A pedant would tell you we are an organization whose mission is to promote, conduct and support research and public education centered on bird and insect migration on Virginia's Eastern Shore. A lawyer might point out we are a nonprofit corporation. Your accountant would point out that contributions may be tax-deductible.

Our focus, historically has been the study of fall bird migration at what is now Kiptopeke State Park. This will continue to be our most visible activity but by no means is this our only interest. We support the study of birds and insects elsewhere on the lower Eastern Shore. We also actively support the systematic efforts of the Center for Conservation Biology and the Coastal Resource Management Program to identify and preserve critical habitat. Several of the recent and planned K.E.ST.R.E.L. efforts incorporate this broader focus.

With help from Kiptopeke Park staff, we established a butterfly garden at Kiptopeke. The youth group from Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, Virginia spent several days this summer weeding and mulching the garden and making many other habitat improvements.

We developed lists of butterflies and birds found on the Shore, and are now developing a comparable list for damsel and dragon flies and lady beetles.

We organized the first assessment of the spring hawk migration. As we obtain more resources, we expect to develop and expand this research.

We have joined with other groups to initiate a Barrier Island Avian Partnership. The partnership will develop a conservation action plan for the birds which use the barrier islands as breeding grounds and migration stopover.

We plan to work more closely with Northampton and Accomack county schools to tie our interpretive program to school curricula.

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