On behalf of the Organization of Professional Aviculturists, I would like to extend an invitation to local, national, and international organizations to affiliate with OPA. Affiliation is simple. It’s free because it is a mutual agreement to support each other and to promote aviculture. We can do that together.

 

OPA’s mission statement, “Promoting the beneficial role of aviculture in conservation and trade to preserve both wild and aviary birds” is something we should all be able to support. How do we intend to do that? By holding regulators and agencies accountable to the law. For too long, government agencies and regulators have not been challenged on their actions, or lack of action, which is leading to an erosion of our ability to keep, transfer, and breed birds. Unlike other national avicultural organizations, OPA is not a charitable organization. Charitable organizations are vitally important too, but OPA is a 501(c)6 trade organization with the main purpose to promote and protect the aviculture trade and thereby protect our birds and ability to have them. OPA has already sent representatives to international CITES meetings and has begun filing court cases against US Fish and Wildlife Service to challenge their administration and interpretation of the Endangered Species Act, The Wild Bird Conservation Act, and CITES regulations.

 

Why affiliate? Because OPA seeks to represent the avicultural community as a whole. Plain and simple, we need numbers when we speak to government officials and agencies, and we need to show we have support and are working with the leaders in our aviculture community. OPA would also like to create a network of communication with aviculture organizations so we can work together to preserve aviculture. Please join our growing list of affiliates and support aviculture with us.