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All Birds, All Habitats
by Craig Watson, Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

With the North American Waterfowl Management Plan's Atlantic Coast Joint Venture at the helm, a conservation planning effort involving five states launched in June 1999. Its goal: Deliver habitat conservation for all birds across all habitats. This groundbreaking work, now known as the South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative, has resulted in thousands of acres being conserved for a broad spectrum of birds in the Southeastern Coastal Plain Bird Conservation Region (BCR) delineated under the North American Bird Conservation Initiative.

The Joint Venture recruited waterfowl, songbird, shorebird, and waterbird experts from federal and state agencies and non-governmental organizations in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia to develop the plan. They were charged with four primary objectives:

• Revise existing Joint Venture Focus Areas to also include objectives of Partners in Flight, the United States Shorebird Conservation Plan, and the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan,
• Develop population and habitat objectives for each of the bird conservation initiatives in the BCR,
• Identify priority habitats and bird species, and
• Identify projects to implement Aall bird conservation@ in the Joint Venture.

Significant progress has been made toward meeting these objectives, including the implementation of three projects recently funded by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (Act). The South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative Habitat Conservation Project received $1 million in funding and will conserve 8,400 acres in 11 project areas across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Partners contributed $3.4 million to the project pool to benefit waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds, and waterbirds.

The Act also supported the Altamaha River Corridor Habitat Conservation Project in Georgia with $1 million to acquire 2,400 acres of forested wetlands and associated uplands in fee title and easements. Project partners added another $2 million. Partners in Flight has identified these habitats as critical to high priority songbirds, but they are also important to waterfowl, shorebirds, and colonial waterbirds.

The third project, the Northeast North Carolina Wetlands Initiative Project, also benefitting Aall birds,@ was awarded $1 million to complete the acquisition and to enhance the water management of the Little Alligator River Tract. Partners' contributions amounted to $2.2 million.

A new era in migratory bird conservation has arrived with the onset of a new centuryCthat of integrated bird conservation. The Joint Venture's South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative provides the model to stay on course.

For more information, contact Craig Watson, Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 176 Croghan Spur Road, Suite 200, Charleston, South Carolina 29407, (843) 727-4707 extension 16, craig_watson@fws.gov.

International Shorebird Surveys: Help Wanted
by Brian Harrington, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences

Shorebirds are hemispheric globetrotters whose migrations include nonstop flights often exceeding a 1,000 miles. The birds must lay on fuel reserves to complete their journeys. Most of the 40 common North American species accumulate fat at food-rich staging areas. Apparently, few places have the right combination of resources, for in some cases between 50 and 80 percent of an entire species' population may visit a single site. The implications are serious .Loss of critical staging areas could devastate a population. Other species are more disperse in their migrations and do not appear to depend upon critical migration staging areas.

Most shorebird staging sites are marine or nonmarine wetlands. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States, 1986 to 1997, states that an estimated 105.5 million acres of wetlands remain in the lower 48 states, 95 percent of which are nonmarine and located inland, with the balance being marine or estuarine. According to the report, from 1986 to 1997, the major factor in estuarine and marine wetland loss was filling or draining for development. Together, urban and rural development acccounted for 43 percent of these wetland losses. According to a 1995 study (Brian Harrington, Shorebirds East of the 105th Meridian) at least 16 of 26 shorebird species examined were threatened or in serious population decline, 1 was increasing.

Because shorebirds travel the hemisphere, documenting their migrations and habitat needs requires a large information-gathering network that spans the Americas. Costs of paying for this kind of data collection are prohibitive, so International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) was developed around a volunteer base. To date more than 800 volunteers have participated in surveys, which not only gather information on shorebirds but also on the wetlands they use. Work is ongoing and additional volunteer help is still needed.

Special emphasis is now being given by ISS to data collection on refuges and wildlife management areas. An expanded effort from federal and state wildlife areas is needed; the ISS can help find volunteer counters for appropriate sites nominated by wildlife professionals.

How is survey data used? Data collected by ISS confirmed the need for forming the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), a program that facilitates the protection of strategic migration sites. Data also have been used to identify sites in North and South America that qualify for inclusion in WHSRN, for charting migration timing at key sites, and for developing an atlas to provide conservation and wildlife professionals basic information needed for management decisions. During the past 5 years, ISS evaluations have helped in the development of the United States Shorebird Conservation Plan and have guided practices by agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Defense, and several state agencies.

The ISS data files now include more than 50,000 censuses, with about 1,300 added each year by 50 to 100 volunteers. They are asked to census a discrete location or route three times monthly during key migration periods. Less frequent counts may also be done. Get out your tripods and telescopes and join us.

For more information or to identify a site for survey or to volunteer as a data collector, contact Brian Harrington, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, P.O. Box 1770, Manomet, Massachusetts 02345, (508) 224-6521, bharr@manomet.org, www.manomet.org/WHSRN/Shorebird%20Surveys.htm.

California's San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
by John Steere, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture

It's not easy getting 27 agencies, organizations, and private companies to agree to anything. But when it came to protecting and restoring or enhancing 260,000 acres of wetlands and creeks over the next 20 years and to a series of specific partnership-based strategies to accomplish this feat in the Nation's second largest estuary and its most urbanized one, they all signed on the dotted line.
In penning their signatures, they agreed to the goals and objectives outlined in the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture's implementation strategy: Restoring the Estuary. The strategy has been in development for almost 4 years. The consensus reached is striking when considering the diversity of the Joint Venture's partners and the historic contentiousness over the protection of the bay and its wetlands. At last, a public vision has arrived to restore the bay and return the tides to its salt ponds and agricultural baylands.

The Joint Venture is the newest in the family of North American Waterfowl Management Plan (Plan) habitat joint ventures, having been endorsed by the Plan Committee this past September. It is the smallest in size of the joint ventures, but its mission is the most encompassing. The management board has agreed "to protect, restore, increase and enhance all types of wetlands, riparian habitat, and associated uplands throughout the San Francisco Bay region for all types of wildlife."

The strategy establishes region-wide habitat goals and sub-regional acreage objectives considering the social and biological fabric of each portion of the Bay Area. Over the next two decades, partners will protect and restore thousands of bay habitats, including tidal flats, marshes, and lagoons, as well as adjoining seasonal wetlands and the riparian corridors that feed into the bay. Partners will accomplish their collective objectives by using an ecosystem perspectiveCone that combines wetlands' biological requirements and values with public health and safety considerations.

Restoring the Estuary lays out a partnership framework and general actions needed. Its entrepreneurial approach encourages such actions as

• developing a wetland and riparian "extension service" to help landowners be good stewards of the land;
• forming programmatic linkages between the Joint Venture's goals and a variety of wetland management and restoration initiatives, including state and local conservation programs and clean water and non-point source pollution programs;
• creating incentives for wetland enhancement and restoration as part of military base closures;
• holding a restoration festival to expand public awareness;
• working with ports to use dredge spoils for tidal marsh restoration; and
• encouraging management and monitoring endowments as part of project construction budgets.

The strategy presents a dramatic vision of more than doubling the existing tidal wetlands and more than tripling riparian habitats that ring the bay through restoration and enhancement. In accomplishing this goal, the Joint Venture's partners will not only renew the health of the estuary but also will help to sustain and reinvigorate the economic and social health of the communities that share this special place.

For more information, contact John Steere, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture Coordinator, California Coastal Conservancy, 1330 Broadway, Suite 1100, Oakland, California 94612, (510) 286-6767, jsteere@sfbayjv.org. Restoring the Estuary can be downloaded at www.sfbayjv.org.

San Francisco Bay Joint Venture Management Board

Adopt a Watershed
Bay Area Audubon Council
Bay Area Open Space Council
Bay Conservation and Development Commission
Bay Planning Coalition
California Coastal Conservancy
California Department of Fish and Game
Coastal Region, Mosquito and Vector Control Districts
Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge
Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
National Audubon Society
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
National Marine Fisheries Service
Natural Resources Conservation Service
San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board
San Francisco Estuary Project
PG&E Corporation
Point Reyes Bird Observatory
Save San Francisco Bay Association
Sierra Club
The Bay Institute
The Conservation Fund
Urban Creeks Council
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wildlife Conservation Board

Under-cover Conservation
by Duncan Morrison, Ducks Unlimited Canada

For a program originally designed to save highly erodible soils, the United States' Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has benefited both humans and wildlife. "The CRP in the U.S. has provided enormous environmental and economic benefits," said Dr. Alan Wentz, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.'s, group manager for conservation programs. "Not only has the CRP improved soil conservation as originally intended, but other conservation aspects are now considered part of the benefits package because the results have been so obvious."

Established by the 1985 Farm Bill, the CRP was authorized to set aside 35 million acres under 10- to15-year voluntary landowner contracts that would offer financial incentives to landowners for idling or removing their marginal crop production.

According to Wentz, the subsidized increase in private land vegetation resulted in immediate environmental rewards for the public. He says the CRP cleaned up waterways, prevented water quality deterioration, improved drinking water, prevented sedimentation into wetlands and reservoirs, and improved air quality by having fewer wind erosion problems. Wentz also points out that by providing improved habitat, CRP significantly increased waterfowl, songbird, and resident wildlife populations.

As such, it should come as no surprise that Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is spearheading a similar concept in Canada. They have been diligently promoting the potential benefits of a national cover program to the Canadian government for almost 3 years.

"When marginal lands are subjected to tillage-based agriculture, they rarely return economic benefits and never provide environmental benefits," said Dr. Brian Gray, DUC's director of conservation programs. "Working with governmental and non-governmental partners, we've developed the concept of breaking the existing tillage paradigm, thereby allowing farmers to continue to generate income, while at the same time allowing marginal lands to provide environmental services and economic benefits. We believe our approach is a major step towards helping the government find solutions to vexing agricultural and conservation problems."

Like CRP, Gray says DUC's proposed Conservation Cover Program (CCP) works on the premise of providing incentives to landowners in return for seeding cropland to permanent vegetative cover. The concept encourages transition from annual cropping systems to forage and livestock-based grazing systems, restoring riparian buffer strips, and revegetating and idling marginal lands. The national CCP would be administered on a regional basis, reflecting the diversity of agriculture and other land-use practices across the country.

However, besides the financial support of the Canadian government, the fledgling plan needs the cooperation of agricultural producers. If the CRP blueprint is the precedent, it appears that the proactive concept has achieved considerable merit among America's farmers.

"The CRP has been tremendously popular with American farmers, " said Dr. Steve Adair, DU's director of conservation programs. "In fact, the demand for CRP during sign-ups has exceeded availability by 150 percent. The CRP provides the means for farmers to remove marginal lands from cropping and place them into more sustainable land-use practices. From an economic standpoint, it also facilitates diversification of revenue instead of reliance on single crops, something that many farmers agree is greatly needed for increased stability in farm income."

For more information, contact Dr. Brian Gray, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Oak Hammock Marsh Conservation Centre, 1 Mallard Bay at Highway 220, Box 1160, Stonewall, Manitoba R0C 2Z0, (204) 467-3000, b_gray@ducks.ca.

To Convert or Not to Convert, That Is the Question
by Todd Frerichs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The ability to manage wildlife successfully at a landscape level in North and South Dakota depends, in large part, on the cooperation of farmers and ranchers and understanding their needs.

The Dakotas were mainly settled by European immigrants in the late 1800s. They broke sod with horse-drawn plows, herded livestock, and dealt with weather extremes that challenged them both physically and financially. They were a determined lot and worked hard to maintain what they had and to leave something of value to their children. Many of today's farmers and ranchers carry the same ethic and concern for family heritage as did those that preceded them.

However, economic concerns haunt farm and ranch families more so today than in the past two centuries. Most private land already has been converted to cropland, but where native prairie remains, there is pressure to convert to crops for financial reasons. The appraised value of cropland is higher than grassland, which creates a plus in the asset column and helps to stave off foreclosure. Cropland also is eligible for government subsidy programs and offers increased income. With the net profit per acre declining on small farms, the current trend is a reduction in the number of small, family-owned farms and ranches and an increase in the number of larger or corporate farms. The latter often do not raise livestock and have no need for grasslands. There is little financial incentive to maintain native prairie, and thousands of acres are converted to cropland every year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) established the Small Wetlands Acquisition Program in 1958 and Wetland Management Districts in 1962 to manage and protect wetlands throughout the Prairie Pothole Region by acquiring land in fee title for Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) and wetland easements. In the mid 1980s, the Service started the Private Lands Program, now called Partners For Fish and Wildlife, to assist landowners with wetland and grassland restoration.

In 1990, the Service began purchasing grassland easements primarily to protect native prairie. In the Dakotas, there are more than 400,000 WPA acres, and easements have been acquired on more than 1,275,000 wetland acres and 650,000 grassland acres. The easement program continues to protect thousands of new acres each year in the Dakotas. Since 1985, the Federal Farm Bill has helped to slow the loss of wetlands but has done little to reduce the conversion of grasslands to croplands. The grassland easement program helps to fill this environmental void.

Nearly all native wildlife in the Prairie Pothole Region are dependent on grasslands for some portion of their life cycle. Unless severely over-grazed, grasslands in private ownership usually meets their needs. Most farmers and ranchers are concerned about the environment, but their overriding concern is a reasonable one: How do I keep my land and support my family? The Service's easement programs and Partners for Fish and Wildlife program can help farmers and ranchers to not only stay on their land but also conserve another part of their heritage—the native prairies.

For more information, contact Todd Frerichs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lostwood Wetland Management District, 8315 Highway 8, Kenmare, North Dakota 58746, (701) 848-2466, R6RW_LMD@fws.gov.

International Waterfowl & Wetlands Symposium
by Grace Bottitta, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.

Scientists, administrators, private landowners, public officials, and conservation organizations spend untold hours and millions of dollars each year developing, funding, delivering, and evaluating waterfowl conservation projects around the globe. Ducks Unlimited, Inc., recognizes that communication among these varied entities is vital for the most effective and efficient delivery of waterfowl conservation. To facilitate the timely exchange of information and ideas, Ducks Unlimited sponsors the International Waterfowl & Wetlands Symposium every 5 years. From July 20 through 22, 2001, the 8th International Waterfowl & Wetlands Symposium - The Waterfowl Legacy: Links to Watershed Health, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.

Previous symposia have brought to light a number of important issues that led to the implementation of new conservation partnerships and initiatives. Speakers at past meetings included notable public figures such as President George Bush and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. Again this year, experts from around the world will gather to share research findings and their opinions on a range of issues affecting waterfowl, wetlands, and management, with an emphasis on the increasing value of water as it relates to waterfowl habitat.

Topics to be discussed include the status of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan; landscape conservation and ecosystem management, including watershed health, exploding and imploding species, public policy opportunities, and conservation initiatives beyond our continent, and examining the future of waterfowl conservation in a changing world. This open exchange of ideas will greatly enhance the collective efforts of the wetland and waterfowl conservation community as we meet the challenges now and in the future.

In addition, Ducks Unlimited staff and partners have planned a field trip prior to the symposium on July 19 to view wetland restoration sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Please join in the discussion of the important issues facing the management and protection of our waterfowl and wetland resources.

For more information, contact Brenda Carlson, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., One Waterfowl Way, Memphis, Tennessee 38120, (901) 758-3707, bcarlson@ducks.org or visit www.ducks.org/conservation/symposium_conference_2001.asp.

Conservation Networking in Mexico
by Meredith Gutowski, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

For the first time in 10 years, Mexican recipients of North America Wetlands Conservation Act (Act) grants gathered for a conference that, for many, felt more like a "family reunion." From November 15 to18, 2000, more than 40 project partners from various parts of the country convened in Toluca, Mexico, to attend a meeting hosted by the Instituto Nacional de Ecología (INE) within the Dirección General de Vida Silvestre/SEMARNAT.

For 2 days, representatives from Mexican non-governmental organizations, state agencies, protected areas, and universities gave presentations on their Act-funded conservation projects, providing valuable information and "lessons learned." Evening poster sessions enabled partners to network and share their experiences further. A full day was dedicated to land protection mechanisms in Mexico, particularly for wetlands.

On the final day of the meeting, Elisa Peresbarbosa of INE presented an overview of the Act's 10-year history in Mexico, noting that more than $9.4 million in grant funds have supported 95 projects and leveraged nearly $13.4 million in partner contributions. Doug Ryan of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service then facilitated a candid discussion that produced valuable feedback on the program's grants process in Mexico. An enthusiastic brainstorming session followed in which partners discussed the future direction of Act-funded conservation efforts in Mexico and ways to continue networking after the conference.

For more information or a copy of conference proceedings, contact Elisa Peresbarbosa, Instituto Nacional de Ecología, Km 2.5 Antigua Carretera a Coatepec, Apartado Postal 63, Xalapa, Veracruz, 91000 México, (522) 842-1800 extension 3413, eperes@infosel.net.mx.

TAKING WING's Estuaries and Seashores Poster

The TAKING WING Estuaries and Seashores Poster, the third in a series by graphic designer Linda Corti, is now available for bird lovers everywhere. This poster celebrates the importance of migratory birds that depend on seashores and estuaries. Prominently displayed on the poster front are species specifically selected to serve as ambassadors for these ecosystems.

Estuaries and seashores have many important ecological and social values. They form vital ecological connections between the ocean and the land, link human communities to their neighbors, and provide essential habitats for birds along ancestral migration routes. The wetland habitats in this unique mixing zone brim with a diversity of life. The cumulative effects of millions of acres of watershed management are often manifested in the estuaries. Concern for estuaries and the watersheds that feed them is reflected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service's renewed emphasis on watershed health.

