By the Sonoran Joint Venture Awards Program Committee

After a one-year hiatus, the SJV Awards Program is back in 2022. Now managed in partnership with the International Community Foundation, our small grant program has a streamlined application process that is more accessible through submission’s admissible in both English and Spanish. It was a competitive season, but the following three organizations were awarded a combined $35,000 to make their bird and habitat conservation projects a reality.

The Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies was awarded $15,000 for their project, “Promoting local leadership in collaborative monitoring of priority species for conservation of critical habitat.” This project builds upon previous efforts to contribute to the knowledge, conservation, and management of priority avian species in the Midriff Island Region of the Gulf of California, Sonora, Mexico. The project includes scientific monitoring, active participation and leadership by local communities, and the collaboration of regional researchers and agencies. Specifically, this project focuses on coordinated and collaborative monitoring and conservation of beach-nesting shorebirds (Least Tern, Snowy Plover, American Oystercatcher, Wilson’s Plover), migratory Black Brant, and island-nesting Craveri’s Murrelet, and their habitats.

Terra Peninsular was awarded $15,000 for “Reducing plastic pollution in San Quintín Bay, a coastal lagoon of ecological importance.” Having a clean, plastic-free bay benefits wildlife, as well as the health and well-being of people who engage in recreational outdoor activities as well as employment activities, such as fishing. Many bird species depend on this fragile ecosystem to rest, refuel, and nest. The project will not only remove plastic garbage and abandoned fishing gear, etc., but will work to create awareness within the local community about the impacts of this garbage and begin to tackle the root of the issue.

The Pasadena Audubon Society was awarded $5,000 for the “Installation of a Motus receiving tower at Bear Divide, CA.” The Motus tracking system – ultra-small transmitters on birds, combined with a network of receiving stations – has allowed scientists to learn more about bird migration than ever before. The SJV is very involved in expanding the network of Motus towers across the western states and into Mexico. Pasadena Audubon’s project will extend the system into southern California (where there are currently very few tracking stations) by installing a station at Bear Divide in the Angeles National Forest. Tens of thousands of migrating birds pass through the divide every spring and learning more about their movements could be vital in protecting their habitats throughout the west. They will use this project as an educational tool for their membership, youth programs, and the public to help them understand the importance of the Motus network and its impact on avian research and ultimately, conservation.

Thank you to everyone who applied for a grant in 2022. Please reach out to SJV Science Coordinator, Adam Hannuksela, for more information about our priorities and advice on proposal submission. Stay tuned on our funding page for the next opportunity.