BIRD CONSERVATION The Magazine of American Conservancy Fall 2011 BIRD’S EYE VIEW Advancing the Frontiers

Kirtland’s Warbler: Laura Erickson Warbler: Kirtland’s of Habitat Conservation

ome years ago, several ABC habitats while there is still good those situations, sometimes the only staff were mulling over ways quality habitat remaining to be pro- option is to create or recover similar, to prevent incursions into our tected? There are actually several good nearby habitats. In other cases, a S Latin American partners’ forest answers to this. In the case of silvipas- region’s culture may be tied to rural reserves for wood-cutting and poach- ture (see article on page 22 for details land uses, and we can accomplish ing. Finally, someone exclaimed, on this technique), we were able to more for by working within “The best defense could be a good create landscapes that accommodate the community, engaging farm- offense,” meaning that if we funded both cattle and trees, improving ers and ranchers in conservation on reserve neighbors to plant trees on environmental quality and providing their own land. Since we cannot own their degraded pastureland adjacent additional income for the landowner. all we want protected, showing the to the reserves, we would not only This approach to reforestation can benefits of habitat recovery to land- provide critical buffers to our forests, improve a landowner’s understanding owners is the best way we know to but strengthen relations with our of a comprehensive “land ethic” and leverage conservation dollars. Finally, neighbors, and by extension, the maybe even turn them into passionate by connecting smaller tracts of good entire community. We realized that conservationists. habitat together with corridors of we could push the forest frontier recovering or working habitat (such as Sometimes – as in the case of the outward instead of retreating inward. shade coffee farms in the ), we Golden-winged Warbler – there This ultimately led to a multinational can increase the habitat value of the is simply too little suitable habitat “silvipasture” development program smaller tracts. remaining, and more must be cre- funded by the World Bank, with ABC ated. With the Kirtland’s Warbler (see In this issue of Bird Conservation, you providing the conservation leadership. back page), which relies on young will read about many of the challeng- But more importantly, it spawned jack pine habitat, very specific condi- es and approaches to habitat recovery. many new ABC approaches in both tions must be maintained to keep the These methods augment the great reserve sustainability and habitat species from disappearing altogether. tradition of “conservation through recovery. Numerous habitats whose natural acquisition,” and help us push the Though protecting the best remain- succession has been blunted by poor frontiers of bird protection. In doing ing habitats for rare or declining bird management beg to be recovered by so, we anticipate that habitat recovery species will always be a core strategy improved fire or water management. and restoration will generate a new for ABC, we see an increasing role for class of citizen conservationists. In some cases, prime habitat is just restoring degraded habitat for birds. too expansive, or too expensive to Why, I have been asked, would ABC purchase, or not for sale at all. In ever undertake recovery of degraded George Fenwick President, ABC USFWS

2 bird conservation • FALL 2011 Royal Sunangel: Jean Paul Perret Bird Conservation Bird Conservation is the magazine of American Bird Conservancy (ABC), and is published three times yearly. FALL 2011

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is the only 501(c)(3) organization that works solely to conserve native wild birds and Habitat Restoration their habitats throughout the Americas. A copy of the current financial statement and registration filed by the organization may be obtained by contacting: ABC, P.O. Box 249, 7 An Introduction to Habitat Restoration The Plains, VA 20198. Tel: (540) 253-5780, or by contacting the following state agencies:

Florida: Division of Consumer Services, 8-12 Reforestation Across the Americas: toll-free number within the State: 800-435-7352. From Nicaragua to Bolivia Maryland: For the cost of copies and postage: Office of the Secretary of State, 13 Reforestation Across the PAGE 8 Statehouse, Annapolis, MD 21401. New Jersey: Attorney General, State Americas: The Appalachians of New Jersey: 201-504-6259. New York: Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law, Charities Bureau, 14-15 Habitat Restoration and the ESA Highland Guan: Georges Duriaux 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. Pennsylvania: Department of State, toll-free number within the state: 800-732-0999. 16-17 Water Management – Going with the Flow Virginia: State Division of Consumer Affairs, Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 18-19 Fire Management – The Burning Question 23209. West Virginia: Secretary of State, State PAGE 18 Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. 20 -21 Island Birds are Different – Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by any state. Recovering Our Most Isolated Habitats Red-cockaded American Bird Conservancy is not : Greg Lavaty responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Approval is required for 22 Greener Acres: Silvipasture reproduction of any photographs or artwork. 23 Planned Giving – You Can Help PAGE 23 Editors: Jack Morrison, Merrie Morrison, Secure the Future for Birds! Michael J. Parr, David Pashley, Red Knot: Paula Sullivan Gemma Radko, Gavin Shire, George E. Wallace DEPARTMENTS Bird Conservation ABC’s magazine Collared Aracari: brings you the best in bird Bird’s Eye View Benjamin Skolnik, ABC conservation news and features. 3 For more information contact: American Bird Conservancy 4 On The Wire 4249 Loudoun Avenue P.O. Box 249 24 Species Profile Kirtland’s Warbler: The Plains, VA 20198 Ron Austing 540-253-5780 Kirtland’s Warbler Web: www.abcbirds.org PAGE 24 Email: [email protected] Scan to check out ABC’s new mobile website! COVER PHOTO: Choco Trogon: Roger Ahlman bird conservation • FALL 2011 3 ON THE WIRE New Bird Species for Bolivia

n a recently published sci- length and colorization, and vo- around the small in- entific article in The Wilson calizations. Both birds forage by digenous village of Bulletin, the Palkachupa Cot- flycatching from the canopy and Atén in the northwest I inga, previously considered a eating fruits. They prefer to nest of the country, where subspecies of the Swallow-tailed in trees along forest edges and Armonía has worked Cotinga found in Brazil, is pro- even in isolated trees amongst for the past three posed for elevation to full species savannah-type habitat. Their years to conserve the Palkachupa Cotingas: Benjamin Skolnik, ABC status. The bird was rediscov- nests have also been found on cotinga, establishing a 59-acre ered in Bolivia in 2000 by ABC barren, rocky ridge tops, which reserve, and raising awareness Director of Armonía and the partner Asociación Armonía after may indicate a lack of adequate of the bird’s plight within the local author of the article. almost 100 years. nesting trees. community. Habitat for this new species con- Like the Swallow-tailed Cotinga, The Palkachupa Cotinga is en- “We truly hope this publica- tinues to be reduced by ranching the Palkachupa is a small, bright- demic to Bolivia, and is likely to tion will result in more attention and agriculture. Future conserva- ly colored bird with vivid yellow, be classed as Critically Endan- to this unique species, as well tion actions will include refores- white, and black feathers; the gered due to its small popula- as additional resources towards tation and outreach campaigns, males have a long forked tail. tion (600-800 individuals) and its protection and improved un- reserve expansion through land It is distinguished from its more restricted geographic range. The derstanding of its ecology,” said acquisition, community-driven common Brazilian cousin by tail population stronghold is based Bennett Hennessey, Executive tourism, and monitoring.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Initiate Listing of Red Knots

n July 2011, the U.S. Fish Fuego, South America. The sur- knots feed on the crab eggs dur- “It became clear to us that the and Wildlife Service (FWS) vey found a shocking decline ing a critical stopover at the bay only way that the Atlantic States announced it will expedite from the previous winter of at during their spring migration Marine Fisheries Commission I the process of adding the least 5,000 birds—approximately north to breed. was going to enact the necessary declining rufa subspecies of the one third of the population. The Despite growing evidence of un- safeguards to protect the Red Red Knot to the federal Endan- FWS decision also coincides with sustainable take of horseshoe Knot’s food supply was if they gered Species List. the release of a new study that crabs for use as bait in conch were forced to by federal action,” This decision follows the release confirms the importance of an pots, the Atlantic States Marine said Darin Schroeder, Vice Pres- of the results of the 2011 popu- abundant horseshoe crab popu- Fisheries Commission, which ident of Conservation Advocacy lation count on the bird’s main lation in Delaware Bay to the sur- regulates horseshoe crab har- at ABC. To that end, ABC joined wintering grounds in Tierra del vival of the rufa Red Knot. The vest, has failed to reduce take other conservation groups in ad- quotas in the last six years. In vocating for the listing of the rufa fact, the Commission disman- Red Knot under the Endangered tled its own Shorebird Technical Species Act,. Committee after it recommended “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- a moratorium on harvests. vice decision to list the rufa Red ABC has worked for a decade to Knot, though long overdue, will protect the population of horse- someday be recognized as the shoe crabs from overfishing to turning point in staving off the safeguard the supply of eggs for bird’s extinction,” Schroeder said. the knot and other shorebirds.

