NAWMP Science Support Team

Improving our understanding of the status of waterfowl populations and the effectiveness of conservation and management actions has been a critical need since the U.S. and Canadian governments first signed the North American Waterfowl Management Plan in 1986.

Recognizing the importance of carrying out waterfowl management as a cycle of planning, implementation and evaluation, the Plan Committee has acknowledged that, to effectively implement the plan, partners must adopt an adaptive resource management approach at both the joint venture and continental levels.

The NAWMP Science Support Team (NSST) comprises individuals from the U.S., Canada and Mexico who help strengthen the biological foundations of the plan and facilitate continuous improvement of plan-connected conservation programs. The NSST is the plan committee's principal technical advisory body with a prominent role in helping achieve the plan's vision and goals.

The Premise
The NSST provides the leadership, direction and capabilities to carry out an adaptive resource management approach to conserving North America's waterfowl. It serves as the primary forum for facilitating scientific communication and collaboration among joint ventures, the Plan Committee and federal wildlife agencies.

According to its  charter (14.7KB) and  by-laws (46.2KB), objectives of the NSST are to:

• Foster continuous improvement in the effectiveness of plan partners' actions through the establishment of iterative cycles of planning, implementing and evaluating conservation programs at both the continental and joint venture levels.
• Conduct large-scale studies of landscape variation and waterfowl demography. Report annually to the Plan Committee and partners on the status of the biological foundations of the plan, evaluation results, and their implications for future conservation activities.

Structure & Committees
The NSST consists of three national representatives appointed by the Plan Committee co-chairs; one technical representative from each of the joint ventures and  flyway councils; and representatives from working groups and subcommittees of the NSST.

Ad-hoc members may also be appointed by the Plan Committee co-chairs. The position of assistant vice chair  rotates every 3 years (66.1KB). The  Executive Committee (152.9KB) has general supervision of the NSST between its business meetings.

Other committees with designated roles and tasks include:
Pintail Action Group
Scaup Action team
Implementation Plan Review Committee
Regional Population Abundance Objectives Committee
Alternative Performance Metrics Committee
Daily Ration Models
Landscape Monitoring Committee
Demographic Population Objectives Committee
NAWMP Map Committee
Ecological Goods and Services Committee
Regional Waterfowl Habitat Conservation Objectives Committee
Nonbreeding Waterfowl Carrying Capacity Committee
Breeding Waterfowl Carrying Capacity Committee
Waterfowl Migration Modeling Committee
Non-breeding Sea Duck Habitat Needs Committee
Waterfowl Residency Committee
Climate change Downscaling Committee
NSST Technical Report Committee

NSST Documents
 Work Plan 2012-2016 (4.6MB)
 NSST Action Group Final Recommendations (25.8KB)
 NSST Demographics Workshop (1.7MB)
 Technical Report Library Guidance (119.1KB)
 Joint Venture Implementation Plan Review Criteria (176.1KB)
 Joint Venture Progress Reporting Guidance (190KB)

NSST newsletter "Venturing Forward" (no longer published; archive issues only)

Technical Reports
 NSST Scoping Document for NAWMP Continental Progress Assessment Report Recommendation A.1 (652.2KB)
 Report on Outcomes and Recommendations from NSST 2012 Demographics Objectives Workshop (159.3KB)
 Final Report of the NSST Alternative Performance Metrics Committee (203.5KB)
 Guidelines for Establishing JV Regional Population Objectives (168.3KB)
 Process for Developing the 2012 NAWMP Map (614KB)
 NAWMP Science Support Team Challenge Document (321.2KB)