2013 State of the Birds

8/14/2019 2013 State of the Birds

1/48

T S B 2013R P L

United States of America


2/48

C ( ): W D R L; S-

G C JE; R K GG; G J

J, USDA-NRCS,I; H' S J C, ..

T : M D M, C M S G I;D P H;..//__

2

ContentsForeword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Grasslands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Aridlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Forests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Coasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Resident Game Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Opportunities for Improving Private Lands

Conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Urban and Suburban Landscapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Private Lands Conservation Programs . . . . . . . . . . .41

Our Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44


3/48

FOREWORDWhen land does well for its owner, and the owner doeswell by his land; when both end up better by reason of theirpartnership, we have conservation.

Aldo Leopold, The Farmer as a Conservationist

Legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold began his career in the U.S. ForestService in the Southwest, where he learned about resource management onpublic lands. But as he returned to the Midwest where he was raisedandobserved the tragedy of the Dust Bowl and a raft of New Deal programsaiming to restore farmlandshe came to understand how conservation ofcomplete ecosystems is inextricably linked to conservation on private lands.Leopold wrote, All the regulations in the world will not save our game un-less the farmer sees t to leave his land in a habitable condition for game.

Today Leopolds words could be adapted more broadly to all private land-owners and all wildlife, especially for birds. Half of the more than 200 Amer-ican bird species analyzed in this report have 50% or more of their distribu-tions on private lands. About 90% of the Prairie Pothole Region our nationsmost productive waterfowl breeding grounds is in private ownership. Thestory is similar for grasslands and eastern forest landsboth 85% privatelyowned, with greater than 80% of bird distributions on private lands.

This fourth State of the Birds report is the nations rst review of birddistribution and conservation opportunities on private lands. In this report,youll read about threatened bird populations supported almost entirely byprivate landowners, like the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler of centralTexas. Youll also read about new models of win-win conservation on work-ing lands, such as the Sage Grouse Initiative, where more than 700 land-

owners have joined an eort to manage ranchlands across 2 million acres inways that conserve habitatand create more nutritious forage for livestockin the process.

This report celebrates the many landowners across our nation who areexemplary stewards of habitat for birds, as well as clean air and water fortheir fellow Americans. Our report comes at a time when private landsconservation policy and funding is being considered for the future, and wehope our information and analysis will contribute to those eorts.

Private lands conservation takes many forms, such as incentives from gov-ernment programs, technical assistance from university extension services,and easements brokered by nonprot groups. In all cases, though, the most

crucial component is the eager, conservation-minded landowner. Thank-fully, private landowners are volunteering to protect and restore the habitat

functions of their lands. The demand from landowners willing to partner inconservation eorts is so great, in fact, it far outstrips the current availabil-ity of programs and initiatives. Government budgets may be tight, but this

report demonstrates that private lands conservation is cost-ecient. Indeed,when government resources are paired with local and private resources inpartnership with landowners, the result on the ground is often magniedthat ideal outcome where 1+1=3.

This report appeals to Americas land ethic. The landscape of any farmis the owners portrait of himself, wrote Leopold. This report shows thatprivate lands have critical conservation value, and that landowners canmeasure their yield not only in bushels and head and cords, but also in

bluebirds, hawks, and canvasbacks.

North American Bird Conservation Initiative, U.S. Committee

American Bird Conservancy

Association of Fish and Wildlife AgenciesCornell Lab of Ornithology

Ducks Unlimited

Klamath Bird Observatory

National Audubon Society

National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc.

The Nature Conservancy

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory

University of Idaho

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

USDA Forest Service

USDA Natural Resources Conservation ServiceU.S. Geological Survey

N H M G

3


4/48

4

OVERVIEWThe State of our Nations Birds on Private LandsThis fourth State of the Birds report highlights the enormous contributions

private landowners make to bird and habitat conservation, and opportuni-ties for increased contributions. Roughly 60% of the land area in the UnitedStates 1.43 billion acres is privately owned by millions of individuals,families, organizations, and corporations, including 2 million ranchers andfarmers and about 10 million woodland owners. More than 100 species have50% or more of their U.S. breeding distributions on private lands.

Birds are important indicators of the health of our environment. To assessbird populations and conservation opportunities on private lands across the

nation, we combined the latest eBird distribution data with land ownershipdata from the Protected Areas Database of the U.S. As in past reports, wefocused on species dependent on a single primary habitat, or habitat obligates.

Our results emphasize the high dependence on private lands among grass-land, wetland, and eastern forest birds, with important conservation op-portunities existing in all habitats. Many conservation programs available toprivate landowners oer win-win opportunities to implement land manage-ment practices that benet birds and landowners. The success stories high-lighted in this report demonstrate that voluntary private landowner eortscan yield real and meaningful bird conservation results.

Working Lands Sustain People and BirdsMany privately owned working lands that produce food, timber, and otherresources for society also provide valuable habitat for birds. Sustainablegrazing systems yield beer food resources for livestock over the long term,as well as healthier habitats for grassland and aridland birds. Ricelands canprovide important wintering habitat for waterbirds. Sustainable workinglands can meet the economic boom line while providing habitat for birdsand cleaner water, cleaner air, and improved human health for communities.

Private Protected Lands Have Great Conservation ImportanceAbout 2% of private lands are formally protected, either owned or undereasement with conservation as a primary land management objective.Though small in proportion, these 24 million acres protected by land trustsand private conservation groups provide a network of private protectedlands nearly as large as the entire National Park Service system in the lower48 states. Private protected lands range from small urban greenspaces tovast easements on working timberlands that provide wildlife habitat andplaces for outdoor recreation.

Wetlands Restoration Key to Waterfowl ProductionMore than half our nations historic wetland habitat base of 220 millionacres has been lost. And private landowners hold the key to wetlands

Percentage of primary habitats on private, public, and tribal lands in the lower 48 states, Alaska,

Hawai`i, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Wetlands are not depicted because of insucient data.

Private forests provide 92% of our nation's timber and maintain large contiguous blocks of habitat forinterior forest birds, such as Wood Thrush. Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar

Wester

nForest

Grassla

nds

Aridl

ands

BorealF

orest

Mexica

n

Pine-O

akForest

Subtropic

alFo

rest

Islands

Coasts

Easte

rnForest

Agriculture

Urba

n/suburba

n

Percent

ofLandArea

Bird Habitats on U.S. Private Lands

P ub lic Trib alPrivate

0

20

40

60

80

100


5/48

5

restoration, as three-quarters of wetlands are on private land. Funding fromFarm Bill programs, Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps,and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act have restored millionsof acres of private wetlands. In the Prairie Pothole Region, lands enrolled inthe Conservation Reserve Program have yielded a net increase of 2 millionwaterfowl per year in the Dakotas and Montana.

Grassland Birds Benefit Most from Private Lands ProgramsPrivately owned grasslands are vital to 29 breeding obligate grassland birdspecies, with 82% of their distribution occurring on private land. Becausemost grasslands today are embedded within working agricultural land-scapes, much of the important conservation of grassland habitat in the U.S.has been accomplished through programs under the Farm Bill. For exam-ple, the Conservation Reserve Program has reestablished natural habitat onabout 27 million acres of environmentally sensitive lands with a history ofgrowing crops, spurring regional rebounds of grassland bird species suchas the Henslow's Sparrow.

Western Ranchers Key to Aridlands Conservation SuccessMore than 75% of aridland bird species are declining, and private landshost 40% of aridland bird distribution during the breeding season. Ranchersare implementing sustainable grazing systems and improving bird habitaton more than 2 million acres of ranchlands in 11 western states. Thoughonly 1% of private aridlands are considered protected, these parcels sup-port disproportionately high aridland bird distributions. A conservation

easement on the 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch in California directly protects 18species of aridland birds.

Forest Birds Depend on Working Private TimberlandsPrivate forests contain more than 40% of the U.S. distribution of 152 forest birdspecies. Eastern and subtropical forest birds are particularly dependent on pri-

vate forests, which often contain young woodlands that are important habitat forsteeply declining, disturbance-dependent forest birds. Ultimately, economic factorsaect many landowner decisions to maintain standing forests or sell for develop-ment. Conservation easements and strong timber markets can provide incentivesfor private forest owners to maintain working forests.

Coastal and Island Bird Populations Rely on Private LandsCoastal habitats which are 83% privately owned host 25% of all bird speciesin North America at some point of the year; most beach-nesting bird speciesare of conservation concern. Similarly, private lands are important bird habitaton islands, with about 50% of land in Hawai`i, 92% in Puerto Rico, and 88%

in the U.S. Virgin Islands under private ownership. In both coastal and islandareas, publicprivate conservation partnerships on private lands are vital tosustaining some of our nation's most threatened birds.

