More Than $88,000 for Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation in Illinois
Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced more than $88,000 in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant funds will support neotropical migratory bird conservation in Illinois. Audubon-Chicago Region will receive $88,310 and partners will match with $265,170 to return publicly owned hayfields and degraded grasslands in surrounding Chicago to a diverse prairie habitat, greatly increasing numbers of neotropical migrant grassland birds.
“Chicago is a major migration stop-over point in the Midwest for neotropical migratory birds,” said Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius. “Birds are indicators of the health of our environment. Our partnership with Audubon-Chicago helps ensure that we are doing everything we can to address the conservation concerns affecting this important habitat for migrating birds in Illinois.”
The State of the Birds 2009, a report released earlier this year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state agencies and non-federal partners, revealed sobering declines of bird populations during the past 40 years. In the grasslands of the Midwest, conservation efforts are critical to protect grasslands that are essential for the birds in a landscape where little native prairie remains. This report calls attention to the collective efforts needed to protect natures resources for the benefit of people and wildlife. (For the full report, visit http://www.stateofthebirds.org .)
The funds for neotropical migratory bird conservation are part of more than $4.8 million in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grants for 36 conservation projects throughout the Western Hemisphere. Partners will match these funds with more than $18 million that will support habitat restoration, environmental education, population monitoring, and other priority activities within the ranges of neotropical birds in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
“As we mark the observance of International Migratory Bird Day and celebrate the incredible journeys these birds make between their summer and winter homes. I’m honored to be able to support partnerships that are making a real difference for neotropical migrants,” said Salazar. “These grants will support important multi-national partnership projects throughout the hemisphere so future generations of people in North, Central and South America can enjoy and appreciate these remarkable birds.”
Nearly 350 species of neotropical migratory birds breed in the United States and Canada and winter in Latin America or the Caribbean, including plovers, terns, hawks, cranes, warblers and sparrows. The populations of many of these birds are presently in decline, and several species are currently protected as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 established the matching grants program to fund projects promoting the conservation of neotropical migratory birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Funds may be used to protect, study, monitor and manage bird populations and habitat, as well as to conduct law enforcement and community outreach and education. By law, at least 75 percent of the money goes to projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, while the remaining 25 percent can go to projects in the United States.
More about the projects in the United States, plus the 27 projects in Mexico, Central and South America, is on the Web at: http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/2009.shtm
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov
