Migratory Bird Conservation in the Upper Midwest

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This announcement solicits proposals for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS’s) Upper Midwest (Region 3) Migratory Bird Conservation Program. In 2010, this program will provide small grants for the conservation of migratory birds that are not federally listed as Endangered or Threatened. Proposals should address the geographic area comprised by Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin, or areas important for birds breeding in these states during the non-breeding season. This grant program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance at: https://www.cfda.gov/index?s=program&mode=form&tab=step1&id=c7a6b53d91e3b2f235f9a5cd3a0ea10d&cck=1&au=&ck=. In 2010, the program will focus on the following: 1. Coordinated Bird Monitoring: We seek proposals that advance regional scale bird monitoring priorities as identified through the Midwest Coordinated Bird Monitoring Partnership. Priority will be given to proposals that: (1) Facilitate the flow of bird monitoring information between bird conservation partners and regional nodes to the Avian Knowledge Network; (2) Assess the value of existing networks of bird demographic data and/or design regionally coordinated programs to monitor bird demographics in the context of conservation, management or policy decisions (i.e., productivity, survivorship, bioenergetics, density, migration); (3) Identify bird migration routes and important stopover or wintering sites (including pelagic concentrations in the Great Lakes); and (4) Promote the incorporation of existing grassland bird monitoring data sets into a regional framework that informs management, conservation, and/or policy decisions. Projects that directly involve collaborative and coordinated support of several key partners within the region will be given greater consideration. Please note that this grant program is not meant to support long-term operational bird monitoring efforts; rather, it seeks to address coordination of monitoring efforts and development and evaluation of new survey and monitoring techniques (both field and analytical). If you are interested in submitting proposals to advance Midwest Coordinated Bird Monitoring priorities, please contact Katie Koch, USFWS Division of Migratory Birds (906-226-1249; katie_koch@fws.gov), to discuss potential projects. She will direct you to resources that identify highest priority needs, and you can then decide if you want to develop an appropriate proposal. 2. Focal species conservation: Over the last few years, the USFWS has worked with partners to develop conservation plans and host collaborative workshops for a small number of high-priority landbirds, waterbirds, and shorebirds (hereafter focal species). In 2010, we seek proposals that advance conservation priorities expressed in planning efforts for the following focal species: Common Tern, Upland Sandpiper, American Woodcock, Lesser Scaup, Cerulean and Golden-winged Warblers, and Henslow’s Sparrow (in the context of all Eastern grassland birds). Proposals will be given greater consideration if they include a monitoring component to guide informed conservation planning and decision-making or to evaluate population or demographic success of conservation projects. If you are interested in submitting proposals to study or monitor any of these species, please contact Steve Lewis, USFWS Division of Migratory Birds (612-713-5473; steve_j_lewis@fws.gov), to discuss potential projects. He will direct you to conservation plans and other resources that identify these species’ greatest needs, and you can then decide if you want to develop an appropriate proposal. 3. Strategic Conservation: In order to focus conservation on the highest priority issues with the greatest probability of making a difference for birds, the USFWS Upper Midwest Migratory Bird Conservation Program operates under the USFWS business model that integrates biological planning, landscape design, conservation delivery, and monitoring and evaluation in a way that generates the adaptive feedback loops that enable sound decisions and constantly improve our efficiency and effectiveness in saving birds (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/science/SHC/FAQ.htm). In 2010, in order to check operating assumptions and to make sure we are directly addressing the threats that most limit avian productivity and populations, we are seeking proposals that: a. Evaluate the direct and indirect effects of feral cats and cat colonies on the productivity of birds breeding in close proximity to humans (urban, suburban, and small towns), especially in ecosystems with high conservation priority species. b. Develop landscape-scale decision support tools that will allow integration of objectives for competing bird guilds (e.g., between grassland and forest species or between early and late successional species). c. Develop models that sum local, landscape, and regional bird management efforts and estimate contributions toward meeting continental objectives. If you are interested in submitting proposals under any of the three strategic areas above, please contact Tom Will, USFWS Division of Migratory Birds (612-713-5362; tom_will@fws.gov), to discuss potential projects. He will direct you to resources that identify priority needs, and you can then decide if you want to develop an appropriate proposal. Please note that funds for 2010 projects may not be available until late summer.

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