Since the 2004 sighting that spurred the search for the believed-extinct ivory-billed woodpecker, birding has gotten more play in the headlines than ever before. Birders, like all nature enthusiasts, play an important role in conservation by supporting eco-tourism and raising awareness of issues. More data on the subject than you can imagine is sliced and diced in this report from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. As the report states, “Although there is a certain irony in people becoming enthusiastic about birds as they disappear, it also presents an opportunity: birders may be the economic and political force that can help save the birds.”