During the recent Fourth International Partners in Flight Conference hosted in McAllen, Texas, Flying WILD was recognized for "Outstanding Contributions to Bird Conservation" in the category of Public Awareness. Over 750 biologists, educators, government agency reps, international partners and many other professionals attended the meeting... which this year had a special focus on education, thanks to the hard work of Terry Rich, USFWS, Partners in Flight National Coordinator.  

Partners in Flight works to help species at risk, to keep common birds common, and to advance voluntary partnerships for birds, habitats and people. We are honored to receive this award from the bird conservation community of Partners in Flight.  

We wanted to thank the Project WILD network for the tremendous boost its members have given Flying WILD since its inception. The many workshops they have hosted in their states enabled approximately 250,000 children to participate in the program while building important visibility that has enabled Flying WILD to grow.  

The first edition of the Flying WILD Guide was printed in 2004 following a three year development process generously sponsored by ConocoPhillips and NFWF. Flying WILD educator workshops are now offered in over 23 states by Project WILD Coordinators and in 20 cities by Flying WILD City Partners. This network has proven to be a powerful team to get bird education into schools and non-formal settings.  

The Partners in Flight award is truly a shared award with the many individuals in Project WILD and the Flying WILD City Partner network who have worked hard to get the program up and running. Congratulations to all!