Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under R.N.I 53640/91
Vol. XXVIII No. 1, April 16-30, 2018
Join the great sparrow count
The House Sparrow was very much a part of the ethos of Madras, that is now Chennai. Its disappearance is a cause for great concern. Saving the House Sparrow and its habitat is akin to saving the heritage of Chennai. This, in essence, is the focus of this Citizens’ Initiative Project – Sparrow Census with MNS – begun on March 25, 2018. The project aims at encouraging citizens to carry out the census in their neighborhood as often as possible till July 31, 2018, and report their Sparrow sightings to MNS through its website: www.blackbuck.oro.in Using the data, a digital Sparrow Atlas will be created for Greater Chennai by end-August, 2018.
Starting end-April, the sites of such reported sightings will be visited by MNS members and volunteers in order to understand the environmental factors supporting the presence of the House Sparrow. Thereafter, the local citizens will be sensitised to the necessity to conserve the existing habitat to ensure the continued presence of the House Sparrow and, where needed, to assist in creating a conducive habitat.
Members of MNS, student volunteers from colleges and a large number of citizens who are at present doing their best to save the Sparrow will be actively involved in this Initiative.
The Project was publicly launched on March 25, 2018, at Elliot’s Beach, with several members directly engaging with citizens, making them mark the spots of Sparrow sightings on a Map of Greater Chennai, and organising a Drawing Competition for Children up to the age of 12 on the theme “Save the Sparrow” in collaboration with Janani Foundation, an advocacy organisation working to save the House Sparrow. We had 354 Children participating – they came at 6 am, registered, sat on the tar road on mats and drew. We had scores of citizens volunteering information on Sparrow sightings in their neighborhood, several others appreciating the initiative and offering to help out and several bemoaning the fact that there are no more sparrows around. – (Courtesy: MNS Bulletin.)
