David Whitehurst, Chairman of the Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV) and Director of the Bureau of Wildlife Resources at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF), received the Clarence W. Watson Award for his tremendous, sustained service to resource conservation. This is the most prestigious conservation honor given in the southeastern U.S. and recognizes the individual who has made the greatest contribution to wildlife or fish conservation. It was presented at the 66th Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies held in Hot Springs, Arkansas from Oct. 7-10, 2012. Whitehurst has 40 years of
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The NWTF, the leading conservation organization dedicated to improving upland wildlife habitat, and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service are partnering on two initiatives to enhance critical ecosystems on private land across 16 states. The golden-winged warbler and longleaf pine initiatives will improve habitat on private land for targeted species and countless other wildlife and plant species that flourish in the same habitat. “These are landscape scale habitat initiatives that will have far reaching impacts,” said James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., the NWTF’s chief conservation officer. “The NWTF and our expert wildlife biologists are uniquely positioned to be the driving force
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Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Dave White and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dan Ashe today announced an agreement that will provide long-term regulatory predictability for up to 30 years to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) Initiative. Participants voluntarily implement proven conservation practices designed to protect wildlife habitat, including several at risk species and vulnerable game species on private lands. “This agreement will change the way we manage at-risk species on private lands,” White said. “It will provide landowners with a mechanism to keep working
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The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) is again providing access to its National American Woodcock Migration Mapping System, an online tool to track the migrations of the American woodcock. Hunters and bird watchers are encouraged to enter their woodcock activity reports this fall and winter. As the birds return north, bird dog trainers and bird watchers again will be able to enter reports until April 30. In partnership with Waterfowler.com, the online authority in waterfowl migration tracking, RGS started providing real-time tracking of the annual American woodcock migrations in 2006 — for the first time in history. It has continued each
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Virginia Tech wildlife science major Jarrett Wansley of Richmond, Va., was selected for a competitive STEP (Student Temporary Employment Program) position with the Appalachian Mountain Joint Venture this summer. Wansley, a senior, will be traveling up and down the East Coast where his responsibilities will range from performing vegetation sampling and bird-point counts to removing invasive plants at project sites. “This federal program is a paid internship and provides opportunities for students to receive some great experience in a field that is their professional interest,” said Todd Fearer, coordinator for the Appalachian Mountain Joint Venture. Wansley will also work with Virginia
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Bird conservation in the Appalachian Mountains received a big boost recently with the completion of a significant conservation acquisition in east Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau. The newly-acquired lands include over 120,000 acres of hardwood forest, rugged mountains, and pristine streams spread over three different areas. These forests link to an additional 66,000 acres of public lands, creating a total of 300 square miles of protected habitat for birds and wildlife. The acquisition was arranged by the Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV), a regional public-private partnership. “This is a huge victory for the AMJV partnership, migratory and resident birds in the area,
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The new 2023 AMJV Impact Report is now available for downloading and sharing! This beautiful report was designed by Liz (AMJV Outreach Specialist) to be handed out to congressional leadership…
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Click here to view and download our 2022 Year in Review!
Read MoreOur AMJV partners are the backbone of bird conservation and healthy forest restoration throughout our region. To highlight some of the wonderful work they do, we will be spotlighting partners…
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