From the northern bobwhite to trout and salmon, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adding dozens of new target species to its premier wildlife conservation effort that helps agricultural producers make wildlife-friendly improvements on working lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is adding 11 new projects to Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW), the agency’s targeted, science-based effort to help producers restore and protect habitat for declining species on farms, ranches and working forests. “Agriculture and wildlife both thrive together through landscape conservation,” said NRCS Chief Jason Weller, who toured a Missouri farm that has created young forest habitat to aid
Read More
Migration is big. Especially when you’re a tiny Cerulean Warbler. This species’ epic journey was tracked for the first time this past spring, when 19 Cerulean Warblers were outfitted with high-tech backpacks capturing essential data about the birds’ migration route. We now know that over a period of six weeks, one of these warblers—dubbed “Elmer” by researchers—traveled thousands of miles. He flew from his Colombian wintering grounds all the way back to his namesake elm tree in Pennsylvania, where he had nested the year before. Gauntlet of Threats Elmer is smart, or lucky, or both. Many Cerulean Warblers and other
Read More
Each year, NABCI and the Association of Joint Venture Management Boards present the Gary T. Myers Bird Conservation Award to an individual, organization, or partnership that has shown exceptional accomplishments and/or leadership in bird conservation. This year’s nominations are due by January 20, 2017. Purpose The U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) Committee and the Association of Joint Venture Management Board (AJVMB) want to recognize individuals or groups who have shown exceptional accomplishments and/or leadership in bird conservation in furtherance of the principles of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and the national/international bird initiatives (North American Waterfowl Management Plan,
Read More
New guidelines for communication tower lights spell out how tower operators can save birds and energy without sacrificing safety. Put in place by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the guidelines strongly encourage tower operators to turn off or reprogram steady-burning red or white lights in favor of flashing lights, which are less harmful to birds yet still alert pilots to the towers’ presence. As of late October, operators of more than 750 tall towers nationwide had already updated their lighting systems under the new guidelines. Making the switch saves energy, reduces operating costs, and reduces
Read More
A new study from The Nature Conservancy finds that an investment in tree planting of just US $4 per resident in some of the world’s largest cities could improve the health of tens of millions of people by reducing air pollution and cooling city streets. Released today at the American Public Health Association annual meeting, the Planting Healthy Air study applies well-established research into how trees clean and cool the air locally at a global scale to identify those places where an investment in tree planting can make the biggest impact on people’s lives. The Conservancy partnered with the C40 Cities Climate
Read More
A new video series by the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative highlights the importance of proper forest management in improving a diversity of habitat for birds and other wildlife. The series focuses on several Ohio private landowners detailing their experiences managing and improving conditions of their woodlands and the beneficial changes in the bird community following such actions. “With fewer sources of natural disturbances such as a forest fire, active management plays a crucial role in creating and maintaining early-successional forest, or young forests, on the landscape,” said Matthew Shumar, Program Coordinator for the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative. “When responsibly planned and
Read More
Click here to view and download the 2023 AMJV Partnership Year in Review!
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More