rufa Red Knot: Paula Sullivan

4 bird conservation • FALL 2011 Horseshoe crab: FWS New Peruvian Reserve protects birds plus newly-discovered plant and frog species

n June 2011, ABC and our The reserve is located on land thirty percent of the forest has Peruvian partner ECOAN, owned by 125 families of the been surveyed, however, and with support from the Gordon San Marcos community near it is possible that the endemic I and Betty Moore Foundation, Huánuco, and will be managed and endangered Golden-backed established a new reserve by them. ECOAN also worked Mountain-Tanager may also totaling more than 2,400 acres to with the community to earn occur here. help protect high-altitude cloud approval for the reserve from the Private Conservation Areas forests in central Peru. The San Peruvian national government. are an effective means of Marcos Private Conservation Recent surveys discovered preserving lands in Peru, and Area will protect part of the upper five new plant species and two serve as strong examples of watersheds of biodiversity-rich new frog species in the area, the solid conservation results Tingo Maria National Park. which are in the process of that can be achieved when local communities, government agencies, and private, non-profit groups work together. ABC and ECOAN have also Powerful Woodpecker: Kevin Heffernan established seven community- being scientifically described. owned and -operated Private Bird species in the new reserve Conservation Areas in the include the Fire-throated Cordillera Vilcanota of southern Metaltail, Powerful Woodpecker, Peru to protect threatened and Brown-flanked Tanager. Only Polylepis forests (see article on page 9). These cloud forests are part of the new San Marcos Private Conservation Area. Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC

Trail at Abra Patricia Reserve, Peru: Benjamin Skolnik, ABC Help ABC Stop Habitat Loss in Latin America!

Dozens of bird species are declining due to deforestation on their wintering grounds in Latin America. ABC is leading the way in restoring important habitat in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru by working with our partners and local communities to plant more than 275,000 trees for the benefit of migratory species such as the Cerulean and Golden- winged Warblers, and endemic species such as the El Oro Parakeet and Long-whiskered Owlet. But we need your help. ABC has received a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support our reforestation projects in Latin America, but we still need to raise $30,000 in vital matching funds to complete our work. Will you help us meet this goal? You can help ABC stop habitat loss – the number one threat to birds – with your donation today. Please use the enclosed envelope to make an additional gift, or give online at www.abcbirds.org.

bird conservation • FALL 2011 5 Red-crested Tree Rat Rediscovered at Santa Marta

his May, a unique, guinea- have rediscovered such a won- continues to be a part of pig-sized rodent, not seen derful creature after just a month our world,” added George since 1898 despite sev- of volunteering with ProAves,” Fenwick, President of T eral organized searches, said Lizzie Noble from Godalm- ABC. showed up at the ecolodge in the ing, England, one of the volun- The red-crested tree rat Santa Marta Reserve in Colom- teers. “Clearly the El Dorado will now likely be desig- bia. The lone red-crested tree rat Reserve has many more exciting nated as Critically Endan- stayed for almost two hours while discoveries waiting.” gered on the International two excited research volunteers “Had we not worked with Pro- Union for Conservation working with ABC partner Fun- Aves to establish this reserve, it of Nature’s Red List of dación ProAves snapped photos. is reasonable to believe this spe- Threatened Species. Of “He just shuffled up the handrail cies would still remain some- concern is increasing hu- near where we were sitting and thing that was only talked about man settlement and the seemed totally unperturbed by all in science journals or seen in col- introduction of non-native the excitement he was causing. lections. Now we need to work species, such as cats, that We are absolutely delighted to together to see that this species prey on native fauna. The newly rediscovered red-crested tree rat at the Santa Marta Reserve, Colombia: Lizzie Noble, Fundación ProAves

Lead Removal to Save Thousands of Albatross Chicks on Midway

his August, years of ded- The clean-up will consist of icated advocacy by ABC abatement of lead-based paint and others finally paid off from the exterior of the buildings, T as the U.S. Fish and Wild- the demolition of certain struc- life Service announced an agree- tures, and the excavation and re- ment for a $21 million effort to moval of soils that contain high remove lead-based paint from levels of lead. Abatement activ- Midway Atoll National Wildlife ities will be conducted between Refuge. This action marks a sig- July and October, when few birds nificant step forward in solving a are present on Midway. The en- decades-old problem that has re- tire project is expected to take sulted in the death of as many as five or six years, and the clean- 130,000 Laysan Albatross from up plan prioritizes sites with the lead poisoning. highest potential to affect the Midway hosts nearly one million birds. breeding Laysan Albatrosses ev- “We are thrilled that the U.S. Fish ery year, making it the world’s and Wildlife Service is dedicating largest colony. Unfortunately, cu- significant funding to put a stop rious albatross chicks eat lead- to the horrific wildlife deaths that based paint chips peeling off 95 Midway has witnessed. This is an abandoned buildings on the is- outcome we have been working land. The chicks then develop towards for over ten years,” said a condition known as droop- George Wallace, Vice President wing, which leaves them unable for Oceans and Islands at ABC. to lift their developing wings off the ground. As many as 10,000 This action marks a significant step forward in solving a decades- chicks have died each year from the toxic effects of lead, which in- old problem that has resulted in the death of as many as 130,000 clude starvation and dehydration. Laysan Albatross from lead poisoning. Laysan Albatross chick: George Wallace, ABC

6 bird conservation • FALL 2011 Habitat Restoration ird conservationists have developed a variety of tools to address the habitat needs of declining species. Perhaps the Bbest-known is land protection, whereby habitat is safeguarded through the creation of public refuges, parks, private protected areas, or conservation easements. However, land protection alone can only get you so far.

More often than not, remaining habi- “Forest Service personnel have to cre- tat is degraded or simply insufficient ate and maintain two completely dif- to guarantee stable or increasing ferent habitats for these birds. Their bird populations. Habitat restora- methods – controlled burns for the tion, broadly defined as the process woodpecker, and maintaining early- of returning a degraded habitat to a succession habitat for the jay – seem healthy condition, then becomes a to be working, since there are good key conservation strategy. This is a numbers of both species present,” more labor-intensive process requiring observed Pashley. planning, persistence, and patience, ABC and its partners continue to without the immediate gratification pioneer novel methods of habitat res- of acquiring land. Habitat restoration toration, including new reforestation is more often a journey than a desti- methods, techniques such as silvipas- nation, because full recovery of dam- ture that combine agriculture with aged ecosystems is frequently difficult habitat conservation, and working to implement and takes time. Never- with local communities to plant trees theless, it’s a goal worth shooting for. and reduce deforestation. Habitat restoration may involve any Coffee seedlings flourishing in one of ECOAN's nurseries in Peru, 2011. Benjamin Skolnik, ABC Communicating the results of restora- number and combination of prac- tion projects is also a key ingredient tices, such as reforestation, grassland and water quality, pollution and ero- to success. Sometimes, the benefits and forestry management (includ- sion control, carbon sequestration, of habitat rejuvenation can most ef- ing selective thinning, controlled and watershed protection. fectively be demonstrated by example. burning, and even clearcuts), water Many threatened bird species have al- And so we hope that this issue of Bird management, livestock exclusion/ ready benefitted from the more hands- Conservation piques your interest, access control, pollution prevention, on approach of habitat restoration. teaches you more about the need for and invasive species control, often, Kirtland’s Warblers (see page 24) have habitat restoration and management, of course, in tandem with a strong responded well to the restoration and and most importantly, convinces you educational component directed at maintenance of their fire-dependent of its value for birds. land managers, local authorities, and nesting habitat, rebounding from the the public. Sometimes restoration can brink of extinction to thriving popula- even include removing dams, beach tions in several locations. erosion controls, and other structures that negatively influence the habitat, The Florida Scrub-Jay, another species though not surprisingly, these oppor- that has dwindled to alarmingly low tunities are rare. numbers, is also benefitting from on- going habitat restoration. On a recent “Winning back” degraded habitat can trip to Florida, ABC’s David Pashley help restore many native plant and noted several healthy populations of species that had disappeared scrub-jays and Red-cockaded Wood- from the landscape, while creating peckers, (another endangered species) other benefits such as improved air when he visited Ocala National Forest. Florida Scrub-Jay: Larry Master

bird conservation • FALL 2011 7 El Jaguar, Nicaragua: Andrew Rothman, ABC REFORESTATION ACROSS THE AMERicAS:

