July/August 2009

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IMBD Spring Festival featured on national IMBD website
On May 9, 2009 the Sonoran Joint Venture, the Friends of the San Pedro River, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Coronado National Forest hosted an International Migratory Bird Day Spring Festival at the San Pedro House in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The festival was well-attended and included a variety of interactive talks, activities, and workshops for children and adults, live music, and lunch. Highlights of the day included a talk by SJV Coordinator Robert Mesta on the importance of birds to native cultures, accompanyied by a live raptor demonstration courtesy of Liberty Wildlife. Other events included plein air painting, a native plant sale and talk hosted by Cochise County Master Gardeners, a live reptile exhibit from Gray Hawk Nature Centure, a wildlife tracking hike led by Sky Island Alliance, and a wide range of other activities and events.

Environment for the Americas, home of International Migratory Bird Day, has featured our San Pedro River festival on their website. Many thanks to all who helped make this event such a success and we look forward to an even better Festival in 2010!

SJV, Pronatura offer bird guide workshops
In 2007 the Sonoran Joint Venture and Pronatura Noroeste received a Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant to develop birding ecotourism in northwestern Mexico. Over the past six months we have implemented a series of three Bird Guide Workshops at three sites in the Mexican portion of the SJV region where Pronatura Noroeste is currently undertaking habitat conservation projects (the Colorado River delta and Álamos, Sonora, and San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur). During these workshops project staff trained teams of area residents in bird guiding skills.

One key component to this project is the follow up offered by the site coordinators. In the weeks and months since the initial workshops, participants have continued to receive weekly training and professional development opportunities and have become involved in on-the-ground bird habitat conservation and monitoring efforts lead by Pronatura Noroeste and other groups working in the region. Guides must contribute a minimum of 5 hours per month to conservation efforts, including habitat restoration, bird monitoring, and environmental education and community outreach efforts.

To learn more about this project contact Jennie Duberstein.

New guide to in-kind donations in Mexico available
For years, people have been making in-kind donations of goods to Mexico. Unfortunately, a lack of understanding of the legal process has led to problems getting the donations to the appropriate recipients. Recognizing the lack of understanding that most donors have about in-kind donations, The International Community Foundation, Fundación Internacional de la Comunidad, and Mexican Congressman Carlos Torres Torres from Tijuana have written an In-Kind Donations Guide to Mexico to help donors better understand this process.

The Guide outlines the process by which individuals or organizations from the United States can legally make an in-kind donation to a registered non-profit organization in Mexico.

The hope is that this Guide serves as a useful reference that helps support in-kind donations and encourages goodwill between the U.S. and Mexico.

Servidumbre ecológica para la conservación de humedales en El Doctor, Sonora.
El 6 de Mayo Pronatura Noroeste logró la firma para el establecimiento de dos servidumbres ecológicas para la conservación de los humedales del Ejido El Doctor, con fines de asegurar la conservación de sus funciones ambientales por los próximos 30 años. El contrato de servidumbre ecológica se realizó en dos polígonos de humedales prioritarios, con un total de 200 hectáreas, donde el ejido mantendrá la tenencia de la tierra y a través del contrato cumplirán una serie de lineamientos para el aprovechamiento sustentable de sus recursos a través del ecoturismo, la observación de aves y la extracción moderada de recursos vegetales (con base en planes sustentables de aprovechamiento).

Los humedales del Ejido El Doctor se encuentran en el municipio de San Luis Río Colorado dentro de la Reserva de la Biosfera del Alto Golfo de California y Delta del Río Colorado, y han sido reconocidos como Humedales de Importancia Internacional, así como de Importancia Hemisférica para la conservación de aves acuáticas migratorias. Estos humedales conforman una de las prioridades de conservación en el Delta del Río Colorado por su importancia ecológica, incluyendo grandes concentraciones de aves migratorias, gran diversidad de plantas, y la presencia de especies protegidas (amenazadas o en peligro de extinción), como el Palmoteador de Yuma y el Pez Cachorrito del Desierto.

