This year we were able to fund all 6 grant proposals submitted! Which totals 109 grants and $95,521 awarded since the program’s inception, through this year.
One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.
The 2019 IOS Grants Program received six requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal, and determined that all were suitable for funding within the scope of that key objective described above. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by four organizations and many individuals made it possible for all of the 2019 grant requests to be fully funded.
Sponsor Organizations:
DuPage Birding Club
Individual Sponsors:
Margaret Busic
Glenn Gabanski
Davida and Dale Kalina
Scott Meister
Thanks to you all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!
Thanks to John Andrews and Scott Meister for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.
Congratulations to the grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2019 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.
| Recipient | Affiliation | Project | Fully Sponsored by |
| Ian Souza-Cole | University of Illinois | Investigating the Behavior and Habitat Use of Eastern Whip-Poor-Wills (Antrostomus vociferus) in Illinois and Factors Influencing Their Decline | Dupage Birding Club |
| Daniel Goldberg | Illinois State University | Changes in Calling Behavior as an Antipredator Adaptation: a Test with Illinois Rallids | Individual Sponsors and IOS |
| Rachel DiSciullo | Illinois State University | Determining Total Sexual Selection on Male Song in Northern House Wrens | Individual Sponsors and IOS |
| Leah Bieniak | Illinois State University | Determining Species Abundance and Habitat Preferences of Breeding Birds in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois | Dupage Birding Club |
| Andy Gilbert | University of Illinois | Marsh Bird Monitoring in a Restored Floodplain of the Illinois River | Individual Sponsors and IOS |
| Claire Johnson | University of Illinois | Unraveling the Mystery of the Black-billed Cuckoo: distribution, habitat use, and behavior | Individual Sponsors and IOS |