As Congress Resumes, Migratory Bird Funding and ESA Exemptions at Stake
Right now, the U.S. Congress is working to put together a bill to fund the government for Fiscal Year 2017. Congress has an opportunity to boost much-needed funding levels for bird conservation programs as a result of the budget compromise last fall. Conservation-minded lawmakers also need to keep anti-environment amendments out of the bill. One of the “riders” in this year’s spending bill prohibits funding Endangered Species Act protections for the Greater Sage-Grouse. This rider needs to be kept out of this year’s bill.
Essential programs like the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act and the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures impact many of the birds we see in our backyards each spring. These birds make epic journeys, play essential roles in our ecosystems, and provide pleasure to millions of people, but habitat loss and other threats are making their future less than certain. These conservation programs are essential today.
Please act now! Click here to ask your Senators and Representative to make protecting birds and wildlife a priority.
BLM Logging Plan Guts President Clinton’s Northwest Forest Legacy
The Bureau of Land Management has approved a logging plan for the forests it manages in Oregon, significantly weakening protections for the threatened Marbled Murrelet and Northern Spotted Owl. These protections were put in place in 1994 as part of President Clinton’s Northwest … Read More>>
Researchers Turn a Concerned Eye to the Mysterious Marbled Murrelet
Scientists and conservationists are working to understand the plight of the Marbled Murrelet—and find ways to help the bird survive.… Read more >>
Scientists Try A Daring Approach to Save Endangered Hawaiian Petrels
Moved from their mountain burrows to a haven on the coast, young Hawaiian Petrels will be the founders of the only fully protected colony of federally listed seabirds anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands.… Read more >>
Perspectives
At 100, Migratory Bird Treaty More Essential Than Ever
By Peter Marra, George Fenwick, John W. Fitzpatrick, and Scott Lanyon
The Migratory Bird Treaty, adopted on this day 100 years ago, set a standard for international cooperation that we still follow today.… Read more >>
Celebrating the Migratory Bird Treaty, A Pact That Transcends Borders
A century after the treaty was signed, migratory birds still need our protection. … Read more >>
Scientists Document Widespread Declines, Urgent Need for Conservation of Landbirds in U.S. and Canada
A new analysis of the population status and trends of all landbirds in the continental U.S. and Canada documents widespread declines among 450 bird species—a troubling indicator of the health of these species and their ecosystems. Nearly 20% of U.S. and Canadian landbird species are on a path toward endangerment and extinction in the absence of conservation action, according to the Partners in Flight (PIF) 2016 Landbird Conservation Plan Revision.
BCA Meeting on Effectively Engaging in Bird Conservation
Thanks to all who joined us August 16 for a Bird Conservation Alliance meeting at the North American Ornithological Conference highlighting connections between science and bird conservation policy. Click here for links to the slides from presentations on how to utilize and effectively communicate science to influence timely bird conservation issues. Many thanks to all of the speakers!
American Bird Conservancy 2015 Annual Report Now Available
https://abcbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ABC-Annual-Report-2015_ONLINE-FINAL1.pdf
Wind Energy Company Sues to Keep Bird Kill Data Out of Public’s Hands
(Washington, D.C., Aug. 24, 2016) An Ohio wind-energy facility doesn’t want to reveal how many birds it kills, and has gone to court to keep that information secret. Blue Creek Wind Farm, owned by the Spanish company Iberdrola Renewables, has filed a lawsuit in Ohio … Read More>>
Wind Turbines on the Great Lakes Threaten Migratory Birds
(Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2016) A radar study released last month by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) provides stark evidence that wind turbines on the Great Lakes pose an unacceptably high risk to migratory birds and other wildlife. Yet this region in New York has … Read More>>
Toledo Chamber Blog: Economic Impact — Why Birds and Birding Matter byKimberly Kaufman, Executive Director, Black Swamp Bird Observatory
http://www.toledochamber.com/blog/economic-impact-why-birds-and-birding-matter
Since the inception of The Biggest Week In American Birding in 2010, more people in this region are aware of birds and birding than ever before. For those who haven’t given it much thought (or are still operating under the notion that all birdwatching is just for the Jane Hathaways of the world), it’s time to consider the benefits of birds and birding. Birds enhance the quality of our lives in myriad ways, and birding tourism is providing our area with a much-needed economic “shot in the arm” in early spring. Here are just a few reasons to consider expanding your interest in and knowledge of birds and birding. Please click here to the remainder of the article.
Ways You Can Help North Carolina Birds — Saving Our Birds Exhibits Are Underway
Throughout the fall, Audubon staff and volunteers will be leading education events in partnership with the N.C. Botanical Garden’s Saving Our Birds exhibit. Attend a workshop with Kim Brand to hone your bird-friendly gardening skills or join Curtis Smalling to learn how you can battle climate change in your backyard. Registration is open now. Click to browse the full list of events.
Protected Area Expanded Around Mt. Mitchell
A national conservation group says it has assembled land that will more than double the size of North Carolina’s first state park, Mount Mitchell. The Conservation Fund will resell to the state two tracts totaling 2,744 acres on the western slope of the Black Mountains northwest of Marion. The park, created in 1916, now occupies 1,996 acres around the highest peak in the East.
Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative Launches eNews Service
The Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative has launched a new eNews service for those interested in staying up to date on the latest bird conservation projects, events, and news in the state. (Birding Wire)
President’s Expansion of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell have applauded President Obama’s action to use his executive authority under the Antiquities Act and expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument—making it the largest marine protected area on Earth. (Birding Wire)
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were originally protected by President Teddy Roosevelt who established the Hawaiian Islands Bird Reservation in 1909. President Franklin D. Roosevelt broadened the protections to all wildlife and formed the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge in 1940. And in 2006 President George W. Bush created Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to protect and preserve the marine waters and their wildlife and historic, cultural and scientific riches. Today’s designation will expand the existing Marine National Monument by 442,781 square miles, bringing the total protected area to 582,578 square miles.
President Designates Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, President Obama announced his designation of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, with authority granted under the Antiquities Act. (Birding Wire)
In addition to protecting spectacular geology, significant biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, the new monument will help support climate resiliency in the region. The protected area — together with the neighboring Baxter State Park to the west — will ensure that this large landscape remains intact, bolstering the forest’s resilience against the impacts of climate change.
Bird-Window Collisions at Vikings Stadium to be Monitored
A week before the opening of the U.S. Bank Stadium, the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority (MSFA) announced that a scientific study to monitor bird-window collisions at the new stadium will be led by Audubon Minnesota, National Audubon Society, University of Minnesota and Oklahoma State University. (Birding Wire)