Private Lands Conservation Needs Greater SupportAs society requires more production food, timber, energy from privatelands, conservation strategies compatible with working lands will becomeeven more important for sustaining bird populations. Increased supportis urgently needed for strong and cost-eective programs, policies, andpartnerships that empower willing landowners to choose conservation toolsthat t best and will prevent the further loss of vital wildlife habitat, whilealso protecting our nation's air and water.

In Illinois, regional spring counts of Henslow's Sparrows are now about 25 times greater than 30years ago, prior to the Farm Bill's Conservation Reserve Program. Henslow's Sparrow by Chris Wood.Graphic courtesy of James Herkert.

0

50

100

150

200

250

1976

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

RegionalAbundance

(birds/5000hr)

Henslows Sparrow Population Increase in Illinois

CRP Initiated

Spring Bird CountsYear

Bird watching and hunting of game birds are two of the most popular forms of wildlife recreation,which contributes $145 billion to the U.S. economy annually. Northern Pintail by Gerrit Vyn


6/48

Wetland Birds on Private LandsPrivate lands are essential to wetland birds andwetland conservation, as three-quarters of wet-lands in the U.S. occur on private lands. And birds,

by their abundance and distribution across regionsand seasons, are eective indicators of the health ofour nation's wetlands. More than 75% of both the

breeding and wintering distributions of AmericanBlack Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Pintails,and Wood Ducks are on private wetlands. Herons,egrets, grebes, and rails also all depend on privatewetlands throughout the year. Landowners andtheir communities likewise depend on wetlands,which provide ood mitigation, coastal buer-ing, ground water replenishment, improved waterquality, and wetland-based recreation.

Conservation SuccessesFunding from Farm Bill programs such as the En-vironmental Quality Incentives Program, Migra-tory Bird Hunting and Conservation stamps alsoknown as Federal Duck Stamps, and the NorthAmerican Wetlands Conservation Act has enabledpublicprivate partnerships to conserve millions

of acres on private lands for birds.

The Wetland Reserve Programa Farm Bill provi-sion that provides nancial incentives for farmersand landowners to convert croplands in drained

areas back into wetlandshas restored 2.6 millionacres of private wetlands across the nation. In theMississippi Alluvial Valley, more than 650,000 WRPacres from southern Illinois to Louisiana play akey role in sustaining bird populations. The valley,which retains only 20% of its original boomlandforested wetlands, is largely in private ownershipand dominated by agriculture. WRP-conservedwetlands provide essential breeding habitat forwaterbirds such as Wood Duck, White Ibis, andHooded Merganser, wintering habitat for 3.5 to4.5 million waterfowl every winter, and migratorystopover habitat for shorebirds such as Black-necked Stilt and Greater Yellowlegs. WRP benetshuman residents of the valley, too, as wetlandsrestored through the program have helped reducethe extent of natural ooding by as much as 88%.

In the Central Valley of California, winter-oodedwetlands support 5 to 7 million waterfowl, as wellas large populations of shorebirds, rails, and bit-terns. In this region, more than 90% of the originalwinter wetlands have been lost or highly altered,and only 400,000 acres are left todaymore than60% of which are privately owned and managed.Wetland restoration eorts here, combined withthe presence of wetland-type habitat provided byricelands, have allowed the White-faced Ibis to

bounce back from near extirpation.

At a Glance Three-quarters of remaining wetlands

are on private lands, making them vitalto wetland bird conservation.

More than half of the U.S. historic wet-land habitat base of 220 million acreshas been lost.

The Wetlands Reserve Program hasrestored 2.6 million acres of privatewetlands habitat.

Wetlands sustain waterfowl popula-tions and therefore duck hunting, whichcontributes more than $2.3 billion intotal economic output.

Landowners and their communities seeseveral benets from wetlands conser-vation, such as ood mitigation andimproved water quality.

WETLANDS

P J J, USDA-NRCS, I

P J J, USDA-NRCS, I

6

Restoring marginal cropland on my farm that should have never been clearedhas been one of the most fulfilling events in my farming career. It has been

good for my business but great for the ducks.

George Dunklin, Jr., Mississippi Alluvial Valley landowner

B- T D U


7/48

Conservation ChallengesWetland habitat is vital for breeding, migrating,and wintering birds. More than half of our na-tion's historic wetland habitat base of 220 millionacres has been lost, with losses exceeding 80% insome regions. Although substantial acres of wet-lands have been restored and conserved through

programs such as WRP, many of these gains havebeen oset recently. Wetland protections from theClean Water Act have been reversed. Increasingcrop prices have spurred a new wave of drainingand converting wetlands for agricultural produc-tion. Residential development and urban expan-sion are impacting wetlands as well. Due to thesepressures on our nations already greatly reducedsupply of wetlands, a diverse mix of programs isneeded to encourage and support private land-owners who conserve wetlands.

In the Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great

Plains, nearly 90% of the land is in private own-ership, and 40% to 90% of native wetlands havebeen drained, primarily for agricultural produc-

tion. The key challenge here involves protectingsmall wetlands amid large expanses of grassto support the productivity of prairiewetland

breeding birds. Prairie Pothole wetlands providebreeding habitat for dozens of waterbird species,

such as Black Terns. This region is known as theDuck Factory, because the shallow-water basinsprovide protein-rich invertebrate food resourcesfor nesting females and growing ducklings. Theeastern Dakotas alone supported more than 10

million breeding dabbling ducks in recent years.Successful waterfowl breeding here is dependenton the private landowners who are stewards of so

much of this habitat. Farm Bill Conservation Re-serve Program payments to farmers and landown-ers provide economic compensation for reservinglands from planting that are not typically themost productive for growing crops. CRP lands inthe Prairie Pothole Region have produced a net

increase of 2 million waterfowl per year, or a 30%increase in breeding production, over the past twodecades. Because duck production in the Prairie

PotholeRegion is

critical to thesustainability

of North Ameri-

can waterfowlpopulations, protect-ing breeding habitathelps sustain the sportof duck hunting, whichcontributes more than$2.3 billion in totaleconomic output andmore than 27,000 jobsto the U.S. economy.CRP is a strategyin many parts of thecountry for growing

the economy for thisreason: habitat is alsotied to an expansionof outdoor recreationand it is an enormousopportunity for ruralAmerica, said U.S.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Along the Gulf Coast, marshes from Mobile Bay,Alabama, to the Rio Grande in Texas are beinglost. Historically, the amount of coastal marshuctuated due to elemental factors such as

amount of sediment deposited in deltas, but re-cently the trend has been completely downward,with net wetland loss in the region currentlyestimated at about 10,000 acres per year. Althoughthere are many important publicly owned landsacross this region, most land is privately owned.These coastal marsh wetlands constitute a con-tinentally important habitat for migratory birds.Up to 13 million waterfowl winter here, includingabout 90% of the continental population of Mot-tled Ducks. Gulf Coast wetlands provide breed-ing, winter, and migration habitat to nearly everywading bird species, including Roseate Spoonbilland Wood Stork.

A Gulf Coast wetlands complex east of Corpus Christi, Texasconsisting ofAransas National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding privately owned wetlandsprovides winter habitat for the only remaining wild population of WhoopingCranes. In 2012, The Nature Conservancy, with additional funding from theWhooping Crane Conservation Association, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,and other private donors and foundations, purchased a conservation easementon more than 100 acres at the Falcon Point Ranch to protect this prime parcel of

coastal real estate (and important crane wintering habitat) from development.

W C R B; ..// 7

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) at 20 Years

This map shows more than 13,000 WRP projects on 2.6million acres. These sites closely match habitats used byimportant waterfowl species, such as Wood Duck. (Breedingseason distribution shown at left. Brighter areas on mapindicate higher probability of occupancy. Occupancyestimates were based on bird observations from eBird andcharacteristics of the local environment from remote sensingdata.)Wood Duck photo courtesy of Ducks Unlimited.

Wood Duck Distribution


8/48

L- D T J

PRIVATE LANDS CONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT:Rice Farm Habitat for Waterbirds

T

hree regions combine to account for es-

sentially all domestic rice production in theUnited States: the Mississippi Alluvial Valleyfrom southern Illinois to Louisiana, the Gulf Coastof Louisiana and Texas, and the Central Valley ofCalifornia. In these areas, ricelands act as surro-gates for lost wetlands. Although they can't fullyreplace natural wetlands, ricelands support ap-proximately 45% of the North American winteringduck population. Ricelands provide an estimated60% of all dabbling duck foods in the Central Val-ley, 35% of all food along the Gulf Coast, and 70%of food in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Thesesame habitats are also extremely important to

shorebirds and other wetland-dependent birds.Although ricelands remain a cornerstone of win-tering waterbird habitat, rice agriculture hasexperienced signicant declines on the Gulf Coast.Declines of similar magnitude have not yet beenobserved in other rice growing regions. However,competition for water supplies, urban expan-sion, and changing cultivation practices will exertpressures on the U.S. rice industry that may haveconsequences for waterbirds.

In Texas, the human population is expected togrow by about 20 million people by 2040, anincrease of more than 40% from 2012, creatinggreater demands for municipal water. Much of thisgrowth will occur in rice-growing regions and inareas where rice operations get their water supply.Extreme drought across Texas during 201112 de-pleted reservoir water supplies and prompted theLower Colorado River Authority to withhold waterfrom approximately 55,000 acres of rice in Texasfor the 2012 growing season. As a result, Texasrice acreage in 2012 was projected to be 114,000acres, the lowest reported since 1929. Shrinkingrice acreage threatens waterbirds in this region,

where native wetland habitats are largely gone,

and cultivated rice areas provide a majority of the

habitat for wading birds and migratory shorebirds.In the future, water restrictions and withholdingfrom rice operations will likely occur more often ashuman populations grow, extreme weather contin-ues, and water supplies are strained.

Rice acreage in Californiawhich supports habitatfor White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilts, and othershorebirds, as well as ducks, geese, and swanshas

been relatively stable over the past several decades,but that may change. Similar to Texas, California is

expected to see population growth 7 million morepeople by 2030. Yet, as demand for water increas-

es, available water supplies are expected to shrink.

Climate scientists project a 25% to 40% reductionin average annual mountain snowpack by 2050;that snowpack provides one-third of Californiaswater supply. A reduced water supply could havea negative eect on rice production and managedwetlands in the Central Valley. The two are inter-twined, as water drained from rice elds provideswater for more than 50% of wetlands managed forwildlife in the northern half of the Central Valley.

The Migratory Bird Habitat Conservation Partner-ship a collaborative between Audubon California,The Nature Conservancy, and PRBO Conserva-

8


9/48

Migratory BirdHabitat Initiative:Demonstrating LandownerEngagement in Bird Conservation

Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spillin 2010, which threatened bird habitat incoastal marshes along the Gulf of Mexico,

the Natural Resources Conservation Servicelaunched the Migratory Bird Habitat Initia-

tive to provide inland habitats for migratorywaterbirds. Delivered through various FarmBill conservation programs, the initiative wasenthusiastically embraced by landowners,and more than 470,000 acres of private landswere enrolled in 8 states from Florida andGeorgia to Texas and Missouri.

The many rice growers and other producersparticipating in the initiative demonstratedtheir willingness to modify operations to pro-vide shallow water and mudflat-type habitatsfor wading birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl.In exchange for small financial incentives,producers activated existing on-farm infra-structurelevees, pumps, tractors, disks,mowers, and other equipmentto providemigrating and wintering waterbirds withhabitat and high-energy foods.

By providing feeding and resting areas for

waterbirds at a time when such spots werein short supply on the landscape, the initia-tive demonstrated an extremely efficient andeffective way of quickly providing crucialhabitat. It also supported local economiesby attracting hunters and bird watchers. Theprogram was so popular it was expanded toother regions and additional years, whichwas fortuitous given the successive years ofdroughts after the oil spill. Even in wet years,

the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative providesimportant waterbird habitats.

tion Science has been working with rice growerson practices that can provide bird habitat, such asmanaging water levels during spring and fall mi-gration. So far the program has enrolled more than100,000 acres of ricelands about 20% of California'stotal rice acreage into the Waterbird Habitat En-hancement Program.

Concerns about rice agriculture in the MississippiAlluvial Valley focus on the waste rice available asfood for waterbirds during winter. Recent studiesin the valley documented a 70% decline in biomassof waste rice between harvest and early November.Development of earlier maturing rice varieties mayhold promise for a second crop of rice ratoon to be

harvested in autumn, thereby providing waste ricecloser to the arrival of migrant birds in the valley.

Loss of riceland agriculture, or shifts to cultivationpractices that diminish its value to birds, will im-pair the ability of these key working landscapes tosupport waterfowl. If current ricelands lose theirviability for agricultural production, it would costmore than $1.5 billion to acquire and manage wet-lands to replace them. Creative solutions, such asplanning for more ecient water use, are urgentlyneeded to ensure the sustainability of Americanrice agriculture with conditions that provide for-aging benets to wintering birds.

9

L: R C C V, D H;R: B- S G V


10/48

At a Glance Grasslands cover 358 million acres of

the U.S., 85% of which are privatelyowned and serve as important habitatfor 29 breeding obligate grassland birdspecies.

Livestock production can be compatiblewith grassland bird management. Man-aged cattle grazing that creates diversemosaics of grassland habitat are bene-cial to livestock and grassland birds.

Grasslands provide important wetlandbuffers that improve water quality andwatershed health for human communities.

As crop prices soared between 2008 and2011, about 23.7 million acres of grass-lands, shrublands, and wetlands were

converted to crop production.

Grassland Birds on Private LandsGrasslands including prairie and pasturelands inthe U.S. are 85% privately owned. These 302 millionacres of privately owned grasslands are critical to 29

breeding obligate grassland bird species that have82% of their distribution on private lands, one of thelargest percentages for any habitat. Most grasslandsalso function as working landscapes for livestockgrazing. These working grasslands provide wetland

buers that improve water quality and watershedhealth, as well as sequester carbon to reduce atmo-spheric greenhouse gas accumulation and mitigateclimate change.

Grassland birds are dependent on healthy, intactgrasslands. Seven obligate species, including Dick-cissel, have more than 90% of their breeding dis-

tributions on private lands. Wintering grasslandbirds are similarly dependent on private lands:

22 obligate grassland species average 83% of theirwinter distribution on private lands.

Some grassland bird species have habitat require-ments for short grasses with heavy disturbance;others require undisturbed, thick patches of tallergrasses. Ranchers can model cale grazing to mimicthe historic, variable grazing paerns of bisonwith which grassland birds evolved, so that someareas are grazed intensely preferred by Mountain

Plover and McCowns Longspur while other areasare lightly grazed or untouched for Bobolink andUpland Sandpiper. This variable grazing createsdiverse grasslands that are also a more benecialfood resource for livestock. Management that both

GRASSLANDS

P P R J R

10

With 97% of their distribution on private lands, EasternMeadowlarks depend on the grassland habitat providedby pastures and farm elds. Six other obligate grasslandbreeding bird species also have distributions greater than

90% on private lands.Eastern Meadowlark by Joshua Clark,www.momentsinature.com.

Public

Tribal

Other Private

Private Protected

14%

4.4%

80.7%

0.9%

Grassland Bird Distribution

B J C


11/48

meets the economic boom line for agriculture andpromotes healthy wildlife habitat is essential for sus-taining grassland bird populations.

Conservation SuccessesConservation programs are proving that rancherscan sustain a livelihood and sustain grassland birdsat the same time. The Wineinger-Davis Ranch hasworked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to establisha conservation easement on 14,000 acres of shortgrassprairie. The easement allows the family to continueraising livestock for future generations, while manag-ing their grasslands for Mountain Plover, FerruginousHawk, Lark Bunting, and Western Meadowlark. Theranch owner is thrilled with the easement, and nowseveral neighboring ranches have entered into similaragreements, conserving large grassland blocks of tensof thousands of acres. This kind of contagious conser-vation is growing among many landowners.

In America's Corn Belt, the Farm Bills ConservationReserve Program is restoring grassland habitat for

breeding birds. Henslows Sparrow populations,which have declined more than 95% since the mid-1960s, have rebounded in some areas through CRP. InIllinois, the regional Henslows Sparrow populationhas signicantly increased; spring bird counts for thespecies are now about 25 times greater than 30 yearsago, prior to CRP. The increase strongly coincideswith CRP lands; counties with the highest percentageof CRP acreage also have the highest Henslows Spar-row population gains.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tour-ism uses State Wildlife Grants to provide cost-sharingassistance to private landowners for restoring nativegrasslands for Lesser Prairie-Chickens. As of Decem-

ber 2012, Kansas' State Wildlife Grant Private Land-

owner Program has partnered with 21 landowners torestore 11,155 acres of Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat.CRP lands seeded with forbs and legumes are alsohelping Lesser Prairie-Chicken populations to holdsteady in western Kansas.

Conservation ChallengesGrassland bird species are experiencing rapid popula-tion declines. The McCowns Longspur populationwith 73% of its distribution on private landshasdeclined an estimated 92% over the last 45 years.

