“Mike” has left us… one of the great leaders and a true archetype of conservation in Mexico. Originally from Castaños, Coahuila, he was born into a large family of hard-working and good people characterized by the culture of effort, respect, mutual support, and affection. Miguel Angel distinguished himself from a very young age for his great attachment to the land and his love for nature.

In honor of PIF’s 30th anniversary, the PIF International Science Committee wanted to celebrate PIF’s many achievements while recognizing that there is much more work to do to conserve landbirds and the ecosystems that support them. Thus, the committee decided to update a previous PIF publication, Blancher et al. (2006), to re-examine how migratory birds link geographies across the Western Hemisphere and to re-energize and build new cross-boundary partnerships for bird conservation.

Partners in Flight (PIF) is a dynamic and welcoming network of more than 150 partner organizations throughout the Western Hemisphere. We all share PIF’s mission of keeping common birds common and helping species at risk through voluntary partnerships. To more effectively engage and bring together these partners, PIF has been analyzing barriers to participation and is working to make PIF more inclusive. Recently, PIF has added a translation plugin to the website. Now the website can be translated into eight languages including Spanish, French, and Portuguese. The button can be found on the top right of the webpage. 

A vital aspect of the PIF Awards is making them accessible to nominees across the Western Hemisphere. Once award winners are selected, there is always the challenge of how to get the physical awards to our esteemed colleagues in Latin America or the Caribbean. We’re always looking for couriers who can hand-carry an award to the recipient, either in that awardee’s home country or another country where the recipient may be attending a conference or workshop.

One of those couriers for a 2022 PIF Award was Jesús Franco with the American Bird Conservancy, the Assistant Coordinator for the binational Rio Grande Joint Venture based in McAllen, Texas. Carol Beidleman, Chair of the PIF Awards Committee, had reached out to Humberto Berlanga with CONABIO in México about needing a courier for the 2022 PIF Public Awareness Award for Museo de las Aves de México (MUSAVE) in Saltillo, Coahuila. Humberto recommended Jesús, who has close ties and physical proximity to Saltillo. Jesús had graduated from Antonio Narro Agricultural University in Saltillo before completing his M.S. in Range and Wildlife Management at Texas A&M University. Thus, these were his old stomping grounds. Ever the generous-hearted PIF’er, Jesús jumped at the opportunity to provide this important service to bring the award to Saltillo and help honor his Mexican colleagues.
Jesús communicated his offer to the MUSAVE staff, who then decided it would be a great opportunity to hold an award ceremony at the museum. On June 3, 2023, Jesús Franco presented, on behalf of Partners in Flight, the 2022 Partners in Flight Public Awareness Award to the Museo de las Aves de Mexico in the City of Saltillo.

Through the Partners in Flight (PIF) Awards, PIF has recognized outstanding individuals and groups across the Americas for their exceptional contributions to the field of landbird conservation since 1996.  PIF Awards are given in the categories of Leadership, Investigations, Public Awareness, Stewardship, and the David N. Pashley Lifetime Achievement Award. We are pleased to have seven 2022 PIF Award winners, four individuals for Leadership, one group each for Investigations and Public Awareness, and one individual for the David N. Pashley Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Do you know someone who has made exceptional contributions to landbird conservation? Nominate an individual or group for a Partners in Flight Award!

Partners in Flight Awards recognize exceptional contributions to the field of landbird conservation in the Americas. Nominees will be considered who have significantly furthered the mission of Partners in Flight and its goal of protecting priority migratory and resident landbirds and their habitats. To be eligible, projects or activities must have been initiated after 1990. Nominees will be evaluated in five award categories: Leadership, Investigations, Public Awareness, Stewardship, and the David N. Pashley Lifetime Achievement Award.

The future of birds and the future of our communities are deeply intertwined, and it will take all of us to ensure they can thrive in a changing world. Join the team behind the 2022 State of the Birds Report—the first since the landmark study in 2019 showed the loss of 3 billion birds in the U.S. and Canada in the past 50 years—to learn about bird conservation successes, species in need of urgent attention, and how communities demonstrate that bird conservation is an incredible vehicle for environmental justice.

As part of the PIF Visioning Retreat in February 2022, Carol Beidleman provided a summary from the PIF Retrospective Team, looking to the past to inform the future. This Team, with Carol Beidleman as lead, included Carol Beardmore, Geoff Geupel, and John Alexander. Through meetings in 2020 and 2021, the group examined both the successes and challenges of PIF’s first 30 years.

For our 30th anniversary, the Partners in Flight Steering Committee launched a long and short-term visioning exercise to consider obstacles and opportunities for bird conservation. Our target was to identify how the steering committee can ensure that Partners in Flight continues as a driving force in bird conservation into the future.

Calling all bird lovers! We need everyone who cares about birds to rally together for the passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. With historic levels of funding and support from both sides of the aisle, this once-in-a-generation legislation is a rare bird. Join us as we flock together in support of this critical bill, which will help protect birds long into the future and make the enjoyment of birds more accessible for all!