Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts has designated 2018 as the Year of the Bird. This is recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
| "WHEREAS, | Birds are present in every environment - urban or rural, wetland or prairie and are an ever-present reminder that nature is all around us; and |
| WHEREAS, | Each spring, Nebraska is home to one of North America's largest migrations when we host 500,000 Sandhill Cranes, and millions of waterfowl along the Platte River; and |
| WHEREAS, | The spring crane migration brings more than $14 million into Nebraska's economy, providing that where birds thrive - people prosper, and National Audubon [Society] and Bird Life International have recognized the Platte River in Central Nebraska as a Globally Important Bird Area; and |
| WHEREAS, | From the Sandhills and Pine Bluff regions to the Niobrara River Valley to the eastern deciduous forests on the bluffs of the Missouri River to the sandsage prairie in the southwest corner of the state and everywhere in between, Nebraska's rich natural resources support more than 400 bird species; and | WHEREAS, | Nebraska plays a critical role on an international scale for migratory birds that have no boundaries or borders; and |
| WHEREAS, | 2018 is the centennial year of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which protects birds in our backyards, like the Northern Cardinal and the Blue Jay; and |
| WHEREAS, | Bald Eagles, Snowy Egrets, and Wood Ducks nest and/or migrate through Nebraska. |
| NOW, THEREFORE, | I, Pete Ricketts, Governor of the State of Nebraska, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM the year 2018 as |
YEAR OF THE BIRD in Nebraska, and I do hereby urge all citizens to take due note of the observance." |