Habitat loss is a driver of these declines. Increasingcrop prices have increased pressure to put land intoproduction. According to an Environmental WorkingGroup study "Plowed Under," 2012, about 23 millionacres of grasslands, shrublands, and wetlands wereconverted to crop production between 2008 and 2011including 8.4 million acres converted for corn and5.6 million acres converted for soybeans. Grasslandsenrolled in CRP have dropped from over 30 millionacres in 2007 to just over 20 million acres today. En-ergy development and residential development poseadditional threats to grasslands.

Fear of regulation often deters landowners fromparticipating in conservation programs that addressthese threats. Many landowners rely on their lands tomake a living, and they are sensitive to state or federalregulations on land management.

However, conservationists and landowners can worktogether on proactive, voluntary eorts that conserve

private grasslands and preclude the need for regu-lations to protect declining species. Conservationprograms from the U.S. Department of Agriculture,such as CRP, compensate a landowner for restoringgrasslands and reserving them from agricultural pro-

duction. Cost-share programs defray a landownersexpenses for enhancing grassland habitat. Easementprograms are another way to protect grasslands from

being plowed up or developed.

Making conservation-friendly technical assistance onland management readily available to private land-owners is key to sustaining grassland bird popula-

tions, as well as fostering a community conservationethic. Given the compatibility of grasslands birdsand sustainable agricultural production, maintaininghealthy communities for birds, farms, and ranches is areal and achievable conservation goal.

U S B D'A, ..

"I am very proud to be the fourth generation to live on, and manage, my familys ranch. I shudder to imagine agrassland ecosystem devoid of the sights and sounds of its unique and melodic bird species."

Jeff Smeenk, Center of the Nation Cattle Company, Butte County, South Dakota.

Fourth generation Rancher and National Cattlemens Beef Association Region VII Environmental Stewardship Award winner

11P J J, USDA-NRCS, I


12/48

American prairie landscapes have undergone

tremendous changesfrom massive con-versions of grass into croplands and devel-opment to the widespread eradication of prairiedogs. These changes have caused steep popula-tion declines for many bird species, including theMountain Plover, which dropped to the point of

being proposed for listing as Threatened under theEndangered Species Act. But farmers in Coloradoand Nebraska took voluntary action to make roomfor nesting Mountain Plovers in their crop elds, andthe proposed listing was removed.

Mountain Plovers, despite their name, are prairiebirds. They depend on bare ground for nesting,

such as recently burned shortgrass prairie or prairiedog towns. Due to habitat loss, the Mountain Ploverpopulation declined by around 66% over the past 25years. This decline inspired government agencies,private landowners, and nonprot organizations towork together to protect Mountain Plovers.

More than 50% of remaining Mountain Ploversbreed in eastern Colorado and southwestern

Nebraska, so conservation eorts focused there. In

2003, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Colorado

Farm Bureau, and the Rocky Mountain Bird Ob-servatory joined forces to form the Prairie PartnersMountain Plover Nest Conservation Program. Aparallel conservation eort in the neighboring state,Nebraska Prairie Partners, formed via a partnership

between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commis-sion and Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

In this region dominated by agricultural productionand private ownership, the program sought to iden-tify plover nests on farmlands. At rst, many land-owners were skeptical of allowing nest surveys ontheir land, since Mountain Plovers were proposedfor Endangered Species Act listing in 1993. But overtime, landowners developed a strong sense of prideand ownership about plovers nesting on their land.

The programs succeeded because the teams dem-onstrated the compatibility of nesting ploverswith working lands. Once a nest was marked with

brightly colored stakes, a farmer just needed to tillaround that small patch by inches to protect thenest, without hindering crop production.

12 P L S, N

A biologist from Nebraska Prairie Partners shows a local landownerthe radio transmier that will be used to track Mountain Plovers andevaluate their habitat use and survival rates. Biologists have helped

farmers with plover-friendly practices such as tilling around nests incrop elds. In the past decade, 672 Mountain Plover nests have beenlocated and protected on Nebraska farms. Photo by Seth Gallagher.

PRIVATE LANDS CONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT:Farmers Make Room for Mountain Plovers


13/48

L : M P D M, C; M P S G

Grassland Easements:Conserving Nesting Habitat inthe Prairie Pothole Region

The Prairie Pothole Region of the northernGreat Plains may be known as America's

"Duck Factory," but it's also a critical regionfor breeding grassland birds. Much ofthat breeding occurs on grasslands onnational wildlife refuges in the Dakotasand Montana managed by the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service. The agency is alsoprotecting grassland habitat on private landsvia conservation easements.

Since 1989, the USFWS has purchasedmore than 1.2 million acres of grasslandeasements from landowners in the PrairiePothole Region. Sellers receive a payment in

exchange for agreeing to keep their land inpermanent grass cover. Grazing is allowedon grassland easements, however landown-ers agree to delay haying until after July 15

to avoid disturbing ground-nesting birds.

At a time when grassland losses are out-pacing the rate of grassland conservation(it is estimated that between 105,000 and340,000 acres of grasslands are converted

to croplands each year in the Prairie PotholeRegion), these grassland easements protectvital nesting habitat for grassland-nesting

birds, such as Dickcissel and Upland Sand-piper, in perpetuity.

Over the past 10 years, the program has partneredwith nearly 250 private landowners and locatedand protected more than 1,000 Mountain Plovernests, including 672 nests in Nebraska. Beforethe project began, experts expected to nd just afew plovers nesting in Nebraska. Eventually theproject evolved into a landowner-driven program,with 42% of known plover nests in Nebraska lo-cated and marked by landowners last year.

A project milestone occurred in 2008, when theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the Moun-tain Plover from consideration for listing underthe Endangered Species Act. Landowners are now

joining other conservation eorts, such as a pro-gram to install nesting platforms for FerruginousHawks on private lands.

13

Robust programmatic support from private, state,and federal partnersand nancial support fromthe Nebraska Environmental Trust, state wild-life grants for Colorado and Nebraska, and theUSFWS Neotropical Migratory Bird ConservationActare crucial to Mountain Plover nest con-servation over the long term. But the program'ssuccess stems from the willingness of privatelandowners and state agricultural groups suchas the Colorado Farm Bureau to become directlyinvolved in Mountain Plover conservation.

The program is a model for bird conservation onprivate lands: a deep understanding of specieshabitat requirementscombined with productivepartnerships with private landownersleads tosustainable, cooperative conservation practices.

P J R


14/48

S G V

At a Glance Aridlands make up approximately 19%, or

369 million acres, of the lower 48 states.Of those acres, 39%, or 145 million acres,are in private ownership.

Private lands contain 40% of breedingand 43% of wintering aridland birddistributions.

Many aridland regions are popular forhuman settlement. Arizona's populationincreased by more than 300% between1960 and 2000. Projected future popula-tion increases could increase develop-ment pressure on important bird habitats.

Two million acres of private protectedaridlands support a disproportionatelyhigh percentage of breeding and winter-

ing bird distributions.

ARIDLANDS

private ownership. For Greater Sage-Grouse, 36%of their distribution is on private land, with 1% ofthese birds on private protected lands. For Gun-nison Sage-Grouse, 26% of their distribution is onprivate land and 2% on private protected lands,demonstrating that protected aridland parcelscontribute to the conservation of these iconic sage-

brush species.

Conservation SuccessesThe 2 million acres

of private protectedaridlands support adisproportionatelyhigh percentage of

bird distributions,which is an encour-aging sign that someof the best aridland

bird habitats havebeen preserved. For

some species, thisproportion is espe-cially high, such as

Lawrences Gold-nch in the breedingseason, where over 2% of the estimated occupancyof this species is found on private protected lands,almost all in California. Similarly, almost 2% of theWrentits on private lands in the U.S. are found onprivate protected lands in Oregon and California.

Whereas most other species of aridland birds aredeclining, Bells Vireo shows signicant popula-tion increases of 3% per year from 2000 to 2010,according to the North American Breeding BirdSurvey. Major habitat restoration eorts in Cali-

fornia and along the lower Colorado River by

Aridland Birds on Private LandsAridlands include some of our countrys mostunique habitats: deserts, sagebrush, chaparral,and other habitats characterized by low precipita-tion and a highly variable climate. About 19%,or 369 million acres, of the lower 48 states arearidlands. In the U.S., about 39%, or 145 millionacres, of aridlands are privately owned, about 54%are publicly owned, and 7% are Native Americanowned. About 1%, or 2 million acres, of privatelyowned aridlands have some kind of conservationprotection via ownership or easement.

About 40% of aridland bird species are of conserva-tion concern, and more than 75% are declining. Inthe breeding season, there are 36 obligate species ofaridland birds, with about 40% of their U.S. distri-

bution on private lands. In the winter season, thereare 26 obligate species of aridland birds, with about43% of their U.S. distribution on private lands.

Several aridland bird species are noticeably moreprevalent on private than public lands. These in-clude the federally listed Black-capped Vireo andCalifornia Gnatcatcher 99% and 81% distribu-tion, respectively, on private lands; Chihuahuan

Raven, Pyrrhuloxia, and Scaled Quail of southerndesert shrublands 77%, 76%, and 74%, respective-ly, on private lands; and a miscellaneous assem-

blage of other species Lark Sparrow, 79%; BellsVireo, 62%; Wrentit, 62%.

Among the major types of aridlands, the beststudied are the extensive sagebrush habitats ofthe Great Basin desert and surrounding areas

between the CascadeSierra Nevada and RockyMountains. Analyses of lands within the currentand former range of the Greater and GunnisonSage-Grouse species that rely on this aridland

habitat type indicate that 31% of this area is in

P C A. C

14

S M, L P, S G I


15/48

These lands are an important part of the forage base for our sheep operation,and they support sage-grouse. We are honored to protect these lands in perpetuity.

Brian Bean of Lava Lake Land & Livestock, who has signed 12,000 acres of conservation easements on his ranchlands in the Pioneer Mountains of Idaho

federal and state agencies and nonprot organiza-tions have increased habitat availability for the

vireo, which has responded by recolonizing areasit hasn't used for many years.

In Arizona, the Sonoran Desert Conservation Planis an ambitious eort by the local governmentand partner groups in Pima County to protect theregions rich cultural heritage, biodiversity, andnatural landscapes. Originally developed in 1997in response to the listing of the Cactus FerruginousPygmy-Owl, the plan now has become one of thenations most comprehensive conservation andland-use planning eorts. With a biological goal toensure the long-term survival of the full array of

plants and animals found in Pima County, the planprotects key habitats via purchase, conservationeasement, or through management lease, planning,and zoning that regulates development in particu-larly vulnerable habitats. The plan has protected

more than 230,000 acres of Sonoran desert andsemi-desert grassland habitat, including 87,000

acres of private land managed to comply with alocal oodplain ordinance that minimizes impactson riparian habitat. These lands are primarilyalong ephemeral streams prone to ooding duringsummer rain, and they contain important habitatsfor many aridland birds, such as Elf Owl, GildedFlicker, Phainopepla, Pyrrhuloxia, Costas Hum-mingbird, Bells Vireo, and Varied Bunting.

Conservation ChallengesAridland birds are faring poorly, especially

compared with birds in other habitat types. Manyof the best and most productive aridland bird habi-tats are privately owned. For example, an analysisof land ownership in the Intermountain West JointVenture area revealed that although 30% of the

land area is privately owned, 70% of the palustrinewetlands such as inland marshes in this region

are privately owned, a habitat type that is extreme-ly important to aridland birds. The highest qualityaridlands were the rst to be claimed and seledfollowing homesteading in most western states,and they have been mostly converted to other uses,such as agriculture and human selement.

Furthermore, many aridland regions are amongthe most popular for residential development inthe entire country. In Gunnison County, Coloradowhich supports more than 80% of all GunnisonSage-Grouse, the population is predicted to dou-

ble by 2050. In Arizona, the population increased

over 300% between 1960 and 2000, and projectedfuture increases are among the highest in thenation. Assuming most of the current network ofpublic and tribal lands stays intact, almost all ofthis growth will be concentrated on private lands.

Aridland Bird Distribution

15I P M M H, P F/USDA-NRCS S G I

The Wrentita bird of the Pacic Coast chaparralhas more than 60% of its distribution on private lands.It is among the eight aridland obligate bird species that aremore prevalent on private lands than average.Wrentit by Ganesh Jayaraman; www.ickr.com/ganesh_j.

S C S C P I H E. M

54.9%

39.3%

4 .7 % 1 .1%

Public

Tribal

Other Private

Private Protected


16/48

T

he Sage Grouse Initiative is an example of awin-win solution for both birds and ranch-ers in 11 states in the West. The initiative's

goal is to target conservation in habitats impor-tant for conserving sage-grouse. Using Farm Billprograms, such as the Environmental QualityIncentives Program and Wildlife Habitat Incen-tive Program, the project has been successful atsimultaneously improving sagebrush habitat forgrouse and the sustainability and productivity ofworking ranches.

In March 2010, the Natural Resources Conserva-tion Service and its partners launched the sci-

ence-based, collaborative Sage Grouse Initiative,signicantly increasing NRCS nancial and tech-nical assistance to ranchers in targeted areas withabundant local sage-grouse populations. In justa few years, it has produced remarkable results.Through 2012, NRCS had enrolled more than 700ranchers through the Sage Grouse Initiative andprovided assistance with sustainable grazing sys-tems on more than 2 million acres. The new graz-ing systems enhance nesting habitat for grouseand improve the native grasses, wildowers,sagebrush, and wet meadows as food resourcesfor livestock. "Everything is beneing from it, thegreen needle, Gardner salt bush, and winter fat.And they're the most important forage we haveon this range. With the NRCS guidelines we'vedone, I'd say it's increased ve times from what itwas when we started," said Montana rancher andinitiative partner Dennis Mercer.

Initiative programs have also removed inva-sive junipers and other conifers from more than200,000 acres, and marked more than 500 milesof fences near sage-grouse breeding habitat to re-duce grouse collisions with fences. Ranchers alsosigned conservation easements to protect more

than 240,000 acres of sagebrush habitat from de-

16 G S-G J R, C M, S G I

PRIVATE LANDS CONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT:The Sage Grouse Initiative


17/48

Tejon Ranch

The Tejon Ranch is the largest contiguousprivate property in California. Five conserva-

tion organizations guided the developmentof the 2008 Tejon Ranch Conservation and

Land Use Plan that resulted in a permanentconservation easement on 240,000 acres andestablished the Tejon Ranch Conservancy toguide conservation planning, monitoring, andstewardship under the easement. Conserva-

tion at the ranch is focused on preservingand enhancing bird populations and biodi-versity while preserving traditional land usessuch as grazing. Located in the TehachapiMountains, Tejon Ranch helps connect theSierra Nevada with California coastal rangesand is heavily used by California Condors. Inaddition to protecting foraging and roosting

condors, the ranch directly protects habitatfor 18 species of obligate aridland birdsin-cluding Le Contes Thrasher, Lark and Black-

throated Sparrows, and Lawrences Gold-finch. The ranch also provides education andoutreach activities for the local community.

velopment or agricultural conversion. Altogether,the initiative has invested more than $145 millioninto conservation, as well as generated nearly $70million in partner matching funds.

Science is integral to the initiatives operations.NRCS employs a Sage Grouse Initiative scienceadvisor and provides funding for independentscientists to measure the response of sage-grouseto conservation practices. Detailed maps have

been developed to assess the risk of agricultural

conversion of intact grassland and sagebrush inthe eastern part of the range. Nest success andsurvival of young grouse is measured in responseto the initiatives grazing management systems.Extent of conifer encroachment is analyzed forcost-eective targeting of funding for tree re-

S- C, M A, S G I

C C J D

moval. A major collaborative study is assessingthe connectivity among sage-grouse populationsacross their range.

The program has proven extremely popular withranchers, so popular that strong demand fromranchers wanting to participate in the eort hasoutstripped the capacity of NRCS sta in criticalsage-grouse landscapes. In the true partnershipspirit of the initiative, the Intermountain West

Joint Venture and more than 30 other diverse con-

servation partners teamed with NRCS to generatefunding to hire 24 new range conservationists andwildlife biologists, strategically located in sage-grouse core areas, who will assist ranchers directlywith developing site-specic conservation plans.

17

The Sage Grouse Initiative helps our family stay in ranching.It helps us and it helps the birds.

Bryson Masini, Sweetwater Ranch, Nevada

L: B M D R S G I;R: S R T W, NRCS


18/48

Forest Birds on Private LandsForests on private lands comprise 54% of Americanforest land cover on 468 million acres. The healthand conservation of about 310 forest-breeding birdspecies nationwide are highly dependent on privatelands that maintain forest cover and preserve theintegrity of forest ecosystems. About 46% of the U.S.distribution of 151 obligate forest birds, on average,is on private land. Neotropical migrant songbirds ofeastern forests are particularly dependent on privateforests, especially steeply declining species of youngand disturbed forests, such as Brown Thrasher 93%distribution on private lands. A suite of obligate

subtropical-forest birds occurs nearly entirely onprivate lands in south Texas, including 91% of thepopulation of endangered Golden-cheeked War-

blers. Privately owned oak woodlands in Californiaare essential habitats for Yellow-billed Magpies92% distribution on private lands and severalother western forest species of high concern.

