Pennsylvania Game News - July 2024 - 24

An atlas journey
It's possible, even today when the phone
in your hand maps out almost the en� re
world, to travel roads with unknown endings.
Stefan
Karkuff , the Game Commission's
Avian Recovery Biologist, certainly didn't
know where par� cipa� ng in Pennsylvania's
second breeding bird atlas would lead
him. He was 15 then, entering high school
and collec� ng data predominantly around
his Cumberland County home, o� en on his
own.
" My fi rst 'checklists' were scribbled on
a notepad as a middle-schooler, " Karkuff
said. " In 2004, I started wri� ng narra� ve reports
of my bird ou� ngs in a Microso� Word
document. A� er 10 years, I transi� oned all
of these reports to eBird, which greatly simplifi
ed the bird-repor� ng process, and gives
birders a sense of worth, with all submi� ed
checklists adding to our understanding of
bird distribu� on. "
That would have been special, even if
that was as far as his involvement with birds
went, he said.
" Knowing that my data was part of a
larger collec� ve that contributed to our understanding
of bird distribu� on in the state
is rewarding, " Karkuff said. " My data helped
drive conserva� on ini� a� ves as well. "
Of course, that's not where things ended.
Karkuff now works with birds and conserva�
on in ways he didn't know then were
possible.
" I feel very lucky to have a career that
focuses on bird conserva� on in my home
state, " Karkuff said. " Since high school, I
knew I was interested in the environmental
fi eld, but honestly thought bird conserva�
on jobs were reserved for short-term technicians
or high-level organiza� on directors. I
found a happy medium with my posi� on as
avian recovery biologist. I s� ll get my boots
dirty in the fi eld while also overseeing largescale
statewide ini� a� ves for bird conserva�
on.
" And even though I spend my work
hours thinking about birds, I haven't lost my
passion for birding and bird conserva� on in
my free � me. "
AT RIGHT, AVIAN RECOVERY BIOLOGIST STEFAN KARKUFF
portal in eBird (https://ebird.org/atlaspa); providing
additional documentation for rare or priority species;
and monitoring block progress.
Signing up as principal atlaser doesn't mean others
can't atlas and report birds in that block, though. Nor
is it required to sign up for a block to participate in the
atlas.
If anything, the atlas requires an " all-hands-ondeck "
approach, said Stefan Karkuff , the Game Commission's
Avian Recovery Biologist.
" The results of this atlas are only useful if the data
is robust, meaning the more checklists the better, " he
said. " This means we need contributors from all corners
of the state, especially people who live in a remote
part of the state where there are fewer birders. Their
data is valuable because it helps fi ll in holes on the map
where birds would otherwise go unreported. "
The northern tier is one such place, Murphy said.
24
https://www.ebird.org/atlaspa
Pennsylvania Game News - July 2024

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