Jamestown, NY – You are invited to go birding -- or make a pledge to someone who does -- to support the Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) and a local student.

On Saturday, May 6, you can join the Audubon Education Staff and their friends to see as many birds as you can on the Fledgling Birdathon, a one-day-only birdathon that raises money for the Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship.

At 6 a.m., the group will start on the Nature Center grounds and other locations to find as many species of birds as possible. Participants are encouraged to stay at least till noon, but for the ACNC naturalists it will be an (almost) all-day event.

The Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship is awarded every year to a local student heading off to college with an interest in pursuing the natural sciences. Generous supporters pledge an amount, either per species or in total, and the end result is a $500 scholarship. You can bird with the team or show your support by pledging.

Jamestown, NY – Entries have begun to arrive for Audubon Community Nature Center’s 2017 Nature Photography Contest.

Now in its seventh year, the competition is designed to encourage anyone who enjoys doing photography – from beginners to professionals – to enter their images for consideration.

“The Photo Contest helps us fulfill our mission of connecting people with nature in two ways,” said Audubon Photo Contest Coordinator Ruby Miller. “The photographer experiences nature while shooting pictures and the viewer becomes inspired to connect with nature when looking at the often stunning results.”

Prizes are awarded in four categories and two divisions. The Youth Division is for ages 8-18 or still in high school; Adult is 18 and over or post-high school.