Participants share knowledge during the Joint Venture Science Team Workshop. - FWS photo by Jim Hudgins

The Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture (JV) has expanded from a waterfowl habitat conservation JV to an all-bird JV, requiring revision of the JV Implementation Plan. 

This incredibly challenging process required the assembly of bird conservation scientists with varied expertise from across the region.  In addition to the 11-member JV Technical Committee, an additional 10 experts in bird biology, ecology, and modeling were asked to participate in the planning effort. 

This group of JV Technical Committee and ad-hoc committee members eventually became known as the JV Science Team.  The group recently held a workshop to discuss and rank research and monitoring priorities to help guide JV partners with plan evaluation and adaptive management. 

Over the past 18 months, the science team formed four taxonomic subcommittees and developed draft habitat conservation strategies for landbirds, waterbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl that breed and migrate through the region.  The draft bird-group strategies are specific, scientific, and nearly complete.  They are also the basis for an all-bird JV conservation document in its early stages of development.

One of the last tasks to be completed by the bird-group subcommittees was prioritization of research and monitoring needs.  These needs were largely identified when writing the individual bird-group strategies.  However, they were not prioritized or discussed collectively between subcommittees.  Because JV partners feel strongly about the use of evaluation and adaptive resource management, the Science Team met in East Lansing on 12 and 13 April to work on research and monitoring details.

Primary objectives of the gathering were to 1) refine bird-group strategy goal statements, 2) develop research and monitoring objectives and prioritize needs, and 3) share associated information.  Goal statements in each of the bird-group strategies were made more explicit.  For example, “Establish efficient habitat conservation to maintain or increase carrying capacity for populations of priority waterbird species consistent with continental and JV regional goals.”  In addition, the team clearly distinguished what was meant by “research” vs. “monitoring” and their role in adaptive management.  Monitoring is designed and implemented to measure progress toward meeting JV population goals and habitat objectives.  Research, on the other hand, is designed to answer specific questions that arise from uncertainties or assumptions inherent in conservation planning and implementation. 

Research and monitoring objectives for each bird-group strategy were stated explicitly and “SMART” -- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Related to strategy goal, and Time-bound with target completion dates.  Tasks to achieve objectives for each bird-group were listed in order of importance and will be used to guide JV partner evaluation efforts.  Finally, the JV Science Team meeting ended with a comparison of subcommittee results and some initial collaboration on developing research and monitoring themes for the JV all-bird plan.