Nearly one hundred biologists and conservation planners met in Cape May, N.J., during December 7-9 at a bird conservation planning workshop for the Southern New England Mid-Atlantic Bird Conservation Region. This region, identified as "BCR 30," encompasses the Atlantic Coastal plain from Southern Maine to Northern Virginia, and includes most of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, and Long Island, N.Y., as well as parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Maryland and Virginia.

Workshop attendees included staff from the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, the Service's Migratory Bird Population Division, many different national wildlife refuges, most state fish and wildlife agencies in the region, and a host of nongovernmental organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, the National Audubon Society, and Ducks Unlimited.

The agenda was devoted to drafting a priority species list; reviewing and amending focus areas for different bird groups, i.e., waterfowl, waterbirds, landbirds, and shorebirds; and prioritizing habitat conservation projects, other conservation actions, and research and monitoring needs. The results of the workshop will be used to draft a bird conservation plan for BCR 30 in the months ahead. However, agreement on the highest conservation priorities in this region allows for immediate coordination and cooperation of partner efforts to address these issues.