Avicaching Comes to the Southwest
Looking for an exciting resolution to get 2018 off to a good start? Welcome the New Year by trying your hand—along with your eyes and ears—at Avicaching!
Bon Voyage to SJV Science Coordinator Carol Beardmore
On December 31, 2017, the Sonoran Joint Venture bid farewell to long-time Science Coordinator, Carol Beardmore, who retired after a 27-year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and more than forty years working in conservation.
Monte Mojino Reserve, Álamos Sonora
Nature and Culture International’s Monte Mojino Reserve has grown from a small reserve to 6,800 hectares.
SJV Awards Program Enables Expansion of Cuckoo Research in Mexico
Thanks to the Sonoran Joint Venture’s Awards Program, the Southern Sierra Research Station facilitated a Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo survey training workshop for Mexican biologists to lead surveys in Northwestern Mexico.
Gathering of minds: 2017 SJV Meetings
Both the SJV Management Board and the Science Work Group met this fall to discuss current issues in bird conservation and to strengthen our partnerships to best address threats.
Amelia Takes the Record: Longest Movement of a Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail
If you’ve heard of clapper rails, you may know they are not very agile fliers and tend to quietly prod around within the coastal salt marsh where they were born, or released into. But the endangered Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail in Southern California and Baja California is not so much of a “home body” as originally thought.
The “People” Part of Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation
In September 2017 waterfowl and wetlands biologists and managers, social scientists, and others with an interest in waterfowl conservation gathered in Shepherdstown, West Virginia for the Future of Waterfowl Workshop.
Birds Tell the Tale: Ecosystem Response to Habitat Restoration in the Colorado River Delta
Despite having lost roughly 80% of historical wetlands in the Colorado River basin, about 100,000 acres remain. These are the most important wetlands in the Sonoran Desert.
Monarchs in the Desert: the insect that reigns in North America
The Sonoran Desert region plays a role in monarch migration. However, much is still not known about monarchs in Arizona.
The Poo Poo Project Takes Over
Vault toilets, used in remote areas with no plumbing, have an unintended consequence for birds—Ventilation pipes, which help keep smells to a minimum, can trap and kill cavity-nesting birds that enter seeking shelter or nesting areas. The Teton Raptor Center’s Poo Poo Project and its many partners are taking huge strides to keep that from happening.
The Shrinking Salton Sea
Once a vibrant tourist destination and thriving wetland habitat that supported millions of birds annually, the Salton Sea is now experiencing ecological collapse. Without regular freshwater inputs, the increased salinity and concentrations of pollutants are killing fish, reducing bird populations, and posing health risks to the local communities. Read more about the history of the Salton Sea, the conservation challenges, and what the SJV and its partners are doing to help.
Birds, Solar Energy Development, and the Path Forward
Increasing demand for alternative energies like wind and solar bring increasing pressure on wildlife and their habitats. Finding a balance between the need for more sustainable energy sources and conservation of the delicate desert ecosystem of the southwestern U.S. is an ongoing challenge.
The Community Meets a River: a Colorado River Delta Restoration Project
The Sonoran Institute’s Colorado River Delta Program takes a three-pronged approach to their habitat restoration efforts — Restore, Reconnect, Renew. Read about how community engagement plays a key role in the long-term success of their projects.
Nevada Leads the Charge to Prevent Accidental Bird Deaths from Mining Claims
In our last newsletter, we introduced you to the danger that open vertical pipes represent for birds. Now learn more about open pipes, mining claims, and the people and organizations working to address this issue.
Round Trip Flights: Salt Lake City to Mazatlan
Did you know there is a strong connection between birds in Utah and Mexico? The American White Pelican commonly breeds in Utah and Idaho, and then travels south to spend the winter in Mexico. Researchers are banding birds and using GPS transmitters to track their movements. Follow along on their tracking website and keep on the lookout for banded birds!
The Sonoran Joint Venture Awards Grants to Seven Projects in 2017
The Sonoran Joint Venture recently selected its finalists for the 2017 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 the following award recipients.
Belding’s Yellowthroat Conservation in southern Baja California
The SJV Awards Program supported the work of biologists in Baja California Sur to research the endemic and endangered Belding’s Yellowthroat, as well as to develop strategies for its conservation.
Arizona Welcomes Four Newly Designated Important Bird Areas
The Arizona Important Bird Areas Program is a collaborative partnership that works to protect critical bird habitat. This year, the program added four new additions: Patagonia Mountains, Tucson Mountains, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, and the Tucson Sky Island Region.
Open Pipes: A Hidden Killer for Birds
We are working to raise awareness about a silent killer within the bird conservation community, open vertical pipes. They can be found almost everywhere – on homes, office buildings, construction sites, agricultural fields, mining operations, even on protected public lands. They can take the form of fence posts, sign posts, irrigation systems, survey markers, vents on buildings and even vault toilet ventilation ducts. Any open vertical pipe between one and 10 inches in diameter with smooth walls (such as PVC or metal) is basically a death trap where birds and other wildlife can become ensnared and perish.
Celebrating the Importance of Stopover Sites
This year, we celebrate International Migratory Bird Day by recognizing the importance of stopover sites for migratory birds. Events are taking place world-wide to promote the conservation and knowledge of vital areas used by birds to rest and refuel on migratory journeys.