On April 24-25, 30 bird conservation biologists representing 25 different organizations, partnerships, and working groups met in Nashville, TN to explore common ground. The intended outcomes of the meeting included providing an overview of existing bird conservation activities in eastern North America, identifying a small number of priority issues upon which an Eastern Working Group (EWG) could focus its initial activities, and identify next steps if participants found value in moving forward.
The results of these discussions yielded three major topics to serve as initial focal points of activity for an EWG:
Full Annual Cycle Planning, including development and implementation of conservation investment strategies that promote linkages between breeding, migration, and wintering habitats for eastern North American birds. Proposed initial activity under this topic is to gather current pieces from existing full annual cycle planning into a prospectus of concepts for both funders and future partners across the Western Hemisphere and to initiate a dialogue about where these efforts should go next.
Data Management and Information Sharing (including coordinated monitoring). Initial activities could include facilitating an evaluation and analysis of AKN/MWDC/EADC to identify sticking points and unmet needs. An EWG could also provide a forum for outreach around information sharing, translating data for public consumption, and highlighting emerging themes for conservation action.
Science Delivery, with a focus on delivering knowledge about best practices to land owners and land managers in clear, easily understandable way along with solutions for how they might be able to implement those practices. Initial activities could include integrating best management practices that create forest conditions to support bird populations – across species, across scales, across ownership and that enable delivery at large scales. Activities might also include the development of a clearinghouse for outreach materials that synthesizes and provides context for specific outreach needs and facilitates targeting audiences with best information in appropriate formation.
For full notes from the meeting, see here.
In addition, attendees were given presentations from 23 organizations in an effort to set the stage for finding synergy among these bird conservation efforts.
- Partners in Flight International
- Partners in Flight Western Working Group
- Golden-Winged Warbler Working Group
- Cerulean Warbler Technical Group
- International Rusty Blackbird Working Group
- International Bicknell’s Thrush Conservation Group
- International Wood Thrush Conservation Alliance
- Canada Warbler International Conservation Initiative
- Loggerhead Shrike Working Group
- Blackpoll Warbler Focus Group
- Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group
- Midwest Migration Network
- Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture
- Eastern Habitat Joint Venture
- Atlantic Flyway Council, Nongame Migratory Bird Technical Section
- Mississippi Flyway Council
- National Audubon Society Migratory Bird Initiative
- American Bird Conservancy
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement
- USDA Forest Service Eastern and Southern Regions
- Canada’s Migratory Bird Program
- US Fish and Wildlife Service Strategic Plan Update
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation