The Sonoran Joint Venture recently selected its finalists for the 2020 SJV Awards Program. The objective of the SJV Awards Program is to support the investigation and conservation of birds and their habitats within SJV boundaries by providing funds through a competitive program. The SJV is pleased to announce that the following projects were awarded funds for the 2020 cycle:

Habitat Enhancement for Protected Montezuma Quail Populations: Borderlands Restoration Network and Quail Forever were awarded $12,650 to restore grassland habitat in southeast Arizona to support Montezuma Quail and other priority species.

Population Status and Marine Key Areas of Seabirds at Isla San Pedro Mártir: Conselva, Costas y Comunidades A.C. was awarded $11,682 to survey Isla San Pedro Mártir in the Gulf of California for breeding seabirds, characterize foraging zones of Brown and Blue-footed boobies, and use results to jointly establish a plan with CONANP to conserve seabird colonies.

Wetland Habitat Protection and Coordinated Waterbird Monitoring on Indigenous Lands: The Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies in collaboration with the Comca’ac Indigenous Community was awarded $15,000 to conduct activities towards maintaining the Ramsar Site designation for the Canal del Infiernillo y esteros del territorio Comca’ac.

Using Motus Stations to Conserve Endangered Shorebirds at Priority Wetlands of northwest Mexico: The University of South Carolina was awarded $14,262 to kickstart the use of Motus stations—a coordinated automated radio telemetry system for detecting birds carrying miniature transmitters—to monitor the movements of migratory birds at three priority wetlands in the region. The projects includes the installation of three Motus stations and tracking of 30 Red Knots.

Fostering Actions for Waterbird Habitat Conservation in Sonora, Mexico: The Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo A.C. was awarded $7,500 to strengthen the capacity of a sea salt production company located at Bahia Lobos, Sonora, to implement conservation actions for birds on their property.

Are you interested in opportunities from the SJV Awards Program? Visit our Funding page to learn more, and stay tuned for our 2021 call for proposals. Please contact Adam Hannuksela with questions.