The Chestnut-collared Longspur is a charismatic grassland bird that has declined by more than 87% since 1966. Learn how the Arizona IBA program and Tucson Audubon Society are conducting surveys to better identify wintering habitat needs in order to protect critical areas for the species.
Tice Supplee introduces us to the natural history of Arizona grassland birds. Learn why the sometimes difficult to identify “Little Brown Jobs” are so worth the time!
The Madrean Sky Islands region of northwest Mexico provides critical habitat for Neotropical migratory birds, but unsustainable land use practices, especially overgrazing, have negatively affected both the quality and extent of habitats. Learn how private landowners and The Borderlands Restoration Network are working to change that.
Through conducting surveys for Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Audubon Arizona shares with us their unique, first-hand opportunity to observe the BLM’s restoration of River Bend. However, countless other degraded sites need our attention and support.
The Santa Clara River was once designated as one of the most threatened rivers in the U.S. because of the juxtaposition of its environmental and conservation values with threats from urban and industrial development. Now, partners are envisioning a 30 mile-long floodplain corridor to reverse habitat degradation, conserve existing aquatic and riparian habitats, and provide public access for recreation and education.
San Diego County is one of the most biologically diverse parts of our country, but it is also facing significant pressure from increasing development and water scarcity. River Partners has been restoring riparian habitat in San Diego since 2008 to help support the recovery of the biodiversity in the region.
This June, the Science Working Group had the amazing opportunity to meet on Santa Cruz Island, CA. This set of SJV News articles highlights some of the projects that have taken place in the Channel Islands and islands in Mexico, as well as a trinational partnership for island conservation.
To conserve island biodiversity, the Group of Ecology and Conservation of Islands, A.C. (GECI), has been working for the last two decades in collaboration with government agencies, academic institutions, fishing cooperatives and a network of donors, to carry out a national program of restoration and conservation of the islands of Mexico.
With support in part from the SJV Awards Program, CIES’s monitoring of Scripps’s Murrelets is one of the most robust data-sets of the post-eradication response of affected seabirds, but there’s more work needed to protect these birds.
The countries of Canada, Mexico and the United States are inextricably linked through shared species, habitats, and ecosystems. The Trilateral Island Initiative promotes international collaboration on the conservation and restoration of island ecosystems and their adjacent coastal and marine environments.
Invasive, non-native plant species and island ecosystem degradation have affected seabird nesting habitat quality on many of the California Islands, imposing threats to population growth and recovery. Island restoration projects to benefit seabirds and restore breeding habitat are now occurring on 13 of the islands.
The grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert are under threat from rampant agricultural conversion. What will this mean for the Aplomodo Falcon population?
WILDCOAST’s Blue Carbon Project is a collaborative effort by diverse partners in Mexico to protect mangroves in the Gulf of California.
San Diego Natural History Museum is working on a collaborative project to strengthen our understanding of the current status of research and conservation efforts in the Baja California peninsula.
The Sonoran Joint Venture helped coordinate the annual meeting of the American Ornithological Society, held in Tucson, Arizona in April. The meeting’s theme Celebrating Connections: Birds Across Borders, was the perfect opportunity for the SJV to co-lead a special symposium on binational collaboration for desert bird conservation.
LightHawk is teaming up with the Sonoran Joint Venture to accelerate conservation success through the powerful perspective of flight. LightHawk is a non-profit organization that mobilizes volunteer pilots, photographers, environmental experts, and storytellers to make images, collect data, inform the public and share their experiences.
With rapidly growing development of wind energy and its associated infrastructure, future impacts on wildlife are poorly understood. Biologist (and SJV board member!) Dan Collins, along with many partners, are working to better understand the movements of the Western Greater Sandhill Crane to inform agencies and land managers on where to target wintering landscapes for conservation.
Two of the fastest declining species in desert habitats are Bendire’s Thrashers and LeConte’s Thrashers. Little is known about these species, which limits the effectiveness of conservation and management actions. The Desert Thrasher Working Group is aiming to change that through a multi-state monitoring program.
The annual meeting of the American Ornithological Society will take place at the El Conquistador Resort in Tucson, Arizona, April 9-14, 2018. The meeting’s theme is Celebrating Connections: Birds Across Borders, and sessions will place special emphasis on research and conservation. The Sonoran Joint Venture is co-coordinating two symposiums at the conference, one of which is free and open to the public.
We are excited to announce the publication of a new iBook, the Sweetwater Wetlands Wildlife Field Guide. The SJV worked with our partners at The Environmental Education Exchange to help produce this interactive digital guide for Sweetwater Wetlands. Learn more and download your free copy!