History

Saving Birds Thru Habitat was established in 2001 by Kay Charter, to in her words "help stem the decline of our migratory songbird population by teaching people of all ages how to protect, enhance and restore habitat for North American birds." The Habitat Discovery Center grounds is an ongoing project to advance that mission.

Two years after our founding, the Charters deeded two acres of their land to Saving Birds for a home. Then Jim Charter headed up a group of volunteers in building our Habitat Discovery Center. Following that, the organization has added native trees, shrubs and native flower gardens around the property.The goal is to ultimately have it covered entirely with native plants (except for an area outside the Discovery Center for large gatherings).

Our Habitat Discovery Center is adjacent to a 45-acre private conservation effort, Charter Sanctuary, which has hosted more than sixty nesting species. A hundred additional species use the property for foraging during migration. Saving Birds Thru Habitat has the exclusive use of this sanctuary for field trips.

Jim and Kay Charter

In February of 1993, Jim and Kay Charter gave up their lakefront “forever” home in exchange for a 47-acre tract west of the village of Omena. Along the way, they experienced a total loss fire and Jim suffered a broken back. The couple was able to hold onto their land despite the calamities that might have led others to give up their dream. Instead, they worked hard to create the healthy, native plants-based ecosystems that would provide for both migratory and resident birds. The entire sanctuary is forever protected for the birds by conservation easements. The land includes a quarter mile of creek running through a wetland filled with cattails, willows and dogwoods. A mixed hardwood/conifer forest grows up the hill on the east side of the wetland, and a narrow belt of aspen woods lines the southern edge of the property. Stands of white pine and a rolling, upland meadow long ago converted to native prairie complete this special place.

Eight years after they purchased their property, they founded Saving Birds Thru Habitat.

“My life is wrapped up in birds,” Kay has said. “I firmly believe that if we save our birds, we save everything else in the process,” because good birding habitat is good habitat for just about every other species on the planet.

“Kay and Jim are those rare people that live their beliefs and changed their lives to come into conformity with the things that most matter to them,” said Brian Price, Conservancy Executive Director.

Jim Charter passed on Easter Sunday in 2017, and Kay retired in 2023.

Saving Birds Thru Habitat is forward looking! It educates landowners, children, and the general public on the importance of native plants and the insect biomass they support, and why we need to protect and restore critical habitat for our bird species. Saving Birds has proven that installing native plants and winning the war on invasive species is not an insurmountable task. It can be done, and the joy of seeing bird populations thrive as a result of these efforts is inspiring.

Glen Chown, Executive Director, Grand Traverse Regional Conservancy.
Our migratory birds are going through some very tough times, and we need action at every level to turn things around. But it’s really not enough to demand action at every level on the nationwide, state, and local scene. Every concerned American can do things at home to make the world better for birds. It’s not simply preaching conservation; it is practicing it! Saving Birds Thru Habitat is doing just that. The use of as many native plantings as possible in our own yards – from grasses, to flowers, to bushes, to trees - is crucial. Protecting birds from window collisions and outdoor cats is part of the process. So is providing water in the yard and thoughtful bird-friendly shopping for the dinner table. Teaching and setting an example are weighty responsibilities, and Saving Birds Thru Habitat is showing the way.

Paul Baicich, Co-author of three bird books, co-editor of the monthly Birding Community E-bulletin, columnist for Bird Watcher’s Digest, and an officer for the Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp.
In June of 2001, a group of dedicated volunteers and friends came together to create an entity to educate people of all ages about habitats and birds. They gave it a name, Saving Birds Thru Habitat. They gave it the mission and they gave it a building by calling on all their friends and relatives to come help build a classroom. That building was begun in June and three months later, in September, it was dedicated for its educational purpose. Saving Birds Thru Habitat has been flying high ever since that September dedication day. Its mission is still its guiding beacon, and, like the deep roots of a prairie plant, that mission has become embedded in my very core. It has been a blessing to have been a part of all this. I am a teacher by trade and teaching is addictive. No " high" can match seeing the joy in discovery that lights up a child's face or the whoop of wonder when a grown-up has a "wow" moment of connecting to the lesson at hand. I will be an addict forever, teaching whenever, wherever, whomever I can, until these old toes are under the sod. And, I hope, even beyond that time. It is the reason I have left a legacy to SBTH so that its mission will continue for generations.

Bobbie Poor, First Saving Birds Board Vice President and dedicated supporter and volunteer.

Saving Birds Thru Habitat • PO BOX 288, Omena, MI 49674 • (231) 271-3738 • info@savingbirds.org
Habitat Discovery Center: 5020 N. Putnam, Omena, MI 49674