Nicaragua by Andrew Rothman, International Conservation Officer, ABC aces, young and old, some worn from sun, some curious, others somewhat skeptical, all seemingly nervous, begin to show up at the small two-walled classroom at the El Jaguar Reserve in the moun-

tains of northwestern Nicaragua. Local landowners show off their posters from the workshop: Reforestation in progress: Georges Duriaux, August 2011 Often the forests here can be socked Andrew Rothman, ABC, March 2011 in with clouds. However, for this Feb- to their coffee plantations, as well We get to the end of the road, and ruary reforestation workshop, with as reforesting along waterways. walk a mile farther in the tropical, more than a dozen neighbors and They can understand that planting midday heat to visit the farmer who local officials in attendance, the sun is and maintaining trees helps retain owns a good deal of the land that is bright over the forest and shade coffee soil moisture and reduce erosion. considered Volcan Yali. He invites plantations. Reforesting can help reduce their us in for a coffee, and his children While we may wish that people could irrigation costs, and it will keep their look on with puzzled grins as we talk and would make decisions based on coffee, potatoes, grazing land, and about reforestation and the possibility what is best for our environment and other crops healthier. It will also build of setting up a nursery for growing the long term survival of biodiversity, beneficial habitat for local birds such and distributing trees in the region. we have to expect that more often as the vulnerable Highland Guan, After the coffee we go to see the trees than not, people make decisions and declining migrants such as the he has already planted. We take a based on economic factors and the Golden-winged Warbler. In this picture with him and his six-year-old need to provide for their families. But region, maintaining soil moisture son next to a tree he planted some 20 the one need not be exclusive of the content and reducing erosion are years ago that now towers over them. other. Many of the reserve’s neighbors key factors in restoring Golden-wing He already knows the benefits of have come today to participate in Warbler habitat. Participants leave reforesting and wants to get involved. workshops to better understand the with migratory bird posters, calendars, His example will almost certainly benefits that reforestation and habitat and T-shirts, and the satisfaction of benefit the project by encouraging restoration can have on their farms. knowing they can do something to other farms to join. benefit their farms and birds. They are happy to protect wildlife, On the way back to El Jaguar we but their driving motivation is to The next day, our group of workshop are able to see the ridgeline where provide for their families. organizers takes a trip from the El a corridor of trees and habitat from I am helping Georges Duriaux, Jaguar Reserve to the long extinct Yali El Jaguar to Volcan Yali could be a trained agronomist and part- volcano, the next closest area of good created. It is exciting that neighbors owner of El Jaguar, and Ana Lucia cloud forest habitat. We wind up and are getting involved, and there is Corrales of Rainforest Alliance down and around the hills, past dozens some initial momentum to continue conduct the workshop on sustainable of coffee farms, potato farms, and to protect and build habitat in key development. The meeting, supported cattle ranches. We stop to talk to one Golden-winged Warbler wintering by a grant from the Neotropical coffee farmer. His brother was at the areas. As we pull back into El Jaguar, Migratory Bird Conservation workshop and learned about reforesta- we decide to play the recording of the Act, draws an engaged and lively tion. He wonders if he might be able Golden-winged Warbler; fantastically crowd. There is interest from the to get some trees for his coffee planta- after just a few notes a male appears; a neighbors in adding shade trees tion. We say of course. Word is already golden moment. spreading that reforestation is good.

8 bird conservation • FALL 2011 Abra Patricia, Peru: Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC From Nicaragua to Bolivia

Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant (left) and Royal Cinclodes (below): Fabrice Schmitt burns, and grazing livestock, which eat or trample small tree saplings. ECOAN has been working with resi- dents of more than 20 communities to reduce these threats and restore the forests by replanting Polylepis and oth- er native trees, and erecting fencing to protect habitat. Some of the best restoration results I have seen here perhaps concentrating birds at the involve thickets of naturally regen- lowest portions of the forest with the erating Polylepis in an area fenced to least amount of accumulation. What- keep out cattle. This takes advantage ever the reason, I was happy to find of Polylepis high seed production. the birds I had come to see, including Growing conditions are much kinder the Royal Cinclodes, Ash-breasted in the humid, montane forests of the Peru Tit-Tyrant, and White-browed Tit- Abra Patricia and Huembo Reserves Spinetail. After birding, we spent the by Daniel J. Lebbin, in northern Peru, where ABC and night huddled in our sleeping bags Conservation Biologist, ABC ECOAN are also working on forest on the chilly concrete floor of a local restoration. Abra Patricia is closer to he very first time I visited one schoolhouse, trying to stay warm with 8,500 feet in elevation, so altitude of our project areas in the high- hot noodle soup and tea prepared on sickness is not the concern for visitors altitude Vilcanota region of camp stoves. there that it is in Vilcanota. A tem- southern Peru, I spent the night Visitors and community members perate climate and abundant rainfall in Cancha Cancha, where ABC and who are planting trees in these allow new plantings to flourish with partner group ECOAN are working reforestation areas must hike long minimal care. to create a new Private Conserva- distances over steep, rocky terrain to tion Area to add to the more than Abra Patricia and Huembo span two reach the best Polylepis areas, where 15,000 acres already protected in the major Alliance for Zero Extinction the ground is soft, moist, and covered Vilcanota Reserve Network. Cancha sites, connecting the humid eastern with moss. These Polylepis woodlands Cancha is one of the best places to see Andean cloud forests of Abra Patricia, grow very slowly in the cold, windy the Royal Cinclodes and other birds which shelter the endangered Long- climate; therefore, they are particu- dependent on threatened Polylepis whiskered Owlet and Ochre-fronted larly impacted by local people cutting forests. Antpitta, to the drier Utcubamba the trees for firewood, grassland At over 13,000 feet above sea level, many visitors to Polylepis forests suffer from altitude sickness. I thought I was well-acclimated from my time in Cusco (parts of which are at over 11,000 feet), but I still found myself laughing for no apparent reason, one symptom of low oxygen levels. I had just enough brain power left to focus on finding the few Polylepis birds I was after. A recent friaje, or cold front, had left a few inches of snow on the ground, Marvelous Spatuletail: Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC

bird conservation • FALL 2011 9 A newly-planted Andean Alder sapling, Abra Patricia: Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC

buffer zone around the reserves. Lo- cal people (more than one thousand families) and landowners in at least five communities are participating in this tree-planting effort. At a reforestation plot in the Abra Pa- tricia Reserve, newly planted Andean alders sprout skyward in a former pas- The local people who work at the ture. Turkey Vultures and a Variable communal plant nurseries in the area Hawk drift by overhead, scanning are also proud to participate in these the cleared areas along the road for a reforestation efforts. On a typical day, Limoncillo seedlings in greenhouse (above) and Little Woodstar feeding possible meal, while a White-bellied on Limoncello flower (below): Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC a woman fills bags with soil in the Woodstar zooms by to forage on flow- nursery while her children play nearby, ering bushes. Nursery beds nearby are and their grandfather explains to me full of thousands of tiny alders, which and a group of visitors how the nursery will pave the way for other plants to composts plant waste to make good flourish. Other tiny seedlings will one quality soil. He demonstrates how day flower to provide nectar for hum- they plants seeds into bags, and once mingbirds or shade for coffee plants, the saplings are big enough, transport or grow coffee beans themselves, them to field sites for planting. He offering landowners an alternative to shows us a sample delivery agreement cattle grazing and sugar cane produc- between the nursery and the landown- tion. One day, some of these trees will ers, specifying the quantity of trees tower over the landscape as part of a River Valley, home of the endemic promised and the landowner’s respon- restored forest canopy. and endangered Marvelous Spatu- sibility to maintain them. letail. These reserves are connected During a recent visit, a local com- ABC and ECOAN now plant over by one of the few paved highways munity leader proudly showed me the 40 varieties of trees and shrubs here, crossing the Peruvian Andes. Along reforestation work he has undertaken many of which produce nectar for this road, small lumber yards can on his land beneath the shady canopy hummingbirds, fruit for tanagers, or be found selling boards cut from of alders planted only four years ago. provide habitat for the insects that trees harvested nearby, and much of His community has even built an or- make up a key food source for migra- the land close to the road has been chid garden, and is investing in other tory warblers and other birds. Each cleared by local farmers for pastures projects to attract tourists. Through plant represents the hope of local and crops. Aside from protecting and forest restoration and grass-roots people, who will use them to build restoring forests within these reserves, tourism development, he is pioneer- a better life as well as an improved our project is putting back trees onto ing a more diversified and sustainable environment for birds. degraded private lands within a broad economy in his town.

