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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DavidP" data-source="post: 1578498" data-attributes="member: 7430"><p>I would agree that the Christmas bird count is a fun activity that gets more people involved. I don't think however that the average american is so unaware of environmental concerns as you suggest. The US has always been quite up on conservation, Yosemite park in California was one of the first national parks established anywhere in the world. Taking California as an example as thats the only place I know much about, about 1/3 rd of the state is somehow protected to varying degrees in the way of national parks, state parks, forest lands, Bureau of land management, wildlife areas etc. That equates to an area about  the size of England where there is some varying regulation on how man can use the environment, often no housing, no farming and in national parks no hunting. Some of that is high mountains or desert areas of little use to agriculture but theres defintely an ethos of enjoying and protecting the environment, try and get a campsite reservation in Yosemite or many other parks at a weekend during the summer.</p></blockquote><p></p>