Debut of Atlantic Marine Bird Conservation Cooperative
In November 2005, a workshop was convened and led by the Division of Migratory Birds to identify the top research and survey priorities for marine birds in the western Atlantic and to begin developing partnerships to implement priority actions for this suite of species. The workshop resulted in the kick-off of the Atlantic Marine Bird Conservation Cooperative, a multidisciplinary cooperative effort to address the needs of marine birds in the western Atlantic.

Release of Cerulean Warbler Conservation Action Plan
The Division of Migratory Birds has rolled out the new Cerulean Warbler Conservation Action Plan, with the assistance of many partners.  The Cerulean Warbler Technical Group, a broad-based conservation partnership of government agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations, met with representatives from the forest products and coal mining industries in March 2006 in Charleston, W. Va.  The meeting initiated a dialogue on conservation opportunities for cerulean warbler and associated hardwood forest birds in the Appalachians that address both the biological needs of these species as well as the logistical and economic constraints of forestry and mining.  These actions were incorporated into the conservation action plan, which is one of several focal species plans that the Service is currently producing.  A second workshop has been scheduled for February 13-15 in Morgantown, W. Va., to seek feedback on the conservation action plan and to establish working groups for implementation of conservation actions.

Atlantic Flyway Nongame Bird Technical Committee Takes Flight
The Division of Migratory Birds helped the Atlantic Flyway Council launch its Nongame Bird Technical Committee (NBTC), to complement the cooperative and highly successful work of the Gamebird Technical Committee.  The NBTC began to address regulatory issues related to shorebirds, waterbirds and landbirds at their meetings in February and July, 2006.  The Service’s draft environmental assessment on the take of peregrine falcon from the wild for falconry was discussed with the states along with the harvest of songbirds in Mexico for the international pet trade.  These dialogues enabled the NBTC to provide a coordinated flyway response to the Service on these issues.

Completion of Final Drafts for Two Bird Conservation Region (BCR) Plans
     New England/Mid-Atlantic Coast Bird Conservation Region (BCR 30)
The New England/Mid-Atlantic Coast has the densest human population of any region in the U.S.  The highest priority birds in BCR 30 are associated with coastal wetlands and beaches and are critical as migratory stopover sites.  Coastal islands are also an important habitat for breeding seabirds and large mixed colonies of herons, egrets, and ibis.  Estuaries and bays behind barrier beaches in this region are extremely important to wintering and migrating waterfowl, including approximately 65 percent of the total wintering population of the American black duck, along with large numbers of many other species.
A number of conservation design-related efforts are underway in BCR 30.  The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture has compiled a number of basic Geographic Information System habitat data layers for BCR 30 and the rest of the Atlantic Flyway.  A regional gap analysis to develop detailed habitat maps is nearing completion in the Southeast and is currently underway in the Northeast.  The Center for Conservation Biology, College of William and Mary, completed a habitat assessment of priority habitats for “conservation lands” that includes more than 25,000 patches and 650,000 hectares of land within 1,300 independently managed parcels.  This project includes a critical parameters matrix to project the status and distribution of numerous priority bird species.

     Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain Bird Conservation Region (BCR 13)
The Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain Bird Conservation Region (BCR 13) encompasses low-lying areas around Lakes Erie and Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, south of the Canadian Shield.  This region is a mosaic of grasslands, shrublands, forests, wetlands, agricultural fields, and human development.  BCR 13 includes some of the most important grassland bird (e.g., Henslow’s sparrow and bobolink) breeding habitat in the Northeast; natural shrublands and agricultural abandonment also provide important habitat for declining shrub-nesting species (e.g., golden-winged warbler and American woodcock).  This region’s major importance to most birds is the stopover habitat it provides during migration, as it attracts some of the largest concentrations of migrant passerines, hawks, shorebirds, waterfowl, and waterbirds in eastern North America.  These concentrations are often associated with threatened lakeshore habitats.
A diverse group of stakeholders in BCR 13 have been collaborating for years on bird conservation planning, implementation, and development of a conservation design strategy for the region.  These partners determined that they first needed newer and more accurate habitat map layers for high-priority habitats (e.g., grasslands, shrublands, and wetlands) to update outdated and inaccurate maps.  In 2005, the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture contracted with Ducks Unlimited t  1) acquire and classify new remotely-sensed data for the St. Lawrence Valley in New York as a pilot project area;  2) develop new Geographic Information System habitat layers for existing and potential grasslands and wetlands;  and 3) integrate this information into an existing decision-support model developed for mallards in the midwestern U.S. to identify landscapes most likely to sustain populations of mallards and other species that share its breeding habitat.

NAWCA Grants
In fiscal year 2006, the Division of Migratory Birds succeeded in having 24 standard and small North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants funded in the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV) to protect, restore, and enhance over 44,579 acres with $14.6 million in grant funds and nearly $29 million in matching funds.
Nine standard grant projects provided nearly $11 million to six states participating in the ACJV.  Project partners in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia matched these grants with $30 million to protect, enhance or restore 32,500 acres of important habitat for migratory birds. 
Fifteen small grant projects provided nearly $600,000 to nine states in the ACJV.   Project partners in Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and South Carolina matched the grants with over $1.8 million. Close to 7,000 acres of important habitats for migratory birds will be protected through fee acquisition, conservation easements, restoration, and enhancement.
For more information on Atlantic Coast Joint Venture activities, see the web site:   www.acjv.org

Migratory Bird Permits Issued Quickly
An objective of the Division of Migratory Birds Permits Branch is to enable the public to legally collect, possess and otherwise take migratory birds for a variety of purposes.  Permit examiners and division biologists use the best available science and expertise to make permitting decisions that consider the risks and benefits of proposed activities.
This fiscal year, the permits branch aggressively worked on reducing the response time for issuing permits.  The examiners collectively issued almost 80 percent of all migratory bird permits within 30 days of receipt of a completed application, a phenomenal achievement for the four dedicated examiners and one volunteer.  Examiners issued 2,727 migratory bird permits including: 1,108 depredation permits for land owners, authorizing take of migratory birds causing damage or loss to property or health hazards and 375 egg addling permits issued for the purpose of controlling the population growth of resident Canada goose.  Additionally, the permits branch responds to an average of 25 calls per day from the public, media, state and federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations on various migratory bird permit issues.