practices that protect birds from threats such as oil waste pits, and eliminating penalties for companies that kill substantial numbers of birds, including from large oil spills.

Add your signature to Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society's MBTA Support Sign On to urge members of Congress and the Department of the Interior to uphold the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 

The National Audubon Society and chapters across the country were instrumental in passing this foundational bird protection law, which helped save innumerable species from extinction at a time when bird populations were plummeting. Yet as we celebrate this success, our most important bird conservation law is facing its most serious threat in a century of existence.

In December, the Trump administration released an official interpretation of the MBTA, reversing decades of policy, stating that the law only applies to intentional activities such as hunting and poaching, meaning that all industrial activities will be exempt from the law, including oil waste pits, oil spills, power lines, tailings ponds, and more.

Please sign Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society's MBTA Support Sign On on behalf of your chapter and by supporting the Migratory Bird Treaty Act directly with your elected officials and in the media. We are asking fellow Audubon chapters to demonstrate a groundswell of support across the region and nationally to make clear the importance of this issue.

Next Steps:

1. Add your signature to Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society's MBTA Support Sign On.
2. Signatures will be sent to David Ringer, Engagement Manager, Audubon Great Lakes, in a collective show of support for National Audubon's ongoing MBTA advocacy efforts.
3. For more information on the importance of the MBTA and potential impacts to birds if it is rolled back, please read this Audubon MBTA Fact Sheet.

Photo: "Third eaglet hatched at the newly rebuilt nest by the Rocky River in Cleveland, Ohio." - 2018 Rocky River Bald Eagles and Eaglets by Tom Fishburn.