OAK HARBOR — If it’s for a good cause, a good gimmick often works. Take the principal who sits in the dunk tank to raise money for the school library, or the coach who offers to shave his head if his team pulls together and wins a championship.
That same good gimmick-good cause approach has worked for the past 22 years for avian expert Tom Bartlett. The retired educator from Tiffin climbs an A-frame ladder or an elevated metal platform at 5 a.m. on International Migratory Bird Day, reaches the top, and except for a quick break, he stays there for the next 12 hours.
It’s called “The Big Sit,” and Bartlett’s fund-raiser is part of the Biggest Week in American Birding festival. The money he raises from pledges and donations fuels the education programs put on by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, the driving force behind the Biggest Week.
Check out all of The Blade's coverage of The Biggest Week in American Birding
To date, Bartlett’s “Big Sit” has produced more than $100,000 in educational funding, but there is much more than money involved in the message, according to Black Swamp executive director Kim Kaufman.
“Tom’s commitment to supporting BSBO’s education programs has done more than just raise critical funds that help us change the way young people view birds and natural resources,” Kaufman said. “Tom’s belief in our work and his willingness to conduct the Big Sit for all of these years has been an enormous source of inspiration and motivation for the BSBO team.”
Bartlett, who was teaching a Road Scholar birding program on the Lake Erie islands this week, is a widely credentialed authority on birds and is connected with the Audubon Society, Lake Erie Island Conservancy, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, Kelleys Island Audubon Club, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Black Swamp Bird Observatory.
He spends a considerable amount of time banding birds on the Lake Erie Islands and at Springville Marsh State Nature Preserve in Seneca County, the largest inland wetland in this part of the state. On Saturday, Bartlett will be parked atop his elevated post at Magee Marsh, near the iconic boardwalk.
During the course of his 12-hour Big Sit shift, Bartlett and his sometimes boisterous support crew will identify as many different species as possible and keep updating their tally board. Bartlett usually receives thousands in pledges from birders taking part in the festival and donations from many other birders. Some promise $1 for each species Bartlett spots, but the sky is very much the limit.
“Throughout the history of the Big Sit, Tom has raised more than $100,000 for our programs,” Kaufman said. “And through the dedication and support of passionate and caring individuals like Tom, we’ve done a remarkable amount of good for northwest Ohio with that support, encouraging, educating, and empowering the next generation of land stewards.”
Bartlett plays to a big audience and entertains them while also coaxing their dollars into the educational fund. “Last year, on Migratory Bird Day in May, there were 5,000 to 10,000 birders with binoculars visiting the area,” Bartlett recently told the Beacon.
Mary Warren, who worked as a naturalist at Magee Marsh for about 20 years and now volunteers with the Friends of Magee Marsh organization, said Bartlett’s Big Sit has become a very popular part of the festival, and a great source of revenue for the BSBO educational programs.
“I’ve watched him do this many times over the years and it is pretty amazing how many species he does see from that one spot,” she said.
“He picks a spot where he is very visible, right by the boardwalk, and when people come by and want to know what he is doing up there on that platform, he’s not shy about telling them. He is very outgoing, very funny, and real good at talking with people, so it’s been an outstanding fund-raiser.”
Contact Blade outdoors editor Matt Markey at: mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6068.
First Published May 10, 2018, 5:46 p.m.
