Archives for Working Groups

The Institute for Bird Populations is excited to announce the release of the MAPS Data Exploration Tool, a new web application created to make the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) database more accessible and the MAPS program more impactful. The MAPS database is a unique and valuable scientific resource consisting of over 2.5 million […]

Over the three years since the EWG was formed, it has strived to be a unifying and organizing force for bird conservation in eastern North America, especially for broad-ranging issues spanning the borders and boundaries of our existing organizations, partnerships, and jurisdictions. Our three focal teams engage multiple partners and work toward full annual cycle conservation, science delivery, […]

The Department of Defense started their Partners in Flight program in 1991, a year after the initial launch of the PIF idea. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, the Spring 2021 natural resource newsletter for DoD is focused entirely on Partners in Flight and thirty years of amazing work.

There is a serious disconnect between birder interests, the needs for bird conservation, and public policies for bird conservation in the United States. An estimated 45 million Americans feed and/or watch birds. At the same time, 233 species of birds (22% of all native species) need conservation action. Numerous studies have shown long-term declines in the number of hunters, fishers, and other consumptive users. Despite these megatrends, the policies of public agencies – most importantly state wildlife agencies – are fixated on the past. To better respond to evolving public values and bird conservation needs, it is necessary to gain an understanding of the values, motivations, and behaviors of birders.

The New Breeding Bird Survey Strategic Plan 2020-30. Presented by: Veronica Aponte and Adam Smith (Canadian Wildlife Service). Recorded October 2020.

Includes “New spatial abundance models inform distribution, population, and trends for forest birds in Canada,” presented by Diana Stralberg (Research Scientist, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada and Boreal Avian Modelling Project) and Peter Solymos (Boreal Avian Modelling Project); and “Using species density models to set habitat conservation objectives for declining grassland songbirds in the Canadian Prairie Potholes,” presented by Barry Robinson (Canadian Wildlife Service).

Recognizing the need for new perspectives to address the severe declines of North American birds, on October 28, 2020, the Western Working Group of Partners in Flight convened virtually to stimulate novel thinking around the Five Game Changers concept and to generate actionable ideas to make the Game Changers game-changing.

Brad Jacobs was a kind and gentle soul, an educator, a naturalist, a mentor, and a friend. Saying that Brad Jacobs lived a life dedicated to bird conservation is an understatement. Brad’s skills at cultivating partnerships that inspired and connected people to birds led to impacts that are still very much present in Missouri, across the United States, and throughout the Western Hemisphere.