Private Forest Ownership andConservation

Most private forest land 62% is owned by indi-viduals, families, and other unincorporated groups.For many family forest owners, multiple factors

At a Glance Private forest lands cover 468 million

acres and are important bird habitat:nearly half the distribution of 151 obligateforest birds is on private forest lands.

Private forests provide 92% of our na-tions timber harvest and can keep largeforest blocks intact. Strong timber mar-kets encourage landowners to maintainworking forests.

Private forests often provide habitat for birdsthat live in young forests, such as AmericanWoodcock and Golden-winged Warbler.

Tens of millions of private forest acresare managed under sustainable forestry

certication programs that protectbiodiversity.

such as aesthetic or recreational values, passingland on to heirs, and nature protectiongureheavily into their forest management decisions.

Corporations and other private groups primar-ily engaged in timber production own the other38% of private forest land. Economic forces playa major role in land-use paerns on private forestlands, because the primary motivation for manyprivate landowners to keep their land forested isoften by necessity nancial. In particular, tim-

ber markets inuence landowner incentives to

retain ownership of forest land, especially forcorporate forest landowners who own or managelarge blocks of working forest see Private LandsConservation: Bird Habitat on Timberlands, p. 26.Active timber management can provide essentialhabitat for game birds such as American Wood-cock and Rued Grouse, as well as decliningsongbirds such as Golden-winged Warbler. Tensof millions of forest acres in the U.S. are managedunder sustainable forestry certication programswith requirements for respecting and protect-ing biodiversity, such as the Sustainable ForestryInitiative 60 million acres, Forestry Stewardship

Council 35 million acres, and American TreeFarm System 20 million acres.

FORESTS

E W P J O' B, USDA F S, B.

18

A W G V

Restore the habitat and the wildlife will come.

Valer Austin, El Coronado Ranch, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

L: V A C C; R: E C R K R


19/48

Programs that encourage landowners to conserveor manage their forests, and oer advice on forestcertication and development of forest manage-ment plans, include the Farm Bills ConservationReserve Program and Environmental QualityIncentives Program, and the U.S. Forest ServicesForest Stewardship Program. Additionally, 13.4million acres of private forest are owned and

managed specically for conservation purposes byThe Nature Conservancy, Audubon chapters, andregional or local land trusts.

Challenges for Bird Conservation onPrivate ForestsThe single largest threat to private forests isincreased parcelization, or the breaking up of

blocks of forest land into smaller blocks, often forsale and development. Forests are being lost andfragmented due to depressed timber values and

higher economic gains from residential develop-ment or agricultural expansion. Pressures to sello land can result in new management objectivesthat do not include maintaining forest habitat.Strong timber markets help reduce this pressure.Conservation easementsbetween private land-owners and federal, state, or nonprot conserva-tion groupsalso provide incentives to privateforest owners, in exchange for agreements tocontinue to manage working forests and maintaincontiguous forest blocks in perpetuity to benet

birds and other wildlife.

Because parcels of private forest are often small,and landscapes with many private forests canhave multiple owners, a coordinated approach tocontrolling invasive species, re management, orover browsing by white-tailed deer is much moredicult than on large public lands. Corporateand family forest owners often must balance theneeds of timber production, recreation, livestockgrazing, and other economic benets with thoseof wildlife or nature. Many programs that provideincentives for conservation are available to privateowners of forest lands.

Forest OwnershipAcross the U.S.

Nearly 11 million private landowners arestewards of 468 million acres of U.S. forests,nearly all in the lower 48 states. Comparedwith publicly owned forests, private forests

tend to be in smaller parcels, consist of moreyoung forest (less than 20 years old), and areoften embedded in fragmented agriculturalor urban landscapes. Private ownership offorest varies greatly across regions, from25% in the Rocky Mountains to 86% in theSoutheast. Corporate timberlands are oftenlarge, contiguous blocks, especially in thenorthern hardwood forests of Maine, theGreat Lakes states, and the Pacific North-west, as well as in southeastern pine forests.These timberlands provide a mosaic of forest

ages and structures often not present onpublic lands in the same regions. Corporatetimberlands are largely protected from frag-mentation and development, as long as theyremain commercially viable.

Family

Federal

Other private

Local

State

35%

9%

33%

21%

1%

United States

Paerns of forest ownership across the U.S. (fromU.S. Forest Service General Technical Report 2008).

Private Forest OwnersCan Create Bird Habitat

Forest landowners can do many things to createand maintain bird habitat on their property.

Retain large forest patches with corridors

between patches, wherever possible;

Retain some standing dead trees (snags) anddying trees for cavity-nesting birds;

Mimic natural disturbance regimes withtree-harvesting treatments;

Encourage native tree species and minimizeover browsing by cattle or deer;

Create forest buffers along riparian andother wetland areas;

Work with a forester and/or wildlife biologist

to create a forest management plan that ad-dresses wildlife goals;

Work with nearby landowners or publicagencies to coordinate forest managementand control harmful invasive species;

Create a succession plan with your family toensure the sustainable future of your land.

19

Julita and Tom Pollard worked with the Iowa Department of NaturalResources and their local Natural Resources Conservation Serviceoce on a forest stewardship plan for their 90 acres of hardwoods

in Iowa. Their plan called for tree thinningcompleted with NRCStechnical assistancethat will reinvigorate young oak trees in theirforest. Photo by Jason Johnson, USDA-NRCS, Iowa.


20/48

EASTERN FORESTSEastern forests include the northern and centralhardwoods, southeastern boomland hardwoods,southern pine forests, and northern mixed-coniferforests. Overall, 84% of eastern forests are inprivate ownership. The three regions in the Eastwith the largest concentrations of large corporateownerships of private forest lands are the South-east, Maine, and the Great Lakes states. Roughly9.2 million acres 2% of eastern forests are pro-tected by land trusts and The Nature Conservancyunder various easements or under ownership withmanagement primarily for conservation. Whereasthe largest contiguous blocks of older forests existon public lands, private working forests providesubstantial acreages of younger forests required

by a suite of steeply declining, disturbance-de-pendent forest birds. Private forest parcels in theEast are often small and embedded within highlyfragmented urban and agricultural landscapes.

Eastern Forest Birds on Private LandsOn average, 83% of the distribution of 36 obligateeastern forest breeding species is on private lands.Suites of species with particularly high reliance on

private forest lands more than 90% distribution in-clude young-forest specialists such as Brown Thrash-er and Indigo Bunting, southern pine specialists suchas Brown-headed Nuthatch, and forest generalistssuch as Eastern Bluebird and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.Important wintering species, such as Rusty Blackbirdand Winter Wren, also occur predominantly more

than 80% distributions on private lands.For many birds that live in interior-forest habi-tatsuch as Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, andCerulean Warblerlarge, contiguous areas ofviable working forests can serve as buers againstdevelopment and ensure long-term population

16.7%

0.4%

81.2%

1.7%

Public

Tribal

Other Private

Private Protected

Land Trusts ProtectEastern Forest Habitat

National and regional land trusts are perma-nently protecting working forests throughout

the eastern U.S. by establishing reserves andpurchasing easements.

The Chippewa Flowage Forest Conserva-tion Easement: This Forest Legacy projectpartnership between the Wisconsin DNR,Plum Creek Timber Company, and Trustfor Public Land created an 18,000-acreconservation easement of forest and wild-life habitat for forest birds such as WoodThrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Altamaha River Project: The NatureConservancy has helped protect more than100,000 acres of forests along Georgias

most diverse river system through landpurchases, conservation easements, and

transfers to state or federal management,thus preserving habitat for SwainsonsWarbler and Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

The Richard & Lucile Durrell Edge ofAppalachia Preserve System: This 16,000-acre Nature Conservancy forest, co-owned with the Cincinnati Museum Center,is Ohios largest privately owned, protectednatural area and provides habitat for ma-

ture forest birds like Cerulean Warbler.

20 E A P O C B

Private lands playan important role in

providing bird habitatin eastern forests, with85% of forest landsin private ownership.The Scarlet Tanagerhas about 82% ofits breeding seasondistribution on privatelands. Scarlet Tanagerby Kelly Colgan Azar.

Eastern Forest Bird Distribution

I B B N T


21/48

health. Birds dependent on early successional for-estsincluding Golden-winged Warbler, Ameri-can Woodcock, and Brown Thrasherrequirediverse forest age classes across large landscapesand may benet from timber management on bothsmall and large forest parcels. Even small privateforests in urban or agricultural landscapes mayprovide vital habitat for birds outside the breed-

ing season, especially as stopover sites for refuel-ing during spring and fall migrations.

