Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance Program

Description

Legislative authority is based on U. S. Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, 16 U.S.C. 661-666; Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 742a; Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 16 US.C. 2901-2911; and/or specific Congressional action, generally through the annual Appropriations Act, i.e., The Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, that cites new or relevant environmental and/or conservation statutes and activities for a defined purpose consistent with the mission, expertise, and goals of the Agency. To know where conservation is needed ─ and if management interventions have been effective ─ shorebird scientists require a broad understanding of species populations and trends. In 1974, Manomet organized the volunteer-based International Shorebird Survey (ISS) to gather information on shorebirds and the wetlands they depend on. The International Shorebird Survey, along with its sister Atlantic Canada Shorebird Survey, is one of the longest citizen science projects in North America, and data gathered through the ISS has proven pivotal to shorebird conservation planning and action in the United States. Relative to North America, data from South America is scant, and coverage there will need to be improved to address monitoring and evaluation goals of the overarching Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative (AFSI). This project will continue to expand and support the International Shorebird Survey in Brazil and Argentina. The project will maintain and expand the existing network of participants in Brazil and Argentina; past funding has been used to initiate a network of participants primarily in southern Brazil. Specific objectives of this project are to: 1) discover or report new areas of importance to shorebirds, 2) work opportunistically, building off of the past momentum to establish additional ISS monitoring sites and continue to generate migration data, working around the challenges of monitoring shorebirds, and 3) support feedback to colleagues through timely and effective ISS data management using data downloads from eBird to populate Manomet¿s publically accessible mapping tool. Expansion into Argentina will be instrumental in contributing site data to the launch and execution of the Argentine Shorebird Conservation Plan. This program aligns with Departmental funding Priority 1, creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt, as it promotes natural resource conservation through sustainable use integrating the best science (survey data) for the conservation of migratory shorebirds. By engaging with local and international partners, this program aligns with Priority 3, restoring trust with our local communities, by improving relationships and expanding lines of communication to local communities in developing conservation solutions. The program also addresses Priority 7, striking a regulatory balance, by providing information outside of the U.S. for decisions concerning the ESA-listed Red Knot.

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