A landowner and ECOAN staffer peruse a reforestation agreement: Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC Bagging soil for plant seedlings: Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC

10 bird conservation • FALL 2011 Bolivia by Benjamin Skolnik, Conservation Projects Specialist, ABC

cross the southern Peruvian border lies wild, little- explored terrain, deep within the Apolobamba and Madidi protected areas of the Boliv-

ian Andes. The critically endangered Blue-throated Macaws; Giant Anteater: Benjamin Skolnik, ABC Royal Cinclodes, one of the rarest birds in the country, is relegated to for most of the year. Anthropolo- protects over 12,000 acres—a sizeable the few small Polylepis forest frag- gists speculate that these people also reserve, but still only a small part ments that remain in these areas. The used these higher areas to cultivate a of the entire Beni ecosystem. This Royal Cinclodes has adapted to an variety of food crops. reserve, initially established to protect unfortunate niche. It does not just the macaw, is now a haven for dozens need a Polylepis forest; it requires a Bennett and I are in the Beni tropi- of threatened species. While traveling dense Polylepis canopy with a large cal savannah in northeastern Bolivia, the reserve, we discuss opportunities expanse of moist moss groundcover one of two endemic ecoystems in for management of this unique place; underneath. Firewood collecting, the country (the other being inter- Armonía is creating a system of fire cattle grazing, and uncontrolled sea- Andean dry valley in the center of the breaks and will conduct patchwork sonal burning of nearby pastureland country, where ABC is working to re- burns to maximize habitat for key has taken its toll on this very special- store habitat for the Red-fronted Ma- grassland species. ized habitat. caw).The forest islands are surround- ed by a sea of grassland that harbors Meanwhile, we may try to establish However, we have high hopes that last an enormous diversity of wildlife. It additional forest islands to create year’s reforestation campaign, which looks more like the Serengeti plains more palm fruits and roosting sites in planted 10,000 native fuel wood of Africa than anything I have seen the reserve, which will also minimize trees, will help restore parts of this in ten years of traveling through the impacts of ongoing habitat de- Polylepis forest. Our next task is to Latin America. The maned wolf, with struction beyond the reserve’s bound- get the rather finicky Polylepis trees to its long, lanky legs, is a specialist aries, mostly from cattle ranching. grow more densely, and provide the hunter of the grassland habitat found Through ongoing habitat restoration right conditions for the moss to grow here. The giant anteater can also be efforts, ABC and its partners have also so the Royal Cinclodes can thrive. seen meandering along, hunting for been able to learn an extraordinary This will require years of continued insects. More significantly, this site is amount about cultivating native trees. effort in these remote, inhospitable home to the largest population of the We are pioneers in this field in Bolivia mountains. critically endangered Blue-throated because many local agronomists are Macaw. This morning, we enjoyed limited in knowledge of commercial The Beni: Bolivia’s Pantanal easy views of several family groups tree species; our outstanding record of and flocks of up to thirty individuals; Travelling eastward, the Andes gradu- success in relatively few years shows now we are stalking elusive grassland ally transition to plains, and forest what can be accomplished when the specialists, such as the Cock-tailed yields to tropical grassland. effort is made. Our partners have so Tyrant and Masked Finch, both con- far planted over one and half million “See those patches of forest evenly sidered vulnerable to extinction. spread across the horizon?” said Ben- trees, and maintain nurseries with an nett Hennessey, Executive Director of Armonía manages the Barba Azul annual capacity to produce more than ABC’s Bolivian partner group Aso- Nature Reserve (Barba Azul is the a million saplings of over 150 tree ciación Armonía. “Those may have local name for the macaw), which varieties. With continued support, been created by humans thousands of we expect to improve our ability and years ago.” People may have lived on accomplish much more. these forest “islands” to avoid seasonal flooding, which inundates these lands

Beni savanna habitat; note the forest “island” in the foreground: Benjamin Skolnik, ABC bird conservation • FALL 2011 11 Ecuador and Colombia by Benjamin Skolnik, Conservation Projects Specialist, ABC

everal cell phones hang pre- Executive Director, Zoltan Waliczky, previous reforestation campaign just cariously from tree limbs in the and I are heading out to see some of two years ago. At over 15 feet, I find small parking area outside the the many dry-forest specialist bird their exceptional size hard to believe Jorupe Reserve in southern Ecuador, species such as the Grey-breasted given the slow growth rates of trees making a sort of avant-garde tropical Flycatcher and Grey-cheeked Para- in North America. The forest guard Christmas tree. It is early on a March keet. One phone rings and a forest boasts that these trees grew so quickly morning, and Fundación Jocotoco’s guard comes running down the path. due to his constant watering. We see Director of Reserves, Javier Robayo, He answers the call on his tiptoes in other trees that are smaller and were an effort not to dislodge the phone apparently harder to access with water from the only place one can appar- buckets. Jocotoco has become one ently get a signal, comically leaving it of the leading institutions in Latin hanging from the branch throughout America when it comes to reforesta- the conversation. His call is about tion of native vegetation. In just a few a massive effort to plant 227,000 years, they have planted an outstand- native trees on old cattle pasture at ing 650,000 trees. If one were ever four reserves owned by ABC partner unconvinced of the merits of planting Fundación Jocotoco. These pastures trees, Ecuador is certainly the place could provide excellent bird habitat if to visit. properly restored. Jorupe Reserve, Ecuador: Benjamin Skolnik, ABC The trees that line the parking lot and road that shade us from the in- tense tropical sun Grey-cheeked Parakeet: Adrian Royle were planted in a

he mega-diverse country of elusive Blue-billed Curassow. In Colombia is well-known addition, lands outside the reserves to host a disproportionate are reforested to create greater amount of the world’s bird habitat connectivity. For instance, species, many of which are threat- the Cerulean Warbler, a bright blue ened. Fortunately, migrant and resi- migrant from the United States, dent birds alike are finding sanctuary benefits from a conservation corridor in Colombian forests thanks to the project linking private properties encouraging reforestation efforts of between three ProAves reserves in the ABC partner, Fundación ProAves. Serranía de los Yaraguíes. Landowners are encouraged to maintain forest At nearly all of their 18 reserves, plots and plant shade trees on coffee ProAves employs forest guards and cacao farms in exchange for and local residents to establish training and other incentives, such as Dusky Starfrontlet: Alonso Quevedo Gil and maintain tree nurseries. An the installation of irrigation systems. incredible 80 species of native trees At a recent workshop held by ABC excited they were to scale up their are transplanted within degraded in Peru, ProAves staff exclaimed how efforts and become more efficient at properties acquired by ProAves and producing plants after they witnessed incorporated into existing private the local Peruvian workers speedily reserves. This adds vital habitat for transplant seedlings. We can only dozens of highly threatened species, be thrilled at this force for positive including the magnificent Dusky change in Colombia, where so much Starfrontlet hummingbird and the land is being lost to urban growth and development.

