| Join the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library and the Cavendish Community Conservation Association to Protect Local and Migratory Birds in our Community at the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library on Friday, March 13, 2026 for Wild Hope & Puffling Patrol: Two Short Films About Supporting Birds March 3, 2026 (Proctorsville, VT) — The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library (CFCL) and the Cavendish Community Conservation Association (CCCA) will host Wild Hope & Puffling Patrol: Two Short Films About Supporting Birds, an all-ages, free film screening event, on Friday, March 13, 2026 at 6:00 PM at the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library, 573 Main Street, Proctorsville, VT. Birds are amazing creatures! They play vital ecological roles in our world; they're seed dispersers, flower pollinators, pest predators, and so much more. But many of them need our help; habitat loss and urban expansion have put significant strains on wild populations and have contributed to the death of more than one billion birds from window collisions each year in the U.S., alone. Luckily, these collisions are incredibly preventable! At Wild Hope & Puffling Patrol, attendees will get to know their local and migratory birds and learn about simple, easy solutions to protect the birds in our community. Millions of birds pass through our yards during their bi-annual migrations, but they face an invisible killer along the way: glass windows. In the U.S. alone, an estimated one billion birds die each year when they collide with windows. Now, two organizations help pave the way to a bird-friendly future. The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C. is located in the middle of a major migration route that birds have flown for thousands of years. To stop collisions from happening on their campus, the Zoo's team uses patterned decals to make glass visible to our feathered friends. In New York City, migrating birds face a gauntlet of concentrated glass- and many do not survive. The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center was once one of the city's worst offenders, but creative renovations have transformed the building into a wildlife oasis. The Zoo and Javits Center have inspired groundbreaking legislation that reimagines what our cities can do for birds, but a critical obstacle remains: our residences account for nearly 50% of bird strikes. However, simple solutions–like window paint, decals, or even a bar of soap with patterns spaced 2 inches apart–could save the lives of millions of birds. Light pollution confuses and disorients seabirds around the globe, luring them towards land – and potentially dangerous situations. In the Westman Islands off the southwest coast of Iceland, however, one community has banded together to save lost young puffins. In Wild Hope: Puffling Patrol, we will learn more about this community and the steps they have taken. Program attendees will receive "feather friendly" tape or window paint marker and have an opportunity to enter a raffle for a Flight Path book bag and water bottle. We are pleased to offer this event as part of the nationwide Flight Path, which brings science-backed solutions to communities to build a safer world for birds. Flight Path is the first campaign under Spark of Science @ My Library, a joint initiative between HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and the Star Library Education Network. Spark of Science @ My Library delivers high-quality, fun, and engaging resources through targeted outreach campaigns to public libraries. Campaign themes will showcase the process of science, and focus on life science topics, including health, biology, and ecology. Themed resources will be available to libraries for free and give them the flexibility to customize programs and activities for their communities and patrons. CFCL and CCCA will continue to support our local and migratory birds and other animals between now and the coming summer with fun activities for the whole family, including: other HHMI Tangled Bank Studios films, an outdoor bioblitz, and bird watching events. To find out more about the additional upcoming bird-focused events, please visit www.cavendishlibrary.org or call the library at 802-226-7503. About HHMI Tangled Bank Studios HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven production company that seeks to shine a light on some of the most significant scientific challenges and breakthroughs of our time. Recent films include Blue Carbon, Every Little Thing, Wild Hope, Hunt for the Oldest DNA, Wilding, Blue Whales: Return of the Giants, and Oscar-nominated All That Breathes, the only film to win best documentary at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Other notable films include Emmy Award-winners The Serengeti Rules and The Farthest – Voyager In Space; Emmy-nominated Hunt for the Oldest DNA, My Garden of a Thousand Bees, Battle to Beat Malaria, and Nature's Fear Factor; and Peabody Award winner Inventing Tomorrow. To extend the reach and impact of each film, the studio undertakes educational and public outreach efforts in partnership with purpose-focused organizations. For more information, please visit WWW.TANGLEDBANKSTUDIOS.ORG. ABOUT STAR LIBRARY NETWORK The STAR Library Education Network (STAR Net) is a hands-on learning network for libraries and their communities across the country. STAR Net focuses on helping library professionals build their STEM skills by providing "science-technology activities and resources" (STAR) and training to use those resources. STAR Net is built upon a strong network of collaborators and partners, led by the Space Science Institute's (SSI) Education and Learning Research Group. Over the past 15 years, it has been a leader in supporting libraries in developing effective STEAM programs, through both NSF, NASA and foundation funded projects such as NASA@ My Library, STEAM Equity, and SEAL (Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries). |
