May 2008

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SJV, partners receive Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grant
The Sonoran Joint Venture and partner Pronatura Noroeste recently received a grant through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. The project, titled "Ecotourism, Bird Habitat Conservation, and Community-based Conservation in Northwest Mexico," strives to protect Neotropical migratory birds and their habitats by combining on-the-ground restorationand protection efforts with developing local ecotourism projects in northwestn Mexico.

Combined with an overall habitat protection and restoration effort, birding ecotourism has the potential to be an important piece of a larger solution to the issues facing bird populations in the Sonoran Joint Venture region. Although birding ecotourism is not a panacea for problems related to habitat loss or degradation in the region, it does provide an economic incentive for conservation and is an effective way for some landowners and communities to gain additional income from their land for protecting birds and bird habitat. Specific project objectives include: (1) Support and promote existing bird habitat restoration and protection efforts in northwest Mexico; (2) Link on-the-ground Neotropical migratory bird habitat restoration and protection projects in northwest Mexico with developing local ecotourism efforts; (3) Build the capacity of local residents and community partners in Mexico to develop economic diversification projects as an incentive for conservation of Neotropical migratory birds and their habitats; (4) Connect bird tour operators, hotels, and other groups with an interest in visiting the area with Mexican project sites to encourage responsible ecotourism practices and develop conservation incentives for local residents; and (5) Educate tour participants about the importance of the region to Neotropical migratory birds and the work of the SJV and its partners to protect these areas.

The project will initially focus on three sites: the Colorado River delta, Sonora and Baja California; Alamos, Sonora; and San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur. To learn more contact Jennie Duberstein, SJV Education and Outreach Coordinator.

Mexican government designates 45 new Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance
In early February the Government of Mexico designated 45 New Wetlands of International Importance under provisions of the Ramsar Convention. This action sets a world record for the most new Ramsar sites ever designated in one day, breaking Mexico's own record of designating 34 sites in a single day in 2004. By designating these new sites, Mexico is helping to safeguard another 2.7 million hectares of habitat important for a number of migratory birds, including waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, terns, herons, egrets, and wetland-associated songbirds. Mexico is currently in second place worldwide with its 112 designated Ramsar sites.

The announcement was made by conservation leaders from the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), and the Government of Sinaloa, in conjunction with the State's celebrations honoring World Wetlands Day.

For more information, visit the Ramsar website.

New map layer depicts North America’s protected areas
A new map layer available as part of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) North American Environmental Atlas depicts protected areas managed by national, state, provincial, or territorial authorities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. In addition to location information for nearly 200,000 distinct parcels of protected land, the map layer data files contain information on each protected area, including protection management classifications from the World Conservation Union and the GAP Analysis Program. The map layer was produced in cooperation with the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Clemson University (South Carolina, United States). More information, including the raw data files and a map showing the protected areas, is available on the protected areas page of the CEC’s atlas.

Upper San Pedro Partnership receives Cooperative Conservation Award for Earth Day
At a ceremony in the nation’s capital, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne recognized the Upper San Pedro Partnership of southeastern Arizona as one of 21 recipients nationwide of the Department of the Interior’s Cooperative Conservation Award.

“These outstanding partnerships and cooperative efforts represent a fundamental way in which our Department provides stewardship for America with integrity and excellence,” Secretary Kempthorne said. “They embody a broad spectrum of conservation work from restoring wetlands, rangelands and mine lands to protecting wildlife, conserving water and fighting invasive species to teaching conservation values to the next generation.”

The Upper San Pedro Partnership award recognizes the outstanding collaborative efforts of a consortium of 21 federal, state, and local agencies and nongovernmental organizations to achieve a sustainable ground water supply for human use while at the same time protecting the highly valued riparian ecosystem along the San Pedro River. The Sierra Vista Subwatershed of the Upper San Pedro Ground-Water Basin is home both to the federally protected San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and a growing residential population. The combination of ground water withdrawals and natural outflow has exceeded natural recharge in the area for many years, resulting in local declines in water levels and losses from aquifer storage.

“The Upper San Pedro Partnership employs a collaborative, science-centered approach to decision-making,” the award noted. “The partnership’s diverse membership, including environmental groups, the development community, scientists, engineers, city officials, and policymakers, accounts for the consortium’s success in identifying key policy questions, crafting and implementing a science strategy to answer those questions, and communicating the science back to the policymakers.”

The Department of the Interior’s Cooperative Conservation Award recognizes conservation achievements resulting from the cooperation and participation of individual landowners, citizen groups, private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and Federal, State, local, and/or tribal governments.

Desert Bald Eagle returns to Endangered Species List
As a result of a recent court order, bald eagles in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona are again protected as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published the special rule announcing the protected status in the Federal Register (May 1, 2008).

On March 6, 2008, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona amended the Service’s July 9, 2007 final rule which removed eagle populations nationwide from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. The court reversed the delisting for bald eagles in the Sonoran Desert area of central Arizona and as of March 6, 2008, bald eagles in the Sonoran Desert area of central Arizona were again listed as a threatened species under a special rule.

The court also ordered the Service to conduct a status review to determine whether the Sonoran Desert bald eagle population is a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) and if so, whether that DPS should be listed as threatened or endangered. Eagles in the Sonoran Desert area of central Arizona will remain listed as a threatened species through this special rule. This court order does not affect the status of bald eagles elsewhere in its range.

For a description of the area in central Arizona in which the bald eagle is protected, or for further information on this court order and bald eagle recovery in the U.S., please visit the US Fish and Wildlife Service website.