The TAKING WING program brings the Forest Service and partners together to improve, maintain, and restore migratory bird habitat through watershed management, thereby helping to protect estuaries and seashores and the many species that depend on them. The species on the poster serve as messengers, reminding us that we must consider and provide for all aspects of species' life cycles in our land management decisions.

For a free copy of the poster, contact TAKING WING Coordinator, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, c/o Ducks Unlimited, Inc., One Waterfowl Way, Memphis, Tennessee 38120, (901) 758-3722, www.ducks.org/conservation/takingwing.

2000 Collector's Series Poster Available

It's here—the final issue of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Bringing Back the Birds, Collector's Series poster. World-wide wildlife photographer John Cancalosi beautifully captured the regal portrait of a common merganser hen and ducklings featured on the 2000 poster. As with the others in the series, this poster has the appearance of a high-gloss photograph that is matted and ready for framing. Hanging the poster on your office wall or in your home gallery is great way of letting associates and friends know that you care about conserving North America's wetlands and migratory birds.

Posters may be requested through your Joint Venture Coordinator or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Conservation Training Center, Publications Unit, Route 1, Box 166, Shepherd Grade Road, Shepherdstown, West Virginia 25443, (304) 876-7203, john_fisher@mail.fws.gov. There is no charge for the poster.

Laying the Groundwork for Landbirds in Manitoba
by Kurt Mazur, Manitoba Conservation Wildlife Branch

Partners in Flight (PIF) Manitoba is laying the groundwork for landbird conservation with the development of the Province's first comprehensive landbird conservation plan.

The PIF Manitoba Steering Committee includes representatives from Manitoba Conservation, Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada, Manitoba Naturalists Society, and Delta Marsh Bird Observatory. It is currently midway through a three-step process of plan development for landbird conservation in Manitoba.

As a first step, the steering committee developed a plan that outlined the direction for PIF Manitoba and its approach to landbird conservation. The Plan has five guiding principles:

• Conservation that is biologically founded and based on economically and culturally sustainable land use,
• Cooperative approaches to planning and implementation,
• Consensus building through stakeholder participation,
• Emphasis on preventative conservation action, and,
• Diverse partnerships that will seize opportunities,

Public consultation has been critical to the development of the plan and to the future success of PIF in Manitoba. Twenty-four stakeholder groups were consulted and their feedback was incorporated into the plan. They included agricultural producers, forest industry representatives, conservation organizations, and provincial and federal government agencies. Feedback was supportive. "We are glad to be contacted so early in the process; we usually don't hear about these things until everything is said and done," commented one stakeholder.

The second step, strategic plan development, is now underway with identification of priority bird species and critical habitats for conservation. Instead of a species-by-species approach, birds will be grouped by their habitat requirements, and conservation will target habitat with the specific requirements of priority species in mind. The assistance of local experts will be essential for determining the critical issues facing priority birds and their habitats.

Priority bird species and associated habitats will be stratified by Bird Conservation Regions (BCR). This will provide a means by which PIF Manitoba efforts will be linked to other jurisdictions including agencies from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba on a landbird plan for the Prairie Potholes BCR. Planning across the Boreal Region of Canada will also be connected with this BCR plan.

The third step involves implementation and partnerships. Priority species, habitats, and conservation issues will be determined. Partners In Flight Manitoba intends to seize conservation opportunities by forming partnerships with other agencies and working with other bird initiatives, as encouraged by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative.

For more information, contact Kurt Mazur, Manitoba Conservation Wildlife Branch, Box 24, Saulteaux Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 3W3, (204) 945-6816, kmazur@nr.gov.mb.ca.

Two New Canadian Programs for Species At Risk
by Kerry Newkirk and Manjit Kerr-Upal, Canadian Wildlife Service

Over the past 30 years in Canada, there has been increased interest in adopting ecological approaches for land-use decision making and in using economic tools to promote conservation. By building on the successful partnership model of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and encouraging the use of voluntary non-regulatory measures, the continued loss of biodiversity can be abated. In recognition of these trends and successes to date, the Government of Canada is promoting voluntary stewardship initiatives through the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk and the Ecological Gifts Program.

Habitat Stewardship Program
With the landmark Accord for the Protection of Species At Risk endorsed by every province, territory, and the federal government, there has been a resurgence of hope and activity for Canada's species at risk. The Government of Canada has responded to the Accord with proposed new legislation and funding of voluntary measures through the Habitat Stewardship Program.

The program's goal is to aid in the recovery and protection of habitat for priority listed species at risk and species of special concern. Efforts focus on landscapes that are considered to be at high risk for biodiversity loss. This is a federally directed program where regional and national planning partners develop the program and its priorities. Specific projects are then developed and funded.

The first year of the program saw $5 million of the 5-year $45 million budget contributed to voluntary stewardship activities in terrestrial and marine environments across Canada. Projects were wide ranging from installing disentanglement and warning systems, which help to prevent boat collisions with the North Atlantic right whale, to grassland rehabilitation projects in central Canada for the loggerhead shrike, to support for the multi-year South Okanagan-Similkameen program which proposes a landscape approach for the recovery of 38 provincially and federally listed species at risk.

Program development and planning for 2001/2002 is underway. For more information about the program, visit www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/sar/strategy/index.htm or contact the Secretariat (800) 668-6767 and ask for the Habitat Stewardship Program.

Ecological Gifts Program
This national tax-incentive program rewards private landowners for protecting ecologically significant lands. Since 1995, over 200 gifts have been donated. These gifts, known as "Ecogifts", are valued at more than $28 million and cover approximately 18,000 hectares. Landowners across Canada may donate ecological gifts to qualified environmental charities, municipalities, and Crown corporations. Depending on the province, the program compensates landowners for up to 50 percent of the fair market value of their donation in the form of an income tax credit.

Ecogifts include many habitat types such as tidal wetlands, rocky cliffs, prairie grasslands, and boreal woodlands. Over one-third of the gifts contain nationally or provincially significant areas, and many contain rare or threatened habitats that are home to species at risk.

For more information, contact the Ecological Gifts Program at (800) 668-6767, ecogifts@ec.gc.ca, www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/ecogifts.

Coffee and Conservation
by Jennifer Wheeler, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are you a coffee drinker? Yes? Well, then, you can help protect tropical forest habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife by making sure there's shade-grown coffee in your cup. This messageChow North American coffee consumers (who may each drink 56,000 cups in a lifetime) can positively affect environmental conditions on millions of acres of coffee cropland in northern Latin AmericaCis the theme for International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) 2001.

On shade plantations, coffee shrubs are grown under existing forest or planted trees. Tree foliage and leaf litter provide foraging sites for birds seeking insects, and flowering and fruiting trees provide additional food sources. While not a substitute for natural tropical forests, shade plantations can meet the habitat needs of many forest-dependent migratory and resident birds.

Farming coffee in the shade is in keeping with its origins as an Ethiopian understory plant. In addition to shade and wildlife habitat, tree cover provides many other benefits: storm protection, enhanced soil quality, reduced soil erosion, nitrogen fixation, and natural mulch. The trees are also a source of forest products, such as fruits, wood, nuts, and medicinal plants.

Despite the many benefits of shade cover, major portions of coffee cropland are now Atechnified@Cplanted in varieties of coffee bred for full-sun exposure and dense growth. The widespread switch from shade to sun began in the early 1970s due to concerns about a damaging coffee fungus and a desire for higher yields. Sun-coffee farms do produce substantially increased yields but have significant environmental drawbacks. Sun-coffee crops require more chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides and have problems with soil erosion, soil acidification, and toxic runoff.

Sun-coffee plantations offer little bird habitat. Studies show that bird diversity plummets when farms convert from shade to sun. Full-sun farms host only a fractionC25 to as little as 5 percentCof the number of bird species on nearby shade farms.

Fortunately, due to the work of researchers, conservation groups, and conscientious coffee importers, the number of programs that encourage the production and sale of shade coffee have escalated in the past 5 years. Although still a speciality product, shade coffee can easily be ordered over the Internet or found locally in environmentally conscious groceries, coffee shops and cafes, and nature stores. With a shade-coffee theme for IMBD 2001, consumer awareness and demand should increase.

International Migratory Bird Day falls on the second Saturday in May each year. Use this day to help raise awareness and concern for migratory birds. This year, the IMBD poster, t-shirt, and other educational and promotional items will feature and promote the benefits of choosing shade-grown coffee. These materials, and shade-coffee samples, will be shared at the hundreds of public events held to celebrate IMBD. The goal is to encourage coffee drinkers, and particularly those who care about birds, to consider how they choose to fill their cups.

For more information about shade-grown coffee, visit the IMBD website at birds.fws.gov/imbd.html or contact the IMBD Information Center at IMBD@fws.gov or (703) 358-2318. Call (866) 334-3330 toll-free or visit www.BirdDay.org to order IMBD materials.