2017 IOS Grants Awards

Abigail Blake-Bradshaw, Grant Recipient
Abigail Blake-Bradshaw, Grant Recipient by Ryan Askren
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 2017 IOS Grants Program received nine 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 five organizations and many individuals (see the alphabetical lists below) made it possible for all of the 2017 grant requests to be fully funded. A total of 94 Grants totaling $82,019 have been awarded since the program’s inception, through this year.

  • Jill Anderson
  • Paula Aschim
  • Denis Bohm
  • Margie Busic
  • Sonia Da Silva
  • Donnie Dann
  • Pen & Carl Daubach
  • Glenn Gabanski
  • Urs Geiser
  • Cynthia Gray
  • Eric Gyllenhaal
  • Tamima Itani
  • Janice Knight
  • Mary Krigbaum
  • Scott Latimer
  • Cindy Madsen
  • Vera Miller
  • Marsha Steffen
  • Dave Thomas
  • Ted Wolff
  • Chicago Ornithological Society
  • DuPage Birding Club
  • Kane County Audubon
  • Lake-Cook Audubon
  • McHenry County Audubon
  • Southern Illinois Audubon
  • Springfield Audubon
  • Starved Rock Audubon
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 Matt Igleski 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 2017 Grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those Grants for their donations.

Grant Recipient, Heather Herakovich, by Dee Hudson
Grant recipient, Heather Herakovich, by Dee Hudson
# Amount Name/Organization Description/Sponsor
1. $1,000 Abigail Blake-Bradshaw
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, and Forbes Biological Station
Wetland quality for waterbirds in Illinois. 3rd year of project; shorebird habitat usage added to project.
Sponsored by DuPage Birding Club.
2. $1,000 Therin Bradshaw
Western Illinois University and Forbes Biological Station
Marsh bird use of wetlands managed for waterfowl in Illinois.
Sponsored by DuPage Birding Club.
3. $100 Rachel DiPietro
Illinois State University
Constructing a data-based mortality profile for avian tower kills at telecommunication towers in Illinois.
Sponsored by IOS.
4. $1,000 Heather Herakovich
Northern Illinois University
The effects of bison reintroduction, prescribed fire, and time since restoration on grassland birds in tallgrass prairie. 2nd year of funding.
Sponsored by IOS.
5. $1,500 Maureen Hurd
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Habitat use and foraging behavior of Chimney Swifts, a rapidly declining and poorly studied species.
Sponsored by Lake-Cook Audubon ($1000) and IOS ($500).
6. $1,000 Alec Luro
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The function of plumage color in American robins: why do males and females differ in appearance?
Sponsored by IOS.
7. $1,000 James Marshall, Sean Beckmann, and Troy Skwor
Rockford University
Patterns of Borrelia burgdorferi infection and antibodies in birds of northern Illinois.
Sponsored by IOS.
8. $1,050 John O’Connell
Southern Illinois University, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory
Estimating wetland availability for inundation-dependent birds in Illinois.
Sponsored by IOS, Lake-Cook Audubon and Southern Illinois Audubon.
9. $1,000 Heather Skeen
University of Chicago
Effects of seasonality and migration on the microbiome of Swainson’s Thrush.
Sponsored by IOS and McHenry County Audubon.
Scroll to Top