El contrato de servidumbre está orientado a que el ejido se comprometa a no realizar actividades dentro de esos polígonos que dañen al ecosistema, en particular la ganadería, la agricultura, la acuacultura, el desmonte y la construcción de inmuebles. Adicionalmente al beneficio por la compensación que recibirán, el ejido tendrá el beneficio de una mayor certeza sobre sus terrenos, apoyo para la defensa legal de los predios, mayor oportunidad de acceder a recursos para realizar proyectos sustentables, y oportunidades de empleos directos para personas del ejido.

Este proyecto es parte de la Iniciativa Conjunta de Restauración del Delta del Río Colorado, en la cual participan organizaciones gubernamentales y civiles de México y Estados Unidos, y que es posible gracias al apoyo del Acta de Conservación de Humedales de Norteamérica (NAWCA, por sus siglas en Inglés) y de la Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP). Dentro de esta iniciativa, Pronatura Noroeste AC también implementa programas de monitoreo ecológico, educación ambiental, restauración del ecosistema y desarrollo sustentable a través de proyectos de ecoturismo. A través de esta iniciativa, se abren las puertas para proyectos de gran visión y a largo plazo para el manejo integral de los recursos en El Doctor, para beneficio de los ejidatarios, en armonía con la naturaleza.

New climate change modeling tool available
PRBO Conservation Science recently released maps showing potential climate effects for nearly 60 focal bird species in California. California's terrestrial ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to future changes in the global climate, including increased temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and changes in human infrastructure and development. Information on the potential effects of climate change on bird communities can help guide effective conservation and informed land management decisions.

PRBO and the California Avian Data Center are using climate models and multi-source bird data networked for the first time, thanks to the Avian Knowledge Network, to develop an online tool to predict current and future species distributions for over 80 species. These California Partners in Flight focal species represent the major habitat types found within California, including riparian, oak woodland, scrub, conifer, and grassland habitat types. There are currently 60 species available for viewing, organized into 5 different habitat types. Access this new tool here.

To learn more about PRBO's research on birds and climate change, including what you can do to help, please visit their Climate Change, Birds, and Conservation website.

Field guide to the Farm Bill
The Farm Bill is one of the most important tools enacted by Congress for restoring, enhancing, and protecting habitat on private lands. As the number of conservation programs has increased since the 1985 Farm Bill, so have the amount of funds authorized to further conservation on private lands. The 2008 farm Bill authorized approximately $23 billion for a five year period. To help landowners, conservationists, biologists, and others take advantage of conservation programs in the 2008 Farm Bill, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, in partnership with the Intermountain West Joint Venture, has published the Field Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill for Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

The publication presents an overview of the Farm Bill and its history, as well as important information on organizations that administer it. Also provided is information on setting priorities, maximizing wildlife benefits, conservation planning, conservation practice standards, performance measurements, and assessments. A resources page provides citations of studies that document the impacts of Farm Bill programs and practices on wildlife.

New WHSRN sites in the SJV region in Mexico
In April 2009, the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) Hemispheric Council approved two new Sites and the expansion and elevated designation of an existing Site in northwestern Mexico.

The Sistema Lagunar Huizache-Caimanerowas named a Site of Regional Importance. This 18,000-hectare (44,000-acre) lagoonsystem is located in the Municipalities of Rosario and Mazatlán, in the State of Sinaloa. It has been designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, an Important Bird Conservation Area (AICA, in Spanish), and a National Priority Wetland for shorebirds as well as for waterfowl. The lagoon supports more than 20,000 shorebirds representing 23 species.

