Fish and Wildlife Coordinaion and Assistance Programs

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. This is an announcement for issuing a single source financial assistance award. This announcement is for notification purposes only. Barbados¿ position in the western Atlantic makes it an important stopover for shorebirds during adverse weather. This did not go unnoticed by Barbadian planters, and the shooting of shorebirds has been a tradition on Barbados since the early colonial era. Hunting continues today in specially prepared ¿shooting swamps¿ and, despite the hunting, these swamps have been identified as Important Bird Areas (IBAs). In 2008, the abandoned shooting swamp at Woodbourne was leased to provide a no-shooting refuge for migratory shorebirds and other waterbirds. Two former hunters were instrumental in securing the lease and financing the initial restoration of Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge, which started in May 2009, and the swamp was ready for the southbound migration of 2009. The response was immediate and thousands of shorebirds used the Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge, which is now managed locally by the Shorebird Conservation Trust in Barbados. Observations from there indicated that departing shorebirds left in a direction that did not subject them to further shooting pressure. Funds are needed to maintain the Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge. The greatest challenge (and cost) at the refuge is to prevent flooding of the ¿feeding tray¿ which makes it near useless for shorebirds. Current management is labor intensive and involves extensive annual maintenance and monitoring. The Fosters was created as an artificial swamp for hunting of the migrating shorebirds in 1944. It was originally owned by two brothers and had as many as ten shooting members. It is located on the western side of the most northerly parish of St. Lucy and lies on a slightly rolling plain with unimpeded views to the north. Beginning in 2017, members stopped shooting shorebirds and were interested in maintaining the swamp as a no-shooting reserve. Funds will be used to maintain the feeding trays and provide water during fall migration. Shareholders are Fosters are providing personal matching funds to supply water. In October 1981 the Barbados Wildfowlers Association (BWFA) was established by a founding group of about 40 hunters and grew to about 80 individuals, representing all hunters, in 2014. In 2008, The Canadian Wildlife Service and BirdLife International started work to ensure that the Barbados harvest is managed sustainably, without population-level effects on the shorebird species involved. The focus has been on change and evolution of the tradition of hunting rather than elimination ¿ to regulate (where necessary) based on an objective analysis of accurate data about the harvest of each species being shot. The pace of evolution over the past five years in terms of changed attitudes, regulation, information availability and conservation has been impressive. To maintain these positive gains with the shorebird hunters, funds are needed to support a local liaison that can interface with the shooting swamp hunters. 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 for the conservation of migratory shorebirds. By engaging local land owners and organizations, this program aligns with Priority 3, restoring trust with our local communities, by improving relationships and expanding lines of communication with international partners who look to consider local communities in developing conservation solutions.

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