Pacific Southwest

Title: Partnerships to Deliver Bird Conservation along the Gulf Coast

Author: Riley, Cecilia M.; Esslinger, Greg; Wilson, Barry

Date: 2005

Source: In: Ralph, C. John; Rich, Terrell D., editors 2005. Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas: Proceedings of the Third International Partners in Flight Conference. 2002 March 20-24; Asilomar, California, Volume 1 Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-191. Albany, CA: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: p. 438-442

Station ID: GTR-PSW-191

Description: The Gulf of Mexico region contains much of the Western Hemisphere’s most important stopover habitat. Long an important region for industry and agriculture, the near-shore maritime and wetland habitats are now highly threatened by habitat degradation and rapid urbanization. Because of the value placed on coastal property, acquisition is not always a viable conservation tool. The development of public and private partnerships has proven to be an excellent method to deliver cost-effective conservation in the maritime habitats of the western gulf coast. Here we describe accomplishments of four partnership programs spanning the gulf coast from Alabama to the Yucatan Peninsula: The Gulf Crossings Network, The Texas Prairie Wetlands Project, the Louisiana Waterfowl Project South, and the Mini-refuge Program. The Gulf Crossings Network includes 48 partner sites consisting of a diverse group of private and public landowners responsible for the management of 5.7 million acres of coastal habitat. The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory works to assist these partners with specific conservation efforts and also facilitates sister-site partnerships to share responsibilities and resources for similar habitat types and for shared avian species. Many en route migrants such as shorebirds, as well as wintering waterfowl and prairie grassland birds, benefit from the efforts of the Gulf Coast Joint Venture partnership and three private landowner programs. The Texas Prairie Wetlands Project, the Louisiana Waterfowl Project South, and the Mini-refuge Program each provide technical assistance and financial incentives to Texas and Louisiana landowners interested in creating or enhancing the status of wetlands on their property.

Keywords: conservation partnerships, Gulf of Mexico, landowner incentives, nearctic-neotropical migrants, stopover habitat

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Citation

Riley, Cecilia M.; Esslinger, Greg; Wilson, Barry   2005.  Partnerships to Deliver Bird Conservation along the Gulf Coast.   In: Ralph, C. John; Rich, Terrell D., editors 2005. Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas: Proceedings of the Third International Partners in Flight Conference. 2002 March 20-24; Asilomar, California, Volume 1 Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-191. Albany, CA: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: p. 438-442.