Bob Ford
The Partners in Flight Steering Committee recently met at the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City to discuss priority actions moving forward into the fall and new year. Priority actions were developed around a variety of topics to deliver the 2016 Landbird Conservation Plan for conservation action. Topics included management for PIF Watch List species on federal public lands, improved integration of PIF objectives with Migratory Bird Joint Ventures and Flyways, and full annual cycle conservation.
For public lands, for example, a PIF working group is working to better integrate PIF tools into management planning and implementation, especially on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in the west where many species have a high percentage of their breeding population on public lands.
Strategic Habitat Conservation planning logic is being used to help PIF and Joint Ventures better understand where capacity gaps occur across Bird Conservation Regions and what areas of expertise are needed to move PIF population and habitat objectives forward. Once identified, PIF can use its network of partners to find shared priorities and people to help fill those gaps.
PIF VI, an international conference in San Jose, Costa Rica this fall (see our recent PIF blog by Greg Butcher) will include lengthy discussions on full annual cycle research and conservation. The results of those discussions could provide for the development of specific projects for action.
For other actions, the PIF Steering Committee is committed to International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). Discussions during this meeting included strengthening that commitment with Environment for the Americas and to expand exposure through our partner network and web sites.
Accomplishing PIF’s vision includes multi-state focal species efforts, such as with Short-eared Owl and desert thrashers. These efforts lay the ground work for more effective conservation and can prevent many of these species from becoming listed as threatened or endangered over time.
Join us in helping to deliver the Landbird Conservation Plan through these and other actions – our capacity to work together relies on the strength and diversity of our PIF network. Use the following link to download the PIF Action Brief and find a place for yourself on a working group.
http://www.partnersinflight.org/resources/pif-action-brief-sept-2017/