Contacts
Larry Bell (907) 786-3309
Richard Lanctot (907) 786-3609
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced today nearly $4.5 million in federal grants through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Grant Act to support neotropical migratory bird conservation in the United States, Canada, Mexico and many Latin American and Caribbean countries.
"What happens in Central and South America affects the birds that visit our backyards every spring and summer. These grants will support cooperative conservation projects and research to benefit our shared migratory bird resources throughout the hemisphere," said Kempthorne.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide 37 grants to conservation partnerships in those countries. Partners will, in turn, match those funds with more than $15 million that will be used to conduct research, monitoring, and management programs for migratory bird populations, as well as related outreach and education.
"Alaska is the northern terminus of the four major migratory bird flyways that occur in North America," said Regional Director Tom Melius. "As such, our state provides essential breeding habitat for many migratory birds, including those that winter in Central and South America." Two of the species receiving project funding, the western sandpiper and Hudsonian godwit, breed in Alaska but spend the bulk of the year in Latin America.
Projects funded that involve Alaska are:
- The Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology will receive nearly $18,000 and match this grant with $53,000 to study the Hudsonian godwit and document the effects of climate change on the timing of the godwit's annual cycle throughout its entire range. (Alaska, Canada and Chile)
- The Centre for Wildlife Ecology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, will receive nearly $100,000 and match that amount with more than $325,000 to carry out an extensive project on western sandpipers to determine where nesting populations of these birds winter. (Alaska, California, Kansas, Florida, Puerto Rico and South Carolina and Canada, Panama and Ecuador)
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 established this matching grants program to fund projects promoting the conservation of neotropical migratory birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Funds can be used to protect, research, monitor and manage bird populations and habitat, as well as to conduct law enforcement and community outreach and education. By law, at least 75 percent of the money goes to projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, while the remaining 25 percent can go to projects in the United States. For information about the other grants funded in 2008 visit www.fws.gov.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
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