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August 2007
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 Award winning SEAZ Birding Trail Map!
The efforts of the many partners involved in the creation of the Southeastern Arizona Birding Trail Map, including the Sonoran Joint Venture, were recognized at the 27th annual Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Phoenix on July 11-13 2007. The Southeastern Arizona Birding Trail map/guide won the Governor’s Tourism Award for Best Practices/Cooperative Marketing.
The Southeastern Arizona Birding Trail map/guide showcases 52 bird-rich and visitor-friendly watchable wildlife viewing areas. Six counties – Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz, – are featured on the map. Nature tourism is an important part of the rural economies of these counties. Each year, millions of dollars are spent in Arizona on wildlife viewing and much of that is in southeastern Arizona.
The SJV joined with more than 20 sponsors and supporters to produce and promote the map/guide, which was unveiled during the SJV-sponsored May 2007 celebration of International Migratory Bird Day at the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. The Southeastern Arizona Birding Trail project was made possible by the cooperation, funding, and dedication of many individuals representing the following agencies, organizations, and businesses:
SPONSORS
- Arizona Game & Fish Department
- Bureau of Land Management
- Cochise County Tourism Council
- Sonoran Joint Venture
- Wings Over Willcox Birding & Nature Festival
PARTNERS
- Arizona Watchable Wildlife Tourism Association
- Ash Canyon Bed & Breakfast
- Birders Vista Bed & Breakfast
- Bisbee Visitor Center
- City of Benson Visitor Bureau
- Graham County Visitor & Tourism Council
- Sierra Vista Convention & Visitor Bureau
- Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory
- Southwest Wings Birding & Nature Festival
- The Nature Conservancy
- Tucson Audubon Society
- United States Forest Service
- Wild Birds Unlimited, Sierra Vista
- Southeastern Arizona Butterfly Association
SUPPORTERS
- Beatty’s Miller Canyon Guest Ranch
- Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast
- Huachuca Audubon Society
- San Pedro River Inn
Learn more about the SEAZ Birding Trail Map by clicking here.
National Bird Education Strategy Working Group meets in Denver
In February 2007 the groundbreaking Bird Conservation through Education: A National Gathering took place in Austin, Texas. At that meeting participants decided that it would be useful to form a Working Group to discuss the creation of a National Bird Education Strategy. This Working Group met for the first time in Denver on 9-10 July 2007.
About 20 people attended the meeting and represented Joint Ventures, federal and state agencies, and non-profit organizations. The main points of discussion were the content of a strategic plan for bird education in the U.S., and the best way to proceed organizationally. To obtain a report of the meeting, which will include a number of action items, contact Terry Rich. The Bird Education Working Group is open to anyone interested in the topic, whether you attended the meetings in Austin or Denver or not.
Key migratory shorebird wetlands protected in Bahía Santa Maria, Mexico
 Bahia Santa Maria, located on the shores of the Gulf of California, is part of a complex of coastal bays and
estuaries notable for a number of wintering wetland-dependent birds, including 25% of all Western
Sandpipers. Blue-footed Booby, Laughing Gull, Heermann's Gull, Royal and Least Terns, Marbled Godwits,
Long-billed Curlew, and Stilt Sandpipers are also found in the area which is regarded as one of the six most
important areas for bird conservation in Mexico. The western Mexican coast is under intense land conversion
pressure. Much of the coastal wetland complex has been converted to shrimp farms, and many
other areas have been harmed by water diversion projects that deteriorate bird habitat. A generous
donation from the Mitsubishi International Corporation Foundation in 2007 has enabled American Bird
Conservancy and Pronatura Noroeste to secure the purchase of 865 acres of coastal wetlands to conserve
key bird habitat in Bahia Santa Maria. For further information contact Steve Holmer, ABC.
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Upcoming grant deadlines
We have recently added information about a number of new funding opportunities for those doing work in the SJV region. Please take the time to browse through the complete list of funding opportunities.
- AZ Game and Fish Department Wildlife Conservation Fund
Deadline: 15 August 2007
Description: The Arizona Game and Fish Commission announces the availability of a new grant program, the Wildlife Conservation Fund (WCF) Grant Program, that supports projects that help conserve, enhance and restore Arizona’s diverse wildlife resources and habitats for present and future generations.
Eligible applicants include any agency of the state or any political subdivision, Indian tribe, or nonprofit organization exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code for the purpose of conservation of wildlife or wildlife habitat, or acquisition of real property that is wildlife habitat.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is providing $300,000 total for Fiscal Year 2008 (2007-08).
Project proposals will only be accepted for the following types of projects:
habitat improvement, including aquatic;
shooting sports;
access to wildlife-related recreation;
hunter and angler recruitment and retention;
Wildlife health and disease
new watchable wildlife opportunties; information and education on nuisance wildlife; wildlife population research.
- Wilburforce Foundation
Deadlines: 17 August 2007
Description: Wilburforce Foundation is dedicated to protecting nature's richness and diversity through funding programs that help preserve our remaining wild places. We focus our funding on organizations that work to protect habitats that are critically important to sustaining abundant ecological communities in Western Canada and the Western United States.
- Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Grants to States and Territories
Deadline: 24 August 2007
Description: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories interested in obtaining federal grant assistance to acquire land or conduct planning for endangered species conservation efforts. For fiscal year 2008, the President's budget request for the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund would provide approximately $80 million in grant funding for conservation planning activities and habitat acquisition for federally protected species. The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund is authorized under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act and provides grants to states and territories to support participation in a wide array of voluntary conservation projects for species on the Federal list of threatened and endangered species, as well as for species that are either candidates or have been proposed for listing.
- The Christensen Fund
Deadline: 31 August 2007
Description: The Christensen Fund makes grants to organizations that work towards maintaining the rich diversity of the world—biological and cultural—over the long run, including the persistence and adaptation of indigenous systems for managing landscapes that sustain cultural and biological value and diversity.
Upcoming meetings and workshops
See complete details about upcoming meetings and workshops.
American Ornithologists' Union: 8-11 August 2007, Laramie, Wyoming.
Wetlands 2007: Watershed-wide Strategies to Maximize Wetland Ecological and Social Services: 27-30 August 2007, Williamsburg, Virginia.
California Partners in Flight: 6-7 September 2007, near Sacramento, California.
Western Field Ornithologists Meeting: 27-30 September 2007, Henderson, Nevada.
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