Cornell Lab Annual Report 2024
Download the Full ReportConservation must be a global effort. It needs all the help we can marshall.
Ian Owens, Executive Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
That means combining our strengths in science, technology, and engagement with partners’ expertise to extend our impact to all corners of the globe.
If This Reef Could Talk
How Can Listening to Reefs Help Protect Biodiversity?
As the Cornell Lab broadens its scope to protect biodiversity beyond birds, we’re seeing more and more dark spots on the map—places where people haven’t gone and in some cases can’t go.
“If we can’t measure it, we can’t protect it,” Lab executive director Ian Owens says. And just like birds, coral reefs are uncanny indicators of ecological health. So it’s our aim to shine a light on these places and assess their biological importance.
eBird Is the Engine
How Does Our Community Turn Participatory Science into Conservation Action?
eBird makes it easy and fun to keep track of your birding adventures—but it’s also a carefully designed participatory science project that captures data—18.7 million checklists in 2023 alone—for conservation and management.
- Empower 1 million birders
- Generate validated, actionable data
- Translate data into detailed habitat objectives
- Partner with land trusts for on-the-ground action
- Drive state wildlife action plans with fine-scale information
America’s Imperiled Arctic Wilderness
How Can Shining a Light on America’s Arctic Change Minds and Inform Policy?
To ensure nature has a voice, the Protect the Arctic impact campaign is working with Cornell Lab scientists and filmmakers to help people learn about and advocate for “America’s Arctic”—more than 40 million acres of remote, productive Alaskan tundra.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, as over the years industry has drilled hundreds of test wells and acquired development rights to 2.5 million acres of land.
As we decide the future of these essential and imperiled lands and waters, the Lab’s Center for Conservation Media is playing an integral role in Protect the Arctic’s nationwide effort to raise awareness and stoke protective action through films that can reach millions of Americans.
Read more about the importance of protecting America’s Arctic.
People Power
How Can Global Participation Lead to Global Conservation?
Let us count the ways. Science projects like eBird and FeederWatch delight hundreds of thousands of users; Merlin piques the curiosity of millions. We train teachers, provide grants to communities, and intrigue lifelong learners with top-notch ornithology courses. Download the complete annual report to see full stats.
Bird Academy
355,000+
enrollments
Merlin Bird ID
10 million
active users
K-12 Education
3,500+
science educators trained since 2020
I just participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count for the first time. Now I’m always waiting for the next discovery.
one of more than 640,000 participants in the 2024 Great Backyard Bird Count
Revitalizing the Pacific Flyway
How Can a New Generation of Scientists Transform Their Communities into Conservation Corridors?
The idea of protecting 4,000 miles of coastline: It’s a feat no conservation agency could pull off on its own. But our Coastal Solutions Fellows—30 strong and counting—are building a corridor of coastline conservation. Across the continuum of science, land-use planning, and conservation policy, they’re piloting new approaches that balance the needs of shorebirds with those of local communities.
Collectively, the results speak for themselves: Through the Coastal Solutions Fellows program, we have helped 28 priority shorebird species, from Snowy Plovers and Red Knots to Hudsonian Godwits and Whimbrels. And we’re just getting started.
Education & Engagement
How Do We Create Accessible and Engaging Learning Experiences?
Thanks to donor support, dozens of undergraduate students have one-of-a-kind opportunities to work alongside the world’s top scientists.
47 Undergraduates
received donor-supported Experiential Learning Grants in 2024, helping them gain research skills.
21 Graduate Students
received awards to support their research from donor-supported funds. In addition to their own research, graduate students provide valuable mentorship and training to undergraduate students.
34 Postdoctoral Fellows
are conducting research ranging from the behavioral and chemical ecology in birds to the use of birds as indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem health in agricultural landscapes of Central and South America
Financial Report
2024 Fiscal Year:
July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024
In fiscal year 2024, thousands of members and donors provided more than 70% of our annual revenue, a total of $35.9 million that expands our capacity to promote global conservation through research, education, and participatory science.
As a mission-driven nonprofit organization nested within a world-class academic research institution, the Cornell Lab provides information, tools, and inspiration to people and partners around the world to help reverse the decline in birds and biodiversity.
Strong philanthropic support enables us to invest in people, technology, and innovative ideas to accelerate our work. Thank you for supporting the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
One Song, Many Voices
Just like a flock of birds, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology finds special strength in numbers. It’s why we collaborate with an expanding network of communities and organizations, nationally and globally, and why we turn to committed supporters at every level to strengthen the capacity of the Lab and engage millions in learning about birds and biodiversity. Thank you for all you do to advance our work, as well as a shared understanding of nature. You are part of a mighty and growing flock of members and supporters who power local, national, and global collaborations, committed to the notion that by working together, we will bring about a healthier planet and more hopeful future.
We’re pleased to include a downloadable list of our Sapsucker Woods Society members and honor and memorial tributes here (or view an accessible web version of the list here).
Download previous annual reports here:
2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009.
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Golden-cheeked Warbler by Bryan Calk/Macaulay Library