The Complejo San Ignacio was designated as a Site of International Importance. This 110,000-hectare (271,000-acre) wetland complex is located in the community of San Ignacio, Municipality of Mulegé, in the State of Baja California Sur. The complex includes the San Ignacio, El Coyote, and La Bocana lagoons. The area has been designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The San Ignacio wetland complex hosts 22 species of shorebirds, including more than 23% of the estimated world population of Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) and 11% of the Western Snowy Plover population (Charadrius alexandrines nivosus) during the winter. Other species with regionally important populations here include American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates) [4.7%]; Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americana) [2.2%]; Willet (Tringa semipalmata) [2.8%]; and a Red Knot subspecies (Calidris canutus roselaari) [4.7%].WHSRN Site partners include the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve; National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP); Autonomous University of Baja California Sur; and Pronatura Noroeste.

The Complejo Lagunar Ojo de Liebre-Guerrero Negro was re-designated as a Site of Hemispheric Importance. This lagoon complex is located in the community of Guerrero Negro, Municipality of Mulegé, in the state of Baja California Sur. In September 2000, the 20,102-hectare (49,651-acre) Guerrero Negro wetland was designated a WHSRN Site of International Importance, nominated by Exportadora de Sal S.A. de C.V., a salt-extraction company with a concession in the area. Through scientific research and monitoring activities in the area since, partners discovered that the larger complex of Ojo de Liebre - Guerrero Negro (163,765 hectares [404,500 acres]) meets the criteria for a Site of Hemispheric Importance by hosting over 30% of the biogeographic population of not one but three species: Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) [50%]; a subspecies of Red Knot (Calidris canutus roselaari) [32%]; and a subspecies of Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus cairinus) [68%]. The area supports 31 shorebird species overall, including regionally important populations (> 1%) of seven species. This complex forms part of the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve and has been designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, as well as a World Heritage Site and Whale Sanctuary by UNESCO.

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.

• Department of Defense 2010 Legacy Management Program
  Deadline: 31 July 2009 (pre-proposals)
  Description: The Department of Defense (DoD) Legacy Program is accepting pre-proposals that
  support military mission needs and improve the management of natural and cultural resources. Areas of emphasis include species at risk, species of concern, ecosystem services, global climate change, integrated natural resource management, regional ecosystem management initiatives, invasive species control, and cultural resources. Proposed projects must have regional or DoD-wide significance and benefit more than one military department or installation.
• The Christensen Fund
  Deadline:31 August 2009; 31 March 2010
  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.
• US Fish and Wildlife Service Internship Program
  Deadline: 15 September 2009
  Description: The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) requests proposals to cooperatively administer a program for identifying and recruiting individuals or groups for internship assignments at various USFWS stations. Through on-site activities located at a variety of field stations, including wildlife refuges, fish hatcheries, and ecological services offices, individuals or groups will be introduced to natural resource careers through “hands-on” work with, and training by, natural resource professionals employed by the USFWS. The goal is to help develop a new generation of enthused and effective conservationists and ecologists.
• Acres For America
  Deadline: 1 September 2009
  Description: The purpose of this program is to provide funding for habitat conservation projects through acquisition of interest in real property. Established as a partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Wal-Mart, this program aims to permanently conserve one acre for every acre developed by Wal-Mart for company use, which includes Wal-Mart's current domestic facilities and the company's future development over the next ten years.
• California Department of Parks and Recreation Habitat Conservation Fund
  Deadline: 1 October 2009
  Description: This program is designed to assist local governments with the conservation of habitat via various acquisition, enhancement, restoration, and outreach activities. For the current application cycle, successful applicants will receive support for preliminary costs, personnel, consultation, construction, signage, relocation, fixed equipment, and other eligible costs associated with the following eligible project types: wetlands, riparian habitat, wildlife corridors, urban trails, and aquatic habitat benefiting anadromous salmonids and trout resources.

Upcoming meetings and workshops
See complete details about upcoming meetings and workshops.

American Ornithologists Union: 12-15 August 2009, Philadelphia, PA.

Western Bird Banding Association Annual Meeting: 28-30 August 2009, Milpitas, CA.

Sonoran Joint Venture Technical Committee: 29-30 September 2009, Yuma, Arizona. Contact: Carol Beardmore.