Conservation SuccessesThe Cerulean Warbler Conservation Initiative il-lustrates how private and public sectors can cooper-ate to benet landowners and a bird species of highconservation concern. With 75% of Cerulean War-

bler distribution on private land, common forestrypractices on private lands can enhance mature foresthabitat for Cerulean Warbler populations. In addi-tion, landowner assistance programs are promotingreforestation of reclaimed mine land in the core of theceruleans range.

Similarly, Golden-winged Warbler populations arebeneting from the Natural Resources Conserva-

tion Service Working Lands for Wildlife program.The program aims to restore 10,000 acres of Golden-winged Warbler habitat on private lands in the Appa-lachians within 5 years, which will also benet otherspecies dependent on young forest, such as AmericanWoodcock. The Golden-winged Warbler Conser-vation Planproduced by a collaborative of 140government agencies, universities, and conservationgroupsidenties key areas for habitat restorationin each state. Some of the rst management projectsinformed by the plan in Pennsylvania and otherstates are already aracting Golden-winged Warblersto places where they had been absent.

WESTERN FORESTSFrom the lush coniferous forests and oak wood-lands of the Pacic Coast to the mixed coniferous,aspen, and riparian forests of the western moun-

tains, western forests cover more than 280 millionacres and support 40 obligate forest bird species.Although overall including southeastern Alaska63% of western forests are on public lands, sig-nicant acreages of certain at-risk forest types areprivately owned. For example, most juniper andoak woodlands on the Edwards Plateau of Texas,as well as Pacic Coast oak woodlands in Oregonand California, exist primarily on private land.Corporate-owned timberlands cover vast conif-erous forests of the Pacic Northwest, whereasnumerous private reserves and easements protectimportant and unique forest types such as old-growth redwoods and riparian forests.

Public/Private PartnersProtect Oak Woodlands

The Central Umpqua-Mid Klamath OakHabitat Conservation Projectfunded by

the Natural Resources Conservation ServiceCooperative Conservation Partnership Initia-

tive and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicePartners for Fish and Wildlife Programhaschannelled more than $3.8 million to restore2,000 acres of oak woodlands on privatelands in southern Oregon and northern Cali-fornia. Two local conservation groups, theLomakatsi Restoration Project and KlamathBird Observatory, are working with landown-ers to create and restore oak woodland habi-

tat for Oak Titmouse, Acorn Woodpecker, andBlack-throated Gray Warbler. This uniquecollaboration received the 2012 Department

of Interior Partners in Conservation Award.

21

A M H P B,U M, B.A W J G


22/48

Western Forest Birds on Private LandsPrivate lands support, on average, 31% of thedistribution of western forest breeding speciesincluding important habitat for the endangeredGolden-cheeked Warbler 92% of distribution onprivate lands and the endemic Island Scrub-Jay14%. In Texas, Golden-cheeked Warbler habi-tats near Austin and San Antonio are threatenedwith development. Conversely, all of the pri-vately owned land within the Island Scrub-Jaysrange is protected by The Nature ConservancysSanta Cruz Island Preserve o the coast of Cali-

fornia. The National Park Service has partneredwith TNC to improve jay habitat by eradicatingnonnative animals and restoring oak woodlands.

California oak-woodland specialists, such as Yellow-billed Magpie, Nualls Woodpecker, and Oak Tit-

mouse, have about 70% to 95% of their distributionson private land. Pacic Coast oak woodlands havedeclined signicantly due to development, with 80%loss in some areas. Most remaining habitat is private-ly owned and at risk for conversion to agriculture,especially vineyards for wine production. Amongother obligate western forest birds, species breeding

at lower elevations and especially in riparian habitats

tend to be highly dependent on private lands. Specieswith more than 40% of their distributions on privatelands include Pacic-slope Flycatcher, Lesser Gold-nch, Lazuli Bunting, and Lewiss Woodpecker.

Conservation SuccessesIn 2012, ranch owner Louis Bacon donated perpetualconservation easements on two of Colorados largestranches to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to createthe Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area, protecting

170,000 acres of montane forests and adjacent areasfrom development. The agreement protects Lewis'sWoodpecker habitat. The largest-ever donation tothe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it is one of the rstcooperative arrangements of its kind among the fed-eral government, a private land trust, and a privatelandowner.

Through a series of preserves, conservation ease-ments, and cooperative management agreements,The Nature Conservancy has protected some of themost important and fragile riparian forests in thewestern U.S. These include nearly 250,000 acres col-

laboratively managed in the Gila River watershed of

Although more than 60% of western forests arepublic lands, private forests provide prime habitat forcertain bird species. Yellow-billed Magpies have 95%of their distribution on private lands. Yellow-billedMagpie by Bob Gunderson, www.ickr.com/photos/bobgunderson/

Western Forest Bird Distribution

66%

28.5%

4.1% 1.4%

Public

Tribal

Other Private

Private Protected

P P S R, M S U, B.22

We are too quickly losing importantlandscapes in this country to

development, and I worry that ifwe do not act to protect them now,

future generations will grow up in aprofoundly different world.

Louis Bacon, ranch owner


23/48

New Mexico, 46,000 acres along the Cosumnes Riverin California, and the Hassayampa River, AravaipaCanyon, and Patagonia-Sonoita Creek preserves inArizona. These riparian systems support some of thehighest bird diversity in the U.S.

SUBTROPICAL FORESTSAlthough subtropical forests make up less than 1%

of U.S. forest lands, a suite of 16 bird species is com-pletely dependent on these forests within the U.S.portions of their range in south Texas and southernFlorida. About 73% of U.S. subtropical forests areon private lands, mostly on several large ranches.

Subtropical Forest Birds on Private LandsOn average, more than 90% of the U.S. breedingdistribution of subtropical forest birds is on privatelands. For species restricted to south Texassuchas Audubons Oriole, Olive Sparrow, and White-tipped Doveprivate lands account for more than95% of their distributions. In Florida, 74% of the dis-tribution of Short-tailed Hawks is on private lands.

Conservation SuccessesPrivate landowners are critical partners in birdconservation within Texas' Rio Grande Joint Venture

Region. The Yturria Ranch includes 14,000 acres ofpasture and native forest, with critical conservationeasements held by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceand The Nature Conservancy. Restoration of nativeforests supports healthy populations of forest birds,such as Long-billed Thrasher and Common Pau-raque. Nearby, the 1,000-acre Southmost Preserve,owned by The Nature Conservancy, protects one of

the last stands of native sabal palm trees in the U.S.,as well as Tamaulipan thornscrub forest. The South-most Preserve provides habitat for Altamira Oriole,Tropical Parula, and Groove-billed Ani.

Among the largest working ranches in the world,the 825,000-acre King Ranch is dedicated to envi-ronmental stewardship, wildlife management, andresearch, while promoting recreational huntingand bird watching. The ranch has been designatedas a Globally Important Bird Area and is a siteon the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail. Amongthe 356 bird species recorded on the ranch are the

largest U.S. populations of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Tropical Parula.

Subtropical Forest Bird Distribution

8.9%

90.3%

0.7%0.1%

Public

Tribal

Other Private

Private Protected

Subtropical forest birds rely heavily

on private lands for breeding habitat.Short-tailed Hawks have about 74%

of their distribution on privatelands. Short-tailed Hawk by

Tom Johnson.

P S S P R K

23F P-O C W


24/48

MEXICAN PINE-OAK FORESTSThe roughly 3 million acres of pine-oak forests inthe mountains of southern Arizona, New Mexico,and Texas are an extension of the vast SierraMadre forests of Mexico. Twenty-one bird speciesare restricted to this forest type within the U.S.portions of their ranges. Privately owned landsconstitute 23% of U.S. Mexican pine-oak for-ests, including more than 82,000 acres of privateprotected lands that, in conjunction with adjacentpublic lands, preserve unique forest ecosystems inmountain canyons and other riparian areas.

Mexican Pine-Oak Birds on Private LandsOn average, 24% of Mexican pine-oak forest birddistribution is on private lands. For many species,however, distribution on private protected lands isdisproportionately high. For example, private pro-tected lands constitute only 3% of the land area,

but they hold one-fth of the regional populationsof Arizona Woodpeckers and Whiskered Screech-Owls. In general, birds of riparian canyons are

more dependent on private lands than birds ofupland pine-oak forests.

Conservation SuccessesThe Nature Conservancys Ramsey Canyon Pre-serve in the Huachuca Mountains protects one ofthe most pristine examples of southeast Arizonas

mountain canyons and adjacent pine-oak slopes.The preserve boasts the highest hummingbirddiversity in the U.S. 15 species recorded as wellas important populations of obligate species suchas Elegant Trogon and Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher.

