As a way to enhance capacity within the Partnership and address a variety of emerging issues related to the new Operational Plan, the AMJV created Working Groups composed of Technical Committee members from federal and state agencies, NGOs, and Land Trusts. Each Working Group will work to address immediate needs to advance the tasks in the Operational Plan.

At this year’s Technical Committee Meeting, five such groups were formed, each headed by one of our partner’s Committee members:

• A Landscape Decision Support Tool Working Group is focusing on acquiring information from end users – who the various audiences are, how they will use the tool, and what information should be included to make tool more strategic;
• A Monitoring Work Group will discuss and streamline survey methodology and sampling design efforts occurring in the Joint Venture. The initial focus will surround the Cerulean Warbler monitoring methodology and Interior Forest Bird point counts;
• A Wintering Grounds Work Group will inventory existing projects and initiatives on wintering grounds, document lessons learned from international activities, and communicate to partners opportunities to participate in such work;
• A Forest Birds Communication Strategy Work Group will develop a comprehensive scope of work and associate project proposal for producing a communications strategy on the benefits of active forest management to create . Partners are encouraged to identify social science experts within their organizations who might be interested in being part of this group; and
• Finally an Energy Working Group will discuss and document how partners have engaged with energy industry, are sharing energy data, and additional issues related to pipelines.

If you are interested in joining any of these Work Groups or hearing more information about them, get in touch with Becky Keller (bkeller@abcbirds.org).