12 bird conservation • FALL 2011 Cerulean Warbler: Barth Schorre Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina: Wikipedia

REforesting the appalachians

n the heavily wooded Appala- throughout the Appalachians have partnership is to provide migratory chian region, reforestation efforts been reclaimed to grasses and other bird expertise as part of the ARRI I are rarely needed at a large scale. undesirable vegetation, such as au- Science Team, which helps guide Riparian areas or pastures may be tumn olive and non-native lespedeza. the partnership with up-to-date planted to trees after decades of graz- findings on planting techniques, soil From a bird conservation perspective, ing, or small fields surrounded by for- compaction, and wildlife responses to this situation creates quite a conun- est might be given a jump start back the projects. drum. Coal mining fragments forests to forest cover by planting desirable important to priority bird species, in- AMJV staff and partners are also hardwoods or trees that produce food cluding the Acadian Flycatcher, Wood developing conservation planning for wildlife, but active planting of Thrush, and Cerulean, Worm-eating, tools that will enable ARRI partners seedlings is rarely used on larger areas and Kentucky Warblers. However, to better identify the most appropri- for two reasons: it is very hard work, in portions of the region, those same ate land restoration and management and Appalachian forests are pretty reclaimed mine sites offer the only options for high-priority species in good at re-establishing themselves… early-successional habitats on the each project area. Most importantly, most of the time. landscape that support viable popula- though, ARRI is beginning to change Various types of “surface mining” tions of other high-priority species, the way mineland reclamation is (which includes conventional contour including the Henslow’s Sparrow conducted, ultimately increasing the mining, but also the controversial and Northern Bobwhite (grassland- number of reclaimed minelands that practice of mountaintop removal) dependent), and the Golden-winged will support diverse, native Appala- have left visible and lasting scars on Warbler and American Woodcock chian bird habitat. the Appalachian landscape. Following (shrubland-dependent). This May ARRI was awarded the first the implementation of the Surface Presidential Migratory Bird Steward- Mining Control and Reclamation ARRI to the Rescue ship Award, an accolade that ARRI Act of 1977, regulators focused on Enter the Appalachian Regional Re- leaders hope will help the coalition stabilizing the landforms created by forestation Initiative (ARRI - http:// strengthen its partnerships and garner mining to prevent erosion, instead of arri.osmre.gov), a multi-partner more resources to continue expanding restoring diverse, native forests. This coalition begun in 2004, coordinated their reforestation efforts. resulted in companies compacting soil by the Office of Surface Mining and excessively and planting aggressive, Reclamation Enforcement. ARRI was — Brian Smith, ABC’s Appalachian non-native (and inexpensive) ground created to restore eastern forests by re- Mountains Joint Venture Coordinator covers such as fescue. establishing native habitat on newly These compacted soils and non-native reclaimed coal mine sites. plants have impeded natural forest ABC and the Appalachian Mountains succession, effectively preventing the Joint Venture (AMJV) are active surrounding native forests from re- partners in the ARRI coalition. ABC establishing themselves. Mine opera- has worked to raise ARRI’s profile tors and regulators have witnessed within federal agencies and Congress, many failed reforestation attempts, and to secure funds for reforestation making them reluctant to plant projects that will benefit priority anything other than hay and pasture, birds. ABC has raised funds for which they know they can establish three projects to date (one each in easily when they end mining activ- Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia). The ity. Over the last three decades, an Golden-winged Warbler: Laura Erickson AMJV’s contribution to the ARRI estimated 750,000-1,000,000 acres

bird conservation • FALL 2011 13 Habitat Restoration and the ESA

f you were asked to pick one listed species, designation of Criti- that have helped recover the Kirt- concept that you most associ- cal Habitat, and the creation of Safe land’s Warbler (see page 24) and Red- ate with the Endangered Species Harbor and Candidate Conservation cockaded Woodpecker would almost I Act (ESA), what would come to Agreements. All four strategies aim to certainly never have happened. mind? Perhaps it would be protec- protect existing habitat or create addi- Another species that has benefitted tion of from hunting, feather tional habitat for listed species or spe- from habitat restoration under the collection, or persecution; or maybe cies that may soon need listing. That ESA is the California Clapper Rail. captive breeding and reintroduction is because, unless you are planning In the last 100 years, more than 80 of species to former strongholds. on maintaining a thriving population percent of the saltmarsh habitat in That’s because when most of us think of an endangered species solely in San Francisco Bay has disappeared, about the ESA, we think of a few captivity, habitat is a critical factor in limiting efforts to recover the rail high-profile species such as the gray any recovery effort. It is these habitat population from the overhunting that wolf, Peregrine Falcon, or Bald Eagle. components that set the ESA apart decimated it in the late 19th Cen- But while protection from take and from other wildlife laws. tury. ESA-funded management has reintroductions do figure prominently included creation of buffer areas and in many ESA recovery efforts, they Providing Habitat for the habitat corridors to protect rails from are not the only available techniques. Most Endangered Birds predation by foxes, and experimental The ESA also provides for the forma- Without the impetus and funding of creation of tidal channels and use of tion of Habitat Conservation Plans for the ESA, habitat restoration efforts dredge spoil to modify habitat.

San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge: USFWS

California Clapper Rail: Eleanor Briccetti

San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge: USFWS

ESA-funded management has included creation of buffer areas and habitat corridors to protect the endangered California Clapper Rail.

14 bird conservation • FALL 2011 Greater Sage-Grouse: Nick Athanas

The ESA’s record is one of remarkable achievement for our nation’s most threatened birds; the act has the potential to restore many millions more acres of native habitat.

At the San Francisco Bay National which to test habitat restoration tech- The ESA Under Fire Wildlife Refuge Complex, restora- niques. Among them are the many tion of 1,500 acres of former farm ways of dealing with invasive kikuyu The ESA continues to come under at- land is being achieved by the selec- grass that include herbicide appli- tack in Congress, a result of industry tive breeching of existing levees to cations, tree planting, and natural pressure that variously portrays it as a open up areas to tidal action that regeneration. The long-term objective corporate profit barrier, job killer, and slowly, but naturally, creates healthy is to restore native forest habitat for tax drain. The need for the United marshland. The refuge has also been the endangered Maui Parrotbill. States to get its financial house in or- working to mitigate for the conver- der has only served to exacerbate the sion of salt marsh to brackish marsh To List or Not to List rhetoric, and is being used by some in Congress as an excuse to cut a pro- in Coyote Creek, which occurred due Sometimes, it is not listing under the to the excessive outflow of freshwater gram that they don’t like for political ESA that stimulates habitat restora- or financial reasons. from the San Jose Water Pollution tion efforts, but the threat of listing. Control Plant. This effort has re- In the case of the Greater Sage- Language that would have gutted the sulted in the purchase of more than Grouse, more money is now slated to ESA by preventing FWS from list- 800 acres of inactive salt evaporation go to habitat restoration to prevent ing new species, designating Critical ponds from Cargill Salt Company the species from being listed than Habitat, or assisting law enforcement that will be restored to tidal marsh would likely be available under the to protect species was included in a and seasonal wetlands, benefitting the ESA if it actually were listed. recent House Interior Appropriations rail and other species, including the Bill. Thankfully, a strong outpouring endangered salt marsh harvest mouse. Cattle ranchers and oil, wind, and of public condemnation, including natural gas industries worry that ESA In Hawai'i too, habitat restoration many ABC supporters who took part listing of the sage-grouse will impose in an emergency action campaign, under the ESA is providing a crucial grazing and drilling restrictions in leg-up to several endangered spe- resulted in a bipartisan vote to strip core areas in Colorado, Montana, and the provision from the spending bill. cies, particularly the Palila and Maui Wyoming. To head off this possibil- Parrotbill. On the Big Island, fencing ity, the Department of Agriculture’s The ESA’s record is one of remark- on Mauna Kea is being funded to the Natural Resources Conservation able achievement for our nation’s tune of at least $2.4 million to keep Service is providing $23 million (to most threatened birds (see ABC’s ESA out non-native grazing mammals, and be matched by other, non-federal report at www.abcbirds.org), and the pave the way for active habitat res- sources) for the purchase of develop- act has the potential to restore many toration, including reforestation and ment rights on nearly 50,000 acres millions more acres of native habitat control of invasive ivy and fountain of farms and ranchland with suitable to benefit not only birds, but the grass. At Kahikinui, East Maui, biolo- sage-grouse habitat. Private compa- health of our rivers and watersheds, gists are beginning efforts to restore nies are also kicking in funds. One forests, and grasslands. While it may some 3,000 acres that has been over- wind power corporation is proposing seem counter-intuitive at a time when grazed for over 200 years by sheep to establish a $16 million sage-grouse fiscal belt-tightening is recognized by and cows. A trial restoration plot is conservation fund to help mitigate all as being imperative, we should be being fenced off, and once complete, a 170-turbine wind project in Idaho increasing funding for the ESA. With will become a living laboratory in and Nevada. By comparison, the U.S. our nation’s wild heritage at stake, we Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) gets cannot invest too much in endan- only $180 million or so to fund all its gered species habitat restoration. ESA recovery activities for 91 species — Gavin Shire, ABC Vice President of birds, 289 other vertebrate species, of Communications 203 invertebrate species, and 792 spe- cies of plants.

Maui Parrotbill: Michael Walther, Oahu Nature Tours bird conservation • FALL 2011 15 Going with the Flowion rat Wa itat Resto ter Management and Hab

hen we think of habitat sandbars formerly scoured clean every Shifting Sands restoration, we usually year. In extreme cases, as on the cen- think about planting trees tral Platte River in the Midwest, bare On stretches of rivers where floods or designing a wetland to bring back a sandbars have become forested islands are not frequent enough to create new Wvegetation community that is in short in the absence of floods that would sandbars naturally, and where tern supply for wildlife. However, there normally remove young cottonwood and plover nesting habitat is in short are some species of birds, particularly or willow saplings. supply as a result, endangered species terns, plovers, and skimmers, that consultations between the U.S. Fish This type of habitat loss has led to prefer to nest on completely bare and Wildlife Service and the U.S. the ESA listing of two populations ground, such as wide sandy beaches Army Corps of Engineers have result- of sandbar-nesting birds on large or sandbars in the middle of large riv- ed in programs to mechanically create rivers of the interior United States: ers. In fact, when vegetation starts to new bare sandbars. If done properly, the Interior population of the Least grow in or around their nesting areas, sandbars created by the Corps using Tern and the Northern Great Plains habitat becomes unsuitable and the dredgers and bulldozers can result in population of the Piping Plover. For birds quickly move away to find new immediate habitat use and high pro- these species, many miles of river that areas that are completely free of veg- ductivity for both Interior Least Terns formerly contained sandbars were etation. These birds are dependent on and Great Plains Piping Plovers. completely inundated under reser- floods from snowmelt or storms for voirs that formed behind dams. In the This practice has been most widely habitat renewal. These major events remaining areas below the dams, bare applied on the Missouri River in remove vegetation from sandbars or sandbars have become less common South Dakota and Nebraska, and dunes and deposit new bare sand, due to the absence of large annual successful sandbar habitat restoration which is quickly colonized by birds. floods. has also occurred on the Arkansas Dam Habitat Loss and Canadian Rivers in Oklahoma. Over the past century, humans have gone to great lengths to control A 76-acre sandbar complex constructed on the Missouri River: Missouri River Futures/U.S.Army Corps of Engineers floods on rivers. Large dams now capture snowmelt so that water can be released more gradually from dams, protecting farms or other infrastruc- ture in river flood plains, and holding back water so that it can be released for municipal or agricultural use in late summer, by which time many riv- ers would normally have run dry. By absorbing huge spring run-off spikes, large dams have reduced the frequen- cy of very large floods. Consequently, vegetation has grown on many river

16 bird conservation • FALL 2011 A sandbar complex constructed on the Missouri River: Missouri River Futures/U.S.Army Corps of Engineers Piping Plover: Missouri River Futures/U.S.Army Corps of Engineers

Between 2006 and 2010, most of to different flow regimes and habitat of large floods) becomes either physi- the successful nesting for both terns conditions. Models of how sandbar- cally impossible or cost-prohibitive. and plovers on the Missouri River nesting bird populations will respond Given the amount of riparian habitat occurred on mechanically created to alternative management approach- loss in the United States it may seem sandbars (though major flooding on es help guide these efforts. counter-intuitive to destroy new cot- the Missouri River in 2011 will very tonwood recruits; however, without While sandbar creation is a critical likely create extensive new sandbars this action, sandbars will quickly activity, when it comes to habitat for that will last for several years after become unsuitable for nesting by nesting terns and plovers, mainte- flood waters recede). terns and plovers, as well as several nance of existing sandbars is equally state-listed turtle species that nest on As more and more sandbars are lost, important, given that large floods are bare sandbars. tern and plover nesting can become so much less frequent than they used concentrated on a small number of to be on big rivers. Sandbar main- Recurring Restoration sandbars. As a result, there have been tenance requires vigilant removal of situations where a small number of young seedlings of pioneering tree Required predators have destroyed regional species such as cottonwood, willow, So how does mechanical sandbar productivity through repeated visits and tamarisk, which quickly become restoration fit in with other potential to the same nesting colonies. It is established on new bare sandbars. conservation measures for sandbar- important to avoid this situation by Once these species have established nesting birds? This is not a simple maintaining a minimum amount of roots and survived several growing question to answer, since it is difficult regionally available suitable habitat seasons, their removal (in the absence to predict how common habitat- via dam releases, vegetation removal, forming floods will be in the future. and mechanical habitat creation. In the absence of large-scale dam This requires regular monitoring of removal, which seems unlikely, me- sandbar habitat conditions to inform chanical habitat creation and sandbar habitat restoration activities. maintenance will be necessary at times ABC has been working with the on some rivers during periods of exten- Army Corps of Engineers on such sive drought, when reservoir levels are adaptive management approaches by low and flood releases are rare. developing methods to measure how Black Skimmer: Greg Lavaty Sandbar habitat restoration, like all sandbar habitat changes in response habitat restoration, is costly. The more

Least Tern and chicks: Bill Dalton bare sandbars that can be created with high water releases from dams, and the more that bare sandbars can be managed to last after they have been created (via vegetation removal pro- grams), the less necessary expensive restoration programs will be. — Casey Lott, Coastal and Waterways Program Coordinator, ABC

bird conservation • FALL 2011 17 Fire Management

Human beings have been using fire for hundreds of thousands of years to cook, stay warm, wage war, and yes, manage habitat. There are numerous references in early American literature of Native Americans using fire to drive game, encourage the growth of new grasses for grazing by elk and bison, and keep the understory of forests and woodlands open for easier travel and foraging.

Some of these fires were of fairly low and the expansive coastal plains of the and sagebrush habitats, and fire was intensity, just skimming the surface Southeast, had more widespread and essential to rejuvenating aspen and when fuel loads were light, but others, frequent fires, while fire that occurred whitebark pine stands. especially in drought periods, became in areas that are more of a mix of Fire suppression, coupled with huge conflagrations that burned plains and hills, such as the central extensive logging around the turn of over vast areas of the continent and hardwoods region, produced a mosaic the 20th Century, and the destructive dramatically altered the structure of of prairie, savannas, and open wood- farming and open-range grazing prac- forests and woodlands for decades lands. The diversity and abundance of tices that followed, degraded much of thereafter. grasses and other flowering plants in our most diverse and biologically rich our historical landscapes was arguably native ecosystems. But in many areas Rejuvenating Essential much greater than in modern times. where the sod has yet to be broken, Only in the most rugged topography, Habitat—from the Moun- we still have a chance to recover some where moisture accumulated and tains to the Prairies of those ecosystems where the seeds north- and east-facing slopes were and rootstocks of the native flora still, That the once-great prairies of the protected from the drying effects of miraculously, remain viable after all central United States were a product the sun, were fires relatively infre- these years. This restoration typically of frequent fire is now well under- quent, and what we think of today requires thinning of overstocked trees stood by ecologists. More recently, we as “forests” were able to develop and to allow sunlight to reach the ground, have also gained an increased under- persist. standing of the role fire has played and allowing fires to encourage the in maintaining both oak- and pine- In mountainous western landscapes, native grasses and forbs to regrow. dominated ecosystems. Using tree the frequency and intensity of fires Many species of birds are dependent ring analysis and radio-carbon dating varied greatly by elevation and aspect, on the grass-shrub communities of soil charcoal, we have learned that which affected both the distribution that once characterized prairies and while fire patterns and intervals were and structure of grassland, shrubland, the understories of savannas and highly variable, fires were much more and forest habitats. Ponderosa pine open oak/pine woodlands, including frequent and widespread prior to Eu- forests were most frequently disturbed WatchList species such as Bachman's ropean settlement than most people by fire, with drier sites experiencing and Henslow's Sparrows, Blue-winged first thought. low-intensity fires every five to thirty years. This resulted in open stands and Prairie Warblers, and North- Landscapes that are flatter and had of large, fire-resistant trees. Frequent ern Bobwhite. Bird-habitat models fewer natural fire breaks, such as the fires kept Douglas-fir and junipers developed by the Central Hardwoods tallgrass prairie region of the Midwest from encroaching into grassland Joint Venture’s staff and partners

