And there’s the whistle – the game is over. Christmas Eve is either nigh or smack dab upon us. The shops are closed and all gifts are bought, wrapped, and ready for exchange. Except for cousin Fred – you didn’t ever figure out what to get him this year. You know he’s a bit of an amateur nature buff, but he’s never been a joiner and doesn’t think of himself as a bird watcher, butterfly enthusiast, or any other sort of hobbyist. Still he does like to watch every nature program he can on the television and has been known to attend a lecture or two at the local library when someone has slides of a photo safari to Africa. What can you still get for Fred?
Simple – get him a membership to his local nature conservation organization. Each country has at least one and most include some superb full color glossy magazines along with their memberships. You can easily register Fred online even still today and then jot out a quick e-mail saying “Merry Christmas Fred. I know how much you enjoy learning about wildlife so I’ve enrolled you for a yearly membership in (fill in your organization’s name here).”
Now for the coming year, Fred will regularly receive a magazine or newsletter in the post that he can enjoy and continue his discoveries about the natural world while at the same time you will have helped that organization to continue their work to study and conserve the wildlife about which Fred so well enjoys learning.
So in what worthy organizations might you consider enrolling Fred? While they are indeed many, here are some of the most common ones which all offer regular member publications and other offerings well suited to the general interest level member:
In the U.K.:
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
In the U.S.:
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation
Don’t forget about Fred’s ten-year old daughter Barbara as well.
In the U.K.:
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Wildlife Explorers
In the U.S.:
National Wildlife Federation (Ranger Rick)
If this list is not suitable to your country, you might consult the BirdLife International list of national partners to discover a great organization in whichever country your particular cousin Fred lives.
Peace and good bird watching.
