I’ve just upgraded my optics. What should I do with my old binoculars?

Many birders keep their old optics on a closet shelf just in case anything happens to their new ones. As insurance, this isn’t a bad idea, but if your old optics are in usable condition, you may want to put them to work so that others can enjoy birds and protect their future. How? Donate your old optics to a local nature center or birding club, or to an organization such as the American Birding Association’s Birder’s Exchange, or to Optics for the Tropics. Both organizations send used (and sometimes new!) binoculars to researchers and educators in Latin America and the Caribbean.