18 bird conservation • FALL 2011 acres of younger, dense ponderosa pine stands throughout the Rocky Mountains. Towards that end, the Public Land Management Act of 2009 established the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program under the auspices of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. So far, 31 projects have been proposed across the country, including an effort to restore 750,000 acres of the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests. Understanding Fire’s Function Lewis's Woodpecker: John D. White; Northern Bobwhite (inset): Bill Hubick Over the last half-century, we have come to understand that managing land to prevent all fires is a fool’s suggest that we could meet popula- stands by thinning the understory. errand with potentially catastrophic tion objectives for these species if we These thinning efforts reduce the risks ramifications for both people and can restore just over a million acres of to homes and timber resources from wildlife. With more understanding native ecosystems, such as barren and catastrophic fire while simultane- and better landowner education, we glade complexes, and open oak and ously restoring conditions needed by are beginning to see a change in how pine woodlands. The JV is working declining bird species. communities are working with rather towards this goal, and treated over than against fire-dependent habitats. But management must be done with 130,000 acres with thinning and/or Smart management is allowing for the the specific needs of these birds in prescribed fire in 2010 alone. natural regeneration on which birds mind, which include large snags for depend, while preventing destruc- In the Northern Rockies, the Lewis’s nesting, and patchy shrub and conifer tive out-of-control blazes. Striking Woodpecker and Flammulated Owl seedlings in the understory to pro- the right balance is difficult, and we both prefer the open, uneven-aged vide forage. Prescribed fire is one of cannot claim to know all the answers mature stands of ponderosa pine that the best tools for maintaining open, yet. We do, however, have a better comprised as much as 80 percent patchy understory in this habitat. understanding of the role of fire, and of this landscape one hundred years The Intermountain West Joint a clearer appreciation of its nature as a ago. Now perhaps no more than ten Venture is looking to double the dangerous servant and fearful master. percent of this habitat remains, and amount of suitable habitat for fire suppression has led to higher den- —Dan Casey, Northern Rockies Bird Flammulated Owls, and to increase sities of Douglas-fir in these stands, Conservation Region Coordinator, and Lewis’s Woodpecker populations making them much more susceptible Jane Fitzgerald, Central Hardwoods by ten percent. This will require to high-intensity fires. Efforts are Joint Venture Coordinator, ABC active management of ten percent underway by ABC, consulting forest- or more of the estimated 16 million ers, and landowners to open up these

bird conservation • FALL 2011 19 Laysan Island: Cindy Rehkemper/Wikimedia Commons Island Birds are Different

Recovering Our Most Isolated Habitats

When it comes to recovering and protecting diminished bird populations, it turns out that islands are different—really different. And it goes beyond just being surrounded by water, although that has a lot to do with it.

Laysan Albatross: Michael Walther, Oahu Nature Tours

Attributes such as distance to the Seabirds, even those with worldwide Some situations are unlikely to be re- nearest land, especially continents, distributions, evolved to nest on versible. For example, the remov- the time that an island has been iso- remote islands where predation from al of rats or feral cats from very large lated, and its size are strong drivers terrestrial predators was not a factor. islands, such as the main Hawai- that shape the animal and plant com- ian Islands, will probably never be Island birds often have high adult sur- munities on islands, including their achieved. As a result, predator control vival from year to year, but produce bird life. to protect endangered species such as fewer young. They also may lose resis- the Newell’s Shearwater and Puaio- Island avifauna tends to be less di- tance to avian diseases that are preva- hi over vast areas on Kaua'i will likely verse than that of continents because lent on continents, and because they have to continue indefinitely. How- it can only evolve from the few in- often arise from only a few individu- ever, on smaller islands or portions of dividuals and species that are able to als in the first place, island bird spe- large islands, there are conservation reach these remote places. However, cies may lack the genetic diversity actions underway that are providing given enough time, some island com- that would enable them to respond to truly inspiring and dramatic results. munities have blossomed from very changes in their environment. simple beginnings. Examples include Restoration Techniques the Hawaiian and Galapagos Islands. The Alien Onslaught and Results In both cases, a single finch ancestor When people intrude on these special Foremost among the methods gave rise to spectacular radiations of places, it is inevitably with disastrous for restoring island habitat is the bird species (honeycreepers in Hawai'i consequences. People bring – inten- eradication of exotic plants and and Darwin’s finches on the Galapa- tionally and unintentionally – a host grazing mammals. Grazing mammals gos) that filled the available ecologi- of alien species including rats, cats, such as rabbits, goats, pigs, sheep, cal niches. dogs, goats, pigs, plants, and insects, and cows, can destroy bird habitat and foreign diseases that attack native Terrestrial mammals do not tend to through over-grazing. A notorious animals and plants alike. Native birds make it to remote islands, and so, example is from Laysan Island in are often decimated, and many have over long periods of time, absent the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, gone extinct from this onslaught— this threat of predation, many island where a German immigrant, Max the current toll stands at 71 bird spe- bird species have lost their ability Schlemmer, introduced domestic cies in Hawai’i, with ten more not to fly and now nest on the ground. rabbits, hares, and guinea pigs. seen in many years.

20 bird conservation • FALL 2011 Black-vented Shearwater: Glen Tepke

Guano extraction had already taken a plants and birds, including the vul- the aptly named Rat Island in the huge toll on the island’s seabirds, but nerable Galapagos Rail, whose habitat Aleutians, seabirds are breeding in an explosion in the rabbit population was adversely impacted by overgraz- rat-free conditions not seen for over finished off Laysan by defoliating ing, and the critically endangered 200 years. the habitat, which in turn caused Galapagos Petrel, whose nests were massive soil erosion. The Laysan trampled by the goats. Continuing Work Millerbird and Laysan Rail went Exotic species eradication on small is- As the techniques evolve, such as the extinct as a result. In 1923, members lands can have an equally significant aerial application of rodenticides and of a scientific expedition removed impact, especially for seabirds. For ex- other poisons, we have seen a huge all the remaining rabbits, but before ample, on Isla Natividad, off the west leap in the size of islands that can be the habitat could recover, a massive coast of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, a cleared of rats and other invasives. Te- dust storm killed the last three colony of only 20 cats was decimat- lemetry, GPS, and sophisticated data Laysan 'Apapane. Today an intensive ing the global stronghold population management are also making it easi- restoration program is underway on of Black-vented Shearwaters, killing er to remove grazing mammals from the island. Seabird populations have approximately 1,000 shearwaters per islands. largely rebounded, and the habitat on month. Once the cats were removed Laysan is now recovered to the point For very large islands, the creation of by Grupo de Ecología y Conservación that there are plans to translocate “islands within islands” through the de Islas (GECI) and Island Conserva- Millerbirds there from Nihoa. use of ungulate fences and hi-tech, tion in 2001, the shearwaters quickly predator-proof fencing is a very effec- In the Galapagos, by 2006, Project rebounded. tive means for preventing the extinc- Isabela had succeeded in eradicating In addition to being voracious tions of endemic and range-restricted goats from Pinta (14,500 acres) and predators of birds, chicks, and eggs, bird species. Overall, there have been Santiago (144,500 acres) Islands and rats also destroy island ecosystems some significant achievements and the northern portion of Isabela Island by eating seeds, plants, and other reasons for renewed hope that the (618,000 acres). The Santiago eradi- organisms. Their elimination can also conservation of the amazing remain- cation is the largest ever whole island yield dramatic results for native birds. ing avian diversity on islands is in- eradication of goats. The use of heli- On Midway Atoll National Wildlife creasingly within reach. copters and radio-tracking were criti- Refuge, Bonin Petrels exploded from cal to the success of the effort. —George E. Wallace, Vice President, 5,000 pairs to over 100,000 after Oceans and Islands, ABC Biologists are already seeing a dra- rats were eradicated in 1997. Now matic, positive impact on the native that rats have been removed from

