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So what do you do when you have an obsession with birds – in particular their conservation – and nothing you seem to do seems like it is enough? Well naturally you decide to row an ocean right? Seems like a logical link – especially when you have never rowed a boat before in your life. Just got to learn how to row, learn about boats, how to navigate using electronics and the stars, take sea survival classes, train…and the list goes on. Is it possible though? Absolutely.
The Great Pacific Race starts June 7, 2014 and Mary Rose will be rowing to raise funds for avian conservation projects. The race is not just a fundraiser however. Raising awareness about the issues faced by all manner of birds is also a very important aspect of the race. Education is key and part of the plan is to educate while she is actually out there rowing in the race. With the opportunity to produce video while on the boat and the ability to get small pieces of video back from the middle of the Pacific this will truly be an educational event. Let's face it all Mary has to do out there is eat, row and sleep so there will be plenty of time to be talking about birds and she hopes you will log in to see the updates and offer words of encouragement.
Perhaps some statistics are in order here to illustrate why Mary believes that we have to act immediately. BirdLife International is the official authority for birds for the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, and in their latest assessment (2012) there were a total of 1313 bird species considered threatened with extinction. This means that all 1313 species fall into the class of Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable. It does not end there though. There are an additional 880 species which are considered Near Threatened and another 4 which are extinct in the wild. A grand total of 2197 Red List birds! This staggering number represents 22% of the world's extant bird species.
For information about Project FlightPlan and to follow the process through blog and video updates please visit MaryRows.com It is Mary's aim for everyone to be able to live the experience with her. Mary is the manual labor for this project but it is you who will make this project a success and truly do something meaningful for the birds. Mary cannot do this alone so she hopes that you will follow along on the journey.
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