November 2007

En Español

Printer-friendly version

SJV Technical Committee to meet in San Diego
The SJV Technical Committee will meet on November 28-29, 2007 at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Topics of discussion at the meeting will include bird distributions in the SJV region, focus areas, and a continuation of the discussion of coordinated bird monitoring in the region. There will also be an optional field trip on the afternoon of the 29th to the Sweetwater Marsh to view a NAWCA restoration site.

If you are planning on or would like to attend the meeting, please contact Carol Beardmore as soon as possible for more details.

New Joint Venture Communications, Education, and Outreach Team meets
In early October the new National Joint Venture Communications, Education, and Outreach Team met for the first time in Huntington, Vermont. Representatives from nine Joint Ventures participated, as well as staff from the Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Bird Habitat Conservation.

The team, which includes representatives from the Arctic Goose, Atlantic Coast, Black Duck, Central Valley, Intermountain West, Playa Lakes, Rainwater Basin, San Francisco Bay, Sea Duck, Sonoran and Upper Mississippi Valley/Great Lakes Joint Ventures, will develop communications strategies and products to help raise awareness of and support for JVs to achieve their conservation goals.

The team is currently developing a national JV fact sheet, a white paper on the communications planning process, and a website to house JV communications plans, products and other resources of use for all JVs.

For more information, contact Jennie Duberstein.

Conservation education portal
The Conservation Education Portal is a massive cooperative effort, pulling together the resources of hundreds of individuals, state and federal agencies, conservation organizations and outreach programs.

The goal is to create a single source of outdoor skills, conservation, and conservation education information directly collected from experts in their respective fields from across the nation.

To participate in the process:

• Visit http://TeachWild.org
• Explore the results of the national educator survey
• Review the detail plans for the Conservation Education Portal
• Send your ideas and input to Jon Marshall.

Call for sessions: Third Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative Conference
All WHMSI partners and organizations interested in migratory species, conservation and management are invited to submit proposals for thematic sessions to be included at the Third WHMSI Conference (tentatively scheduled for April/May 2008, potentially in Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Paraguay, or Ecuador).

Some potential themes include: adaptation to climate change; interaction among conservationists; monitoring; capacity strengthening in project development and management for grass roots NGOs; invasive species; avian influenza; guidance to relevant funding programs (e.g. Neotropical Migratory Birds Conservation Act) from LAC.

Please send a brief paper (1-2 pages) describing the proposed thematic session(s) by December 10, 2007. Papers should include justification/importance of theme, targeted audience, structure/methodology of session, expected outcomes and follow up, main organizer and collaborators, and contact information.

Please send proposals to Marina Ratchford.

Scholarship opportunity for Mexican biologist
Since 1996, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has partnered with various wetland organizations and scientists from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and the Ramsar Convention, to offer training opportunities for wetland managers in Mexico. On February 4-17, 2008, the 10th Wetlands Training Course will take place in the Culiacan and Mazatlan, in the State of Sinaloa, Mexico. The training course consists of lectures and field exercises focusing on the principles and basic techniques and methodologies of modern wetland definition, classification, evaluation, legislation, conservation, and management, including resident and migrant bird species, with special emphasis on shorebirds and waterfowl.

The second component of this model is a public awareness campaign that is designed to promote the ecological and economic importance of wetland, the Ramsar Convention, the NAWMP, NAWCA, and the Sonoran Joint Venture among the public and governmental agencies in Sinaloa. This campaign includes a special event to celebrate Mexico’s World Wetlands Day, on February 2, 2008 (with national media coverage); a photography contest; an artwork contest for children; wetland-related conferences; television and radio programs; and press conferences and releases.

The SJV and the Arizona Game and Fish Department are offering one full scholarship to attend this workshop to a biologist from the Mexican portion of the SJV region (Sonora, Sinaloa, Baja California, or Baja California Sur). The scholarship includes lodging, meals, and transportation during the workshop. The recipient will be responsible for his/her own travel to the workshop and must be able to commit to attending the entire workshop.

Only applicants from within the SJV region will be considered for this scholarship, and special consideration will be given to applicants who are working in wetlands conservation/management in the state of Sinaloa. To apply for the scholarship, please submit a short letter of application to Jennie Duberstein by 15 November 2007. The letter should include the following information:

1. Name
2. Email
3. Organization
4. Title
5. Office/Program
6. Street Address
7. City
8. State
9. Zip code
10. Phone (including area code)
11. Extenstion
12. Cell phone (including area code)
13. Fax
14. A short description (<200 words) of why you want to attend the workshop and how participating in the workshop will benefit your work. The more specific you are, the better.

Contact Jennie Duberstein with any questions or for more details.