The 1,920-acre El Coronado Ranch on the west sideof the Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona represents aremarkable demonstration of private land conserva-tion. Owners and managers Valer and Josiah Austinhave restored the natural hydrology of the mountaincanyon, revitalizing both the aquatic habitat and theadjacent forests, while increasing the productivity of

their ranch. The Austins have expanded their success-ful water conservation techniques to other ranches inArizona and Sonora, Mexico.

Within the Mexican pine-oak forests that extend intothe United States, privatelands host about a quarteror more of the distributionsof Elegant Trogon and11 other obligate species.Elegant Trogon by JohnPaul Cahill.

Mexican Pine-Oak Forest Bird Distribution

68.3%

7.7%

17.1%

6.9%

Public

Tribal

Other Private

Private Protected

24 M P- C C; ..


25/48

BOREAL FORESTSOf the 146 million acres of U.S. boreal forests, 93% arein Alaska, where only 3% are in private ownership.In the lower 48 states, however, more than half of 9.6million acres of boreal forests are privately owned.Including Alaska, 17% of the roughly 8.8 millionacres of privately owned boreal forests are protectedfor conservation through ownership or easement.

Boreal Forest Birds on Private LandsThirty-eight bird species are obligate boreal forest

breeders in the U.S. On average, 20% of boreal for-est bird distribution is on private lands. Twelve ofthese species have U.S. breeding distributions onlyin Alaska, including Gray-cheeked Thrush, SolitarySandpiper, and Bohemian Waxwingall of whichhave only 2% of their distributions on private lands.On the other hand, private lands are vital habitat for

boreal birds in the lower 48 states. From Minnesota toMaine, boreal species generally have more than halftheir distributions on private lands. Many of thesespecies have disproportionately greater distributionson private protected lands, including PhiladelphiaVireo 15%, Bay-breasted and Tennessee Warblers,

both 14%, and Bicknells Thrush 8%.

Conservation SuccessesIn May 2012, The Nature Conservancy, the ForestSociety of Maine, and Plum Creek Timber Com-pany created a historic conservation easement on363,000 acres in northern Maine. One of the largestforest conservation easements in American history,the easement serves as the missing puzzle piecein one of the nations most extensive permanently

conserved working forest regions. Altogether, theeasement and surrounding conserved areas total2 million acres of conserved lands across MainesNorth Woods. This easement contains managementprovisions specically for Common Loon and RustyBlackbird, as well as an agreement that the propertywill remain accessible to the public in perpetuity,thus continuing the long tradition of recreation andsustainable forestry in the Maine woods.

Along Minnesotas North Shore with Lake Supe-rior150 miles of coastal boreal habitat that hosts

breeding birds such as Canada, Blackburnian, andBlack-throated Green Warblersfamily forestowners are banding together with a collective vi-sion for ecosystem health. About 80% of the NorthShore is privately owned. The Sugarloaf NorthShore Stewardship Association has partneredwith the University of Minnesota Extension toprovide 30 private landowners with forest stew-ardship plans and technical assistance on invasiveplant control and reforestation. Sugarloaf is nowworking with the Natural Resources Conserva-tion Service under the Farm Bills EnvironmentalQuality Incentives Program to sign up another 50

landowners along the North Shore.

25B F G A

Outside of Alaska, more than half of U.S. borealforests are privately owned, and these forests supporta majority of the breeding distributions for borealspecies such as Bay-breasted Warbler. Bay-breastedWarbler by Danny Bales.

Local forest owners learned about stewardship practices and planningduring tours of native boreal coastal habitat along Minnesota's NorthShore with Lake Superior. Photo by Sugarloaf: The North ShoreStewardship Association.

Boreal Forest Bird Distribution

72.8%

7.5%

16.5%

3.2%

Public

Tribal

Other Private

Private Protected


26/48

Working forests across the U.S. provideimportant habitat for the majority offorest bird species, especially in eastern

forests where 85% to 95% of many bird distri-butions are on private land. These lands often

complement and buer bird habitats on nearbypublic lands to create larger contiguous blocks

of habitat across landscapes that are essential forarea-sensitive species such as Wood Thrush andScarlet Tanager. Timberlands forests availableto be managed for industrial wood productscovered 514.2 million forest acres in the U.S. in2007. About 20%, or 106.1 million acres, of thosetimberlands were in corporate ownership, andabout 49% 250.4 million acres were in privatenon-corporate ownership such as family-ownedforests. Working forests are a critical source ofraw material for industries that contribute to theeconomies of many states. In 2006, about 92% ofwood harvested in the U.S. came from privatelyowned timberland.

Changing ownership paerns of private workingforests over the last decade represent changing con-servation opportunities for important bird habitat.Most forest products companies that previouslyowned both land and manufacturing facilitieshave sold their timberland to agencies, conserva-tion organizations, individuals, timber investment

management organizations, real estate investmenttrusts, and other entities. Manufacturing companiesnow primarily obtain their wood from logging con-tractors or by interacting directly with private own-ers. Economic returns from producing this woodprovide incentives for landowners to maintainforests rather than convert them to other uses thatcould degrade or fragment valuable bird habitatand allow forested landscapes to give way to urbanor exurban development.

Corporate and non-corporate landowners oftenmanage working forests under programs with

standards, guidelines, or regulations that conserve

ecosystem functions and services. Many statesoer property tax reductions to landowners whocommit to long-term forest management in a foreststewardship plan or forest certication programsfor multiple resource management planning.The three most common sustainable certicationprograms in the U.S.Sustainable Forestry Initia-

tive, Forest Stewardship Council, and AmericanTree Farm Systemall require forest managers toinclude biological diversity conservation in theirforestry practices such as retention of snags anddowned wood as habitat features and conservationof old-growth forests. Sustainable forestry certi-cation systems therefore oer tremendous potentialfor large and small private forest owners to contrib-ute to regional bird conservation objectives. Manywood-product manufacturers and lumber retailersalso provide information to consumers about the

benets of certied wood, which creates demandfor sustainably grown and harvested timber.

26

P A V

PRIVATE LANDS CONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT:Bird Habitat on Timberlands


27/48

Working Forests thatWork for Birds

Several programs help private forest ownersmanage working timberlands as habitat forforest birds (see directory, pages 42 and 43).

In Maine, the Machias River Projectapartnership of the Forest Legacy Program of

the Northeast Area, Maine Bureau of Parksand Lands, The Nature Conservancy MaineChapter, and othersprotected 60,000 acresof forest from development via purchases andeasements. These private timberlands will besustainably managed and connect to more

than 340,000 acres of other protected lands,creating a mega-block of contiguous habitatfor 28 bird species of conservation concern,including Canada Warbler. "This is an ecologi-cal and an economic win," said Bill Cherry, acoordinator for local watershed councils.

Technical assistance also helps landown-ers include birds in their forest managementplans. Foresters for the Birds, a joint projectof the Vermont Department of Forests, Parksand Recreation and Audubon Vermont, gath-ered Audubon biologists and more than 100foresters for bird-friendly forestry seminars.Participating foresters attended trainingsessions on timber practices beneficial forbird habitat, then partnered with an Audubonbiologist to assess forest bird habitat on aproperty that they manage.

Managers of working forests have many oppor-tunities to create and maintain habitat for forest

birds. At a large scale, vegetative and bird diver-sity are often greatest in landscapes where thereis a mixture of managed and unmanaged forestsof varying ages, ranging from forests with variousharvesting intensities to those not managed at all.This is not unusual in landscapes with a mixtureof ownerships with dierent management objec-tives. Working forest landscapes themselves alsocommonly contain a mix of habitats. Within themost intensively managed stands in working for-est landscapes, managers can enhance habitat forsome bird species by modifying the timing and

uniformity of site preparation, by retaining struc-tural features such as downed wood or snags, bycontrolling tree spacing at planting to promoteabundant understory vegetation, and by thinningto minimize the time that stands are in a dense,closed-canopy condition which isnt optimal formany bird species. Managers can also utilize

various forest management strategies to vary theage of forest stands, especially those that mimicnatural disturbance regimes and support declin-ing young-forest birds such as Golden-wingedWarbler and Brown Thrasher.

Many private timber companies provide neexamples of working forest conservation. InAlabama, the Westervelt Company retains clumpsof trees and snags on large harvests, and retainssingle trees and snags on virtually every harvestunit, to provide a diverse managed landscape anda wide range of bird habitats. In Arkansas, theAnderson Tully Lumber Company manages youngforests to provide early successional habitat near

the Arkansas and White Rivers amid a landscapedominated by publicly owned older forest. Birdsurveys have found signicantly higher numbersof Swainsons Warblers on these managed landscompared to adjacent public lands. And in easternNorth Carolina, Weyerhaeuser is restoring long-

leaf pine at the Cool SpringsEnvironmental Center, which isactively managