Seventy-one nongame bird conservation projects will be funded this year with $154,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and $390,000 in matching funds and in-kind services from outside partners. Projects include surveys, studies, habitat management and nongame bird education about the hundreds of species of migratory birds that nest in and migrate through the Upper Midwest.
Fifty-five of the projects will be done on national wildlife refuges and wetland management districts that are owned and managed by the Service. Additional projects are scheduled on other public and private lands in the region. The projects are a cooperative effort with State natural resource agencies, other Federal agencies, universities and private conservation organizations. These efforts will improve understanding of many bird species whose status and habitat requirements are not well known.
Projects like these benefit such species as the amazing Cerulean Warbler. These turquoise blue birds follow an incredible migration path from their tropical wintering areas in South America. They return to breeding grounds in the Midwest where their "zray, zray, zray, zree" song fills the air from the swampy areas and streams they make their home near.
Similar migrations are made each year by other nongame birds (species that are neither hunted nor Federally listed as threatened or endangered), from graceful hawks to energetic hummingbirds. Some fly close to 70 hours without rest, crossing mountain ranges or even oceans to complete journeys of up to 20,000 miles round trip.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partner funding will boost efforts in enabling nongame birds to not only survive but thrive. "These species serve important ecological roles as indicators of environmental quality. They also are valued by bird watchers, wildlife artists and backyard bird feeding enthusiasts," Steve Lewis, Nongame Bird Coordinator for the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, said.
During the past decade, evidence has shown that populations of many nongame bird species have declined. The greatest threat facing nongame birds may be habitat degradation. Loss or modification of critical habitats from wetland drainage, agricultural runoff, forest destruction, landscape fragmentation, urbanization and other activities have adversely affected many species. Limiting factors such as contaminants (especially pesticides), human disturbance and predation in breeding grounds; and habitat and contaminant problems on wintering grounds, pose serious threats to many nongame birds.
Responding to population declines, increasing public and Congressional interest in these species, and legal mandates, the Service established a formal nongame bird conservation program in 1988. Partnerships, especially with the States (which have strong nongame wildlife programs), are important because the Service alone does not have the resources to address all the conservation needs of nongame birds. In the early 1990s, cooperative efforts aimed at migratory bird conservation were formalized with the establishment of the Partners in Flight program. It has organized public agencies, private organizations, schools, industry and citizens into regional and state working groups. These groups monitor and study bird populations, determine habitat protection and management strategies to enhance species of concern, and educate the public about migratory birds. Partners for Flight is doing for nongame species what the successful North American Waterfowl Management Plan has done for ducks and geese.
On Service lands, attempts are made to integrate nongame bird management with ongoing efforts for other species. For example, waterfowl management activities may be modified to provide additional benefits to shorebirds and grassland-nesting songbirds.
Nearly 400 species of nongame birds breed or winter in, and migrate through the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region. To focus Service efforts, species with small, declining or unstable populations and those dependent upon restricted, specialized or threatened habitats, receive highest priority. "Our goals are to maintain and enhance nongame bird populations and habitats, and to provide opportunities for people to learn about and enjoy these species," Lewis said.
For information on nongame bird conservation projects in your area, contact Steve Lewis at (612) 725-3313.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
