In the Project Upland Podcast episode “The Birds Aren’t Alright,” hosts Gabby Zaldumbide and A.J. DeRosa speak with Dr. Michael Brasher, senior waterfowl scientist at Ducks Unlimited and co-chair of the State of the Birds Report Science Committee, to uncover what the latest data reveal about bird population trends—and what is at stake if federal funding for avian research disappears.

Bird species have been monitored for more than a century, but if federal funding for avian research is lost, what else will vanish with it? The conversation traces the roots of modern bird monitoring back to the first Christmas Bird Count in 1900 and explains how decades of citizen science, state surveys, and federal efforts now feed into one of the most important bird conservation reports of our time. Dr. Brasher shares how long-term data collection reveals population changes in ducks, seabirds, upland game birds, and more, underscoring that the greatest driver of decline is widespread habitat loss.

The discussion highlights the concept of “tipping point species”—birds that have lost more than 50 percent of their population over the last 50 years, including iconic game birds such as the greater sage-grouse and the lesser prairie-chicken. The hosts emphasize both the hope and urgency contained in the report: citizen science tools like eBird empower everyday birders to contribute critical data, while conservation policies such as the Duck Stamp Program have proven their value in reversing declines. Yet the episode also warns of looming threats, including deep funding cuts to federal conservation programs and the risk of losing the scientific foundation for hunting regulations. Ultimately, the conversation serves as a call to action for hunters, birders, and citizens alike to participate in monitoring, advocacy, and habitat conservation to ensure the future of North America’s birds.

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In this episode, AJ and Gabby take a break from their regular programming to discuss the sale of public lands as part of the federal budget reconciliation bill.

On June 11, 2025, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing to Examine the President’s Budget Request for the Department of the Interior for Fiscal Year 2026 took place. In it, senators discuss “The “Mandatory Disposal of Bureau of Land Management Land And National Forest System Land for Housing,” which would require the sale of 2-3 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land within a five year period.

BLM and USFS land is public land—YOUR land. Why are senators trying to include the sale of our land as part of the budget reconciliation bill? Some theorize that it’s part of a systematic, long-term approach to shift public lands towards private control. The current reconciliation effort isn’t an isolated policy—it’s the culmination of decades of ideological moves.

If you care about the American public retaining access to the land we collectively own, now is the time to speak up. Contact your senators via social media, phone, email, or snail mail and tell them what you think. Three million acres of your lands are on the line.

Listen to past episodes here: Project Upland Podcast

If you want to support independent journalism, check out the Project Upland Podcast Patreon.

Links

• Watch the Senate hearing here.
• Read “More Details Emerge Around the Public Land Sale Bill — and It’s Worse Than You Think” by Andrew McKean here.
• This ArcGIS map visualizes the 250+ million acres of public lands eligible for sale in the Senate budget reconciliation package.

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How an 1885 dissection unraveled a hidden story about invasive worms and the migration routes of the American woodcock in North America.

In 1887, Frederick Webster, a taxidermist from Washington, D.C., wrote a short article in a scientific journal. In it, he described dissecting a woodcock from Martha’s Vineyard that had a crop filled entirely with ferns. Why did this woodcock stray from its usual diet of invertebrates? A.J. and Gabby, hosts of the Project Upland Podcast, search for the answer—only to uncover the surprising story of invasive worms in North America.

Together with woodcock researcher Dr. Amber Roth and soil ecologist Dr. Peter Groffman, we learn how eco-engineering has destroyed native landscapes, contributed to the spread of ticks and invasive plants, and more. From woodcock migration during the Ice Age to the tobacco trade, this investigation is full of twists and turns.

Listen to past episodes here: Project Upland Podcast

If you want to support independent journalism, check out the Project Upland Podcast Patreon.

Support the show