08/20/2026
Hendrick Hudson Chapter DAR Shines a Light on Preventable Bird Deaths; Its Conservation Committee Contributes to Stunning International Art Project
Education is one of DAR's three main goals, and DAR chapters' conservation projects help to educate communities about our natural world. The Hendrick Hudson Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution recently contributed to a novel educational project, Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene, that highlights the enormous numbers of our feathered friends who meet untimely deaths flying into glass buildings. The project's hope is that people will take steps to make windows safer for birds. At the same time, through the project, participants will gain an appreciation for the tremendous variety of species that inhabit American cities.
The project is centered in Chicago, where in 2023 there were 10,839 lifeless birds collected on city streets, apparently having flown into buildings. Workshops are held where participants craft fabric recreations of all the birds that were found, making one for each bird collected and in its likeness. The life-sized birds are made from fabric scraps and other notions and are identity-tagged by species, when and where collected, and by whom their replicas were crafted. Ultimately they will be mounted onto a gorgeous if poignant sculptural carpet that will stretch for 300 feet, the length of a football field.
Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene (where anthropocene represents the current geological age, in which humans dominate) is the brainchild of Holly Greenberg and is supported by groups such as the Chicago Bird Alliance and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University. Greenberg and her team facilitate groups such as the Hendrick Hudson Chapter who want to contribute to the project and make sure that each bird tragedy is remembered and acknowledged. Workshops are still being scheduled, and information about the project can be found at hollygreenberg.com/bird-collisions-anthropocene and at https://youtu.be/LXAbAP-Upuc.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), founded in 1890, is a non-profit, non-political women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education. There are currently about 190,000 members in chapters in all 50 states and abroad. The Hendrick Hudson Chapter of the NSDAR, founded in 1895, currently has 130 members and meets in the Historic Robert Jenkins House at 113 Warren Street in Hudson, which it owns.
DAR members trace their lineage back to a patriot in the American Revolution--whether serving as soldier, shopkeeper, or seamstress. The organization welcomes eligible women without regard to race, creed, or religion. It is one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country.
