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Birdscapes: News from International Habitat Conservation Partnerships - when you read the stories in this issue of the magazine, you'll see just how appropriately the magazine has been named. Joint venture partners are following the birds south - way south.

Habitat conservation joint ventures have been working hard over the past 15 years to make sure that the habitats birds need in Canada, the United States, and Mexico are available during that part of their life cycles in which they are in the three countries. But, as Jack Capp, of the U.S. Forest Service, says in his article Linking the Americas Through Migratory Bird Conservation, ". . .what is happening where these birds spend the rest of the year?"

In this issue of Birdscapes, you'll find out. Jack's Office of International Programs is working with partners to assist in habitat conservation in Central and South America under three programs that, among other things, provide project funding, technical assistance, and training in such exotic places as Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras, and Brazil. In her article, Bird Management Across the Americas, Sharon Rodenbush of the Saskatchewan Conservation Wetland Corporation tells us about the TransAmerican Migratory Bird Fund established by the Corporation that is helping to finance neotropical bird projects with new partners in Chile, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Argentina.

While it may be "on with the new," our partners are not forgetting their outdoor heritage. In the Updates department, Jodi DiCamillo (Make STEP OUTSIDE® Part of Your Outdoor Ethic) and Jack Scarth (Manitoba Youth Learn Outdoors Skills), share with us two programs, Step Outside® and Waterfowler Heritage Days, that are helping people to discover the joys associated with being a traditional outdoorsman or woman. Both programs challenge you to get involved.

The Updates department carries an abundance of news, not the least of which is the formation of a new joint venture. Robert Mesta gives us a close-up view of the Sonoran Desert, where the new Sonoran Joint Venture has already begun putting projects on the ground.

In our Research department, Laura Houseal (Evaluations Underway in North Dakota's Missouri Coteau) explains how scientist Scott Stephens is examining the relationship between waterfowl nesting success and surrounding landscape characteristics, and Rex Johnson and Daniel Hubbarb look at Factors Affecting Duck and Shorebird Use of Prairie Wetlands - cutting edge science in the process.

As usual, look for inspiration in all the Project Profile stories. Partners across the continent continue to find innovative ways to get things done for wildlife. Speaking of partners, find more inspiration in the Partners section. Read about an Ontario Power Generation, an electric company that has gone green in a big way, and Upper Mississippi River & Great Lakes Region Joint Venture partner Dick Blythe who was recognized for his outstanding conservation work with the National Wetland Conservation Award to the Private Sector.

If you are a conservationist, we think you'll find inspiration throughout this issue. We certainly did.