ABC Blog: New Mitigation Policy Will Boost Restoration of Natural Resources
President Obama has directed five federal agencies to offset any impact development projects might have on natural resources.…Read more.
Center for Food Safety, on behalf of several beekeepers, farmers and sustainable agriculture and conservation groups including ABC, filed a lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) inadequate regulation of the neonicotinoid insecticide seed coatings used on dozens of crops.
“A single seed coated with a neonicotinoid insecticide is enough to kill a songbird. There is no justification for EPA to exempt these pesticide delivery devices from regulation. American Bird Conservancy urges the agency to evaluate the risks to birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife,” said Cynthia Palmer, director of pesticides science and regulation at ABC.
Injury and Mortality Reporting System Released for USFWS Employees
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has recently released its Injury and Mortality Reporting (IMR) system for use by its employees. The system was developed to better inform the management of the USFWS trust resources, but will also be equally beneficial to certain users outside of the agency. This include those who would like a free, centralized system to log species injury/mortality, either for the direct purpose of sharing it with USFWS (e.g. those that have reporting responsibilities associated with a permit) or for to organize, share and easily retrieve data for a specific research or management objective.
The system is currently equipped to allow reporting of all 1,027 birds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and is being used most actively by USFWS to organize and track eagle mortality/injury incidents. This information helps inform research questions and facilitate permitting and USFWS management decisions regarding eagles. In early 2016, the Service expects to release the system to outside parties including federal partners that express interest. To learn more about the Injury and Mortality Reporting (IMR) system, please visit the Migratory Bird Program’s IMR page. (Excerpts from Council for the Conservation of Migratory Birds Newsletter – December 2015)
Twin Threats Contribute to Northern Spotted Owl Decline
Since 1985, Northern Spotted Owl populations have declined by as much as 77 percent in Washington, 68 percent in Oregon, and 55 percent in California, according to a new study. The reason: twin threats of habitat loss and competition from the Barred Owl. Our take on Spotted Owl decline.
Paris Climate Agreement to Expand Renewable Energy, Forest Conservation
Most the world’s nations have agreed to a new international agreement to begin reducing carbon emissions, primarily by phasing out use of fossil fuels and expanding the use of renewable forms of energy, particularly solar and wind power. This agreement is a critical step forward to limit climate change, but the proposed expansion of these technologies also highlights the need to improve how wind and solar is developed to reduce impacts to birds and their habitats. Our point of view on bird-smart energy.
The agreement recognizes the importance of forests, both as a major source of emissions from deforestation, and as a means for sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. Article 5 of the agreement says nations should take action to conserve and enhance sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases including forests, and to support payments to reduce deforestation and degradation and to enhance conservation.
Lights, Lima, and the Ringed Storm-Petrel Project
Every year, residents of Lima, Peru, find stranded seabirds on their city streets. The birds are attracted to the city lights and become grounded. But thanks to our partner, the Ringed Storm-Petrel Project, more than 200 lost seabirds were rescued in 2015. The project has identified point sources of light pollution – hotels, house and streetlights. These storm-petrels are among the world’s rarest and least known species – they are considered Data Deficient by IUCN, meaning there is not enough information to determine their conservation status. So these efforts to document where chicks are landing may offer clues to their unknown nesting grounds. Storm-petrel’s second chance.
Reducing Bird Mortality from Collisions with Glass
United Nations Environment Programme | 01/07/16
The Southeast Examiner | 01/01/16 Portland s Bird Design Prevention Guide is an adaptation of the American Bird Conservancy’s template guide.
Federal Agency Facility Management Successes Continue
After two years of effort focused on helping raise awareness of facility impacts to birds and working to implement solutions at federal facilities, the federal agencies continue to report successes on this front. Read more. (Council for the Conservation of Migratory Birds Newsletter – December 2015)
Video: Safeguarding the Rarest Birds
From the Bay-breasted Cuckoo of Hispaniola to the Blue-billed Curassow of Colombia, ABC works to safeguard some of the world’s rarest birds. This series of short videos showcases the rare birds and special places that our staff—together with our partners—are working to conserve. See the videos.
New Agreement Supports Bird Conservation in Cuba
Cuba is tremendously important to bird populations in both the Caribbean region and in the United States. Over 370 species of birds have been recorded in Cuba, including 25 species which are endemic to the island. Due to its large land area and geographical position within the Caribbean, Cuba is extraordinarily important for neotropical migratory birds. More than 180 species pass through during migration or spend the winter on the island. In November, the U.S. Department of State and Cuba signed a formal agreement to facilitate environmental cooperation including the protection of endangered and migratory bird species.
