Conservation Organizations in the United States and Latin American Countries to Receive Funds for Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation

Conservation organizations in 15 states and 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries will share $3 million in grants for neotropical migratory bird conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today. Partnering organizations will match these grants with $13 million.

There are 341 species of nearctic-neotropical migrants, birds that breed north of the Tropic of Cancer and winter south of that line. Examples of these birds include pelicans, vultures, falcons, cranes, owls, hummingbirds, bluebirds, and orioles.

"The conservation of neotropical migratory birds extends beyond our borders and depends on partnerships with other nations as well as states, conservation organizations and many others here at home," said Interior Secretary Gale Norton. "Through these grants, the Interior Department is contributing to on-the-ground conservation projects from Maine to Cape Horn."

The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 establishes a matching grants program to fund projects that promote the conservation of neotropical migratory birds in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. The money can be used to protect, research, monitor and manage these bird