"Anyone with a pair of binoculars and bird watching experience, or even a desire to learn about birds, can participate. You don't need to be an expert--we just ask that you are confident in the identification of the birds you report." Exlains the MBAP webpage. Courses in atlassing techniques are already being offered for those wanting to take part. Anyone interested in taking part can call Project Coordnator Christian Artuso, at 204-945-6816, or visit: http://www.birdatlas.mb.ca

Although the Manitoba Naturalists Society released a publication, The Birds of Manitoba in 2003, Manitoba is behind other Canadian provinces in initiating a breeding bird atlas. Breeding bird atlases were first started in Europe in the late 1970's, and Saskatchewan had an atlas like project starting in the 1970's. The first official Canadian bird atlas was published by Ontario in 1987. Alberta and the Maritime Provinces published bird atlases in 1992, with Quebec following suit in 1995. Ontario and Alberta both released second editions in 2005, and the Maritimes and Quebec are in the process of likewise publishing a second edition. British Columbia, in 2007, announced that it was launching its own bird atlas program. "It's so important to have a comprehensive data set for the province, and it's something we [Manitobans] don't quite have yet," Artuso told the Winnipeg Free Press.

Studies from the U.S., such as the State of the Birds report, indicate that over the past four decades bird numbers have declined across North America due to deforestation, pesticides, urban sprawl, and climate change. Obtaining accurate data, therefore, is vital to both: monitoring the health of the planet, and determining where conservation efforts are most needed.