In the present day is Nationwide Hen Day, which is coinciding with the shut of the annual Christmas Bird Count. It’s a second to rejoice the fantastic thing about birds that grace our skies and landscapes, and to highlight what’s wanted to halt the decades-long decline of their populations, as documented by scientists.
The day additionally reminds us why birds matter. Defending them helps safeguard the pure and sustainable techniques all of us rely on – clear water, wholesome forests, productive farmland, and resilient coastlines – in addition to the billion-dollar birdwatching trade that helps native economies throughout the hemisphere.
Birds encourage pleasure and marvel, and their cultural and ecological significance can open doorways for dialogue, collaboration and innovation. Nationwide Hen Day arriving firstly of a brand new 12 months feels particularly becoming, a time for reflection and resolve. As we replicate on progress made in 2025 and look forward to 2026, Audubon is grounded in hope. As Lauren Jackson writes, “Whereas optimism is the assumption that the long run will probably be higher, hope is the assumption that we’ve the facility to make it so.”
A Flight Path of Conservation Progress
Birds don’t acknowledge political borders. They migrate alongside rivers, forests, deserts, and coastlines that span states, nations, and full hemispheres. Their survival is dependent upon a related community of wholesome habitats, a steady local weather, and protected locations to relaxation and feed alongside the best way.
Conservation works a lot the identical approach. Progress occurs when sturdy science, sound coverage, and community-led motion align throughout native, state, federal, and worldwide ranges. In 2025, a 12 months marked by political transition and shifting environmental coverage, we noticed significant conservation good points throughout that community. And in 2026, there is a chance to construct on that momentum.
Listed here are 4 key “stopovers” alongside that flight path.
Stopover 1: Defending Habitats and Communities
In 2025, vital steps have been taken to guard ecosystems whose advantages lengthen far past any single place. The designation of Chuckwalla National Monument safeguarded sacred lands and huge desert habitat vital for birds burdened by rising temperatures. Efforts to sell off public lands have been halted, making certain thousands and thousands of acres stay accessible for wildlife, recreation, and conventional makes use of.
On the state degree, community-driven efforts protected coastal habitat in Florida, whereas bipartisan leadership in Minnesota secured funding for wetlands, marsh fowl surveys, and habitat restoration.
Internationally, new protected areas superior in Canada by means of partnerships with Indigenous nations. Recognition of Audubon’s work by the Chilean government can be opening doorways to new funding and larger flexibility to preserve migratory fowl habitats throughout the southern tip of the western hemisphere.
Looking forward to 2026:
Passing the Local Communities and Bird Habitat Stewardship Act, which is already launched within the Home, will assist scale domestically led conservation initiatives nationwide, supporting communities which are prepared to guard the locations birds want.
Stopover 2: Strengthening Working Lands
Working lands play a vital function in fowl conservation. In 2025, Congress increased funding for programs that support sustainable agricultural practices, serving to farmers and ranchers enhance soil well being, shield water high quality, and preserve habitat for grassland birds.
Looking forward to 2026:
Reauthorizing the Farm Invoice is the 12 months’s greatest alternative to safe long-term investments that preserve farms and forests productive whereas increasing habitat for birds. This contains scaling North Dakota’s Conservation Forage Program to offer landowners alternatives to transform marginal cropland to productive pasture, which can concurrently enhance soil well being and water high quality.
Stopover 3: Retaining Rivers, Wetlands, and Estuaries Thriving
Wholesome water techniques are important for birds and folks alike. In 2025, the Everglades secured $425 million in federal funding, together with a dedication to finish a key reservoir by 2029, restoring water circulate throughout south Florida.
Within the Ohio River Basin, bipartisan lawmakers launched new laws to help habitat restoration, farm conservation, invasive species management, and air pollution prevention.
Looking forward to 2026:
Congress can construct on this progress by passing the Water Sources Improvement Act, advancing river and wetland restoration initiatives nationwide. Needed updates to the Colorado River Basin water plans additionally provide a uncommon alternative for long-term collaboration in a area going through historic drought. Renewed consideration to watershed-based packages, from the Great Lakes and the Delaware and Ohio river basins to the Upper Mississippi, can strengthen the ecological corridors birds rely on.
Stopover 4: Investing within the Future Birds Want
2025 additionally noticed progress by means of strategic funding and management. Congress permitted new revenue-sharing provisions tied to renewable vitality growth, supporting states and localities the place this growth is underway. Federal initiatives to strengthen forest resilience moved ahead, lowering wildfire threat and supporting wholesome ecosystems.
On the state degree, New York’s Horseshoe Crab Protection Act supplied renewed hope for Crimson Knots and different migratory birds. Globally, rising recognition of nature’s role in climate resilience helped unlock billions of dollars to guard tropical and subtropical forests.
Looking forward to 2026:
Secure funding for fowl monitoring packages like the Bird Banding Lab and Breeding Bird Survey is crucial. Elevated funding in WaterSMART may help communities adapt to drought. And as countries update climate commitments, stronger targets will probably be vital to defending habitats worldwide.
The Journey Continues
From deserts and wetlands to coastlines and forests, 2025 confirmed that conservation progress is strongest when communities, scientists, policymakers, and Tribal and Indigenous leaders work collectively.
As we transfer into 2026, sustained management and public engagement will probably be important. The ability of birds lies not solely of their magnificence, however of their capacity to encourage connection, shared function, and hope. On this new 12 months, that hope strikes us to motion, reminding us we’ve the facility to form a future the place birds, folks, and nature can all flourish.