Chris Farmer, ABC's Science Coordinator for Reintroduction of Hawaiian Birds, Newell`s Shearwater (A'o): Jim Denny, kauaibirds.com Puaiohi: Eric VanderWerf releasing a Nihoa Millerbird: D. Tsukayama

bird conservation • FALL 2011 21 Greener Acres: Silvipasture

n a sunny day last May in the added benefit of generating tree northern Peru, cows and chick- crops such as timber, fruit, or nuts, O ens quietly foraged and rested which can create additional sources of in a pasture. The animals were not income for the farmer. randomly scattered, but were shelter- Trees planted for living fences can cut A line of young Andean Alder trees provides shade for livestock and will ing from the fierce tropical sun in the eventually provide habitat for birds as well: Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC fencing costs by half; trees planted in shade cast by a line of alder trees. In pastures and along fence lines reduce less than four years, these fast-grow- working lands is not an outcome of erosion, especially along streams, ing trees had flourished to the point silvipasture, it does recover represen- improve soils, and reduce the need for where they could shade livestock, tatives of the native tree species and fertilizers by adding organic matter provide habitat for wildlife, and create some of their ecological functions. to the soil. Trees store carbon and a variety of other benefits for both the reduce carbon emissions from soil; Interior forest birds will never prefer landowner and the local ecosystem. they provide buffer areas around for- a silvipasture over a forest, but many The trees were planted in 2008 on a est reserves, reducing the abrupt “edge species will use silvipasture to forage, private ranch near the Abra Patricia effect” where forest meets pasture, returning to the forest for nesting and Bird Reserve as part of a large silvipas- and help to keep livestock away from roosting. Some birds that are other- ture project begun by ABC’s Peru- sensitive riparian areas. Reduced heat wise reluctant to cross open spaces vian partner, Asociación Ecosistemas stress and greater moisture retention will use silvipastures or living fences Andinos (ECOAN). Silvipasture is a under silvipasture plantings can also as travel corridors to cross between farming method that combines grazing improve grass production for cattle. separate patches of more intact livestock and growing trees on the In northern Peru, ranchers have re- habitat. Golden-winged Warblers same piece of land. This may include ported to ECOAN that their pasture wintering in the tropics often use the practice of planting living fences grasses grew more lushly in partial the landscape in this way. Birds that of trees along the edges of fields or shade than in full sun. Importantly, prefer secondary-growth forests, such pastures. ABC and partners have al- silvipasture improves a rancher’s as wrens, jays, thrushes, and finches, ready planted more than 450,000 trees bottom line. Studies conducted in will readily use silvipasture habitats. across Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to Colombia demonstrated an increase Silvipasture has excellent potential for help establish silvipasture systems. in net income for ranchers who had connecting patches of natural habitat, made the conversion to silvipasture. such as private reserves and parks. It A Win-Win Way to Farm Compared to traditional grass mono- is also a useful technique for reducing cultures, ranchers using silvipastoral the hard edges of private reserves by Unlike most habitat restoration tech- techniques increased milk produc- creating buffer zones of better bird niques, silvipasture does not aim to tion, reduced fodder and irrigation habitat, so the reserves are not islands recreate original, native habitat solely costs, were able to graze more animals of primary habitat in a sea of pasture. for birds; rather it enables a landown- per acre, and got all these benefits er to continue to graze animals on his While silvipasture and living fences without the cost or impacts of chemi- land while providing benefit to birds have clear limitations (some birds will cal fertilizers. that would not exist in a purely arable simply never use them), they have landscape. The technique also has Wildlife, particularly birds, benefits proven to be valuable tools in bird from diversified landscapes provided conservation efforts. Their tangible by silvipasture. In many agricultural benefits to birds and local communi- areas, where the majority of trees have ties make them important compo- been cut down to create pasture, re- nents of the comprehensive approach planting trees on even a small portion to habitat restoration implemented by of land can go a long way towards ABC and our international partners. making what was once a desert for — David Wiedenfeld, Conservation endemic and migrant birds into an Science Specialist and Daniel J. Lebbin, oasis of usable habitat. While restor- Conservation Biologist, ABC Workshop participant, Oso Perdido, Peru, May 2011: Daniel J. Lebbin, ABC ing the original forests over these

22 bird conservation • FALL 2011 Many-banded Aracaris: Luke Seitz

Planned Giving You Can Help You can play an important role in the future of bird conservation by including American Bird Conservancy in your estate plans. There Secure the are several ways to make a bequest through your will, retirement Future for Birds plan, trust, or life insurance policy. Tax laws enacted by Congress last year, which extend charitable IRA provisions, dividend and cap- ital gains rates, and the two-year extension of income tax rates for individuals, make this an important time to consult with your tax advisor and examine your charitable giving options. If you haven’t included ABC in your estate plans, won’t you consider it now? Join ABC’s Legacy Circle and help ensure bird conservation results for years to come. For more information on ABC’s Legacy Circle, please contact Jack Morrison at 540-253-5780 or [email protected], or visit www.abcbirds.org/membership/planned_giving.html.

Hawaiian Petrel: Michael Walther, Oahu Nature Tours bird conservation • FALL 2011 23 NON-PROFIT ORG BirdConservation U.S. POSTAGE The magazine about bird conservation PAID throughout the Americas PERMIT NO. 2392 American Bird Conservancy MERRIFIELD, VA P.O. Box 249 The Plains, VA 20198

SPECIES PROFILE Kirtland’s Warbler – Poster Bird for Habitat Restoration

he Kirtland’s Warbler can fairly be The Kirtland’s Warbler winters primarily called the poster bird for targeted in early successional broadleaf scrub and habitat restoration. This species shrubby habitats in the Bahamas and Tis such an extreme habitat specialist Turks and Caicos Islands. In the late that if it were not for conservation 1990s, a partnership that included intervention, it would likely have gone agencies in the United States and the extinct decades ago. Bahamas was formed to identify and protect wintering habitats used by the The Kirtland’s Warbler has one of Kirtland's Warbler and other birds. the smallest breeding ranges of any North American bird species. During Projects to train Bahamians to iden- its breeding season, it is found in only tify and monitor Kirtland's Warblers, a few counties on the northern Lower pinpoint critical wintering habitats Peninsula of Michigan, in small numbers within the islands, and support continu- on the Upper Peninsula, and more recently, ing conservation work are ongoing. as numbers have begun to recover, in a few A rigorous cowbird control program has now re- sites in Wisconsin and Ontario. duced nest parasitism to only three percent. Extensive This warbler nests on the ground in dense young stands of tracts of young jack pines, which are necessary for success- jack pines that are between six and 15 years old and five to ful breeding, are being maintained on the 125,000-acre 20 feet tall. The birds prefer jack pine stands over 80 acres Kirtland's Warbler Management Area through managed in size. This habitat was historically maintained by natu- burns, clear-cutting, and seeding of jack pines. rally occurring wildfires that periodically swept through Today, conservation measures seem to be working. Over the region. 150,000 acres of public lands have been set aside by the With the advent of modern fire protection and suppression Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the U.S.D.A. efforts, forest management practices did not emphasize the Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spe- regeneration of jack pine habitat, and Kirtland’s numbers cifically for Kirtland’s Warbler management, and the spe- plummeted to fewer than 400 birds by 1974. The changed cies is beginning to thrive once more. Population surveys habitat also lead to increases in Brown-headed Cowbird from 2010 found over 3,400 individual birds. numbers. Cowbird parasitism caused a drastic decline The Kirtland’s Warbler has met its recovery population in species numbers—at one point up to 70 percent of goal thanks to dedication of many people. However, its Kirtland’s nests were parasitized. continued success will depend upon annual habitat man- Due to these precipitous declines, the U.S. Fish and Wild- agement and cowbird control. life Service listed the Kirtland’s Warbler as Endangered in 1967 under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, precursor to the ESA. Kirtland's Warbler: Ron Austing