Check out the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy achievements from 2016. This issue also includes stories about new land protection, volunteer work days, habitat management, and our Community Farm, as well as info about upcoming Spring and Summer events. Check out View from the Highlands Annual Report.
Two leading bird conservation groups, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, have launched “Science to Action,” a partnership aimed at reversing decades of population declines for migratory birds in the Americas. Bringing together the Cornell Lab’s cutting-edge science and ABC’s on-the-ground approach to bird conservation, this joint effort represents new hope for hundreds of declining species that journey each spring and fall between their breeding grounds in North America and wintering grounds in Latin America and the Caribbean. ABC and the Cornell Lab are combining their strengths at a critical moment for migratory birds. Landmark conservation
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Kyle Aldinger, AMJV and National Wild Turkey Federation’s (NWTF) Cerulean Warbler Partnership Coordinator in West Virginia, was named NWTF Wildlife Biologist of the Year for the Eastern Region. Kyle was given this prestigious award for his valuable contribution to the Cerulean Warbler Appalachian Forestland Enhancement Project, a regional effort to enhance 12,500 acres of forest habitat on private lands in West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania as well as reforesting 1,000 acres of reclaimed surface-mine sites in Kentucky and Ohio. His and partners’ efforts have raised awareness tremendously – through workshops, news articles and radio and tv spots – about proper forest management
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Many people recognize the most common bird species in Virginia, but according to Ashley Peele, a research associate with Virginia Tech’s Conservation Management Institute, there is still much that scientists don’t know about these species. To try to fill those knowledge gaps, Peele is coordinating the second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas. This statewide project sponsored by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will gather data collected by volunteer birders over a five-year period to determine where breeding birds are living and breeding. “We tend to assume that common birds stay common,” Peele said. “We see them all the time
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Three decades ago, John Gavitt bought 430 acres of hilly property in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia for hunting, fishing and enjoying the outdoors. Over the years, his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took him all over the nation and world, where he saw the benefits of healthy wildlife habitat. That’s when he realized he wanted his land to better benefit people and wildlife. This would lead him and his wife to transform the private property into a public outdoor recreation area to bring in young people and families from the cities to
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With many bird populations declining, scientists are looking for new ways to help protect and conserve vital species. Thanks to a partnership with the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, Virginia Tech is now home to a new, high-profile position that aims to build social science capacity within the bird conservation community through research, partnerships, and outreach. According to Ashley Dayer, assistant professor of human dimensions in the College of Natural Resources and Environment’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, two national-level workshops of bird conservation community leaders in the past three years helped elevate the need for integrating social science
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Click here to view and download the 2023 AMJV Partnership Year in Review!
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The 2023 AMJV Impact Report is now available for downloading and sharing! Starting in 2022, this beautiful report has been designed annually by Liz Brewer (AMJV Outreach Specialist) to…
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by Liz Brewer, AMJV Outreach Specialist Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV), in partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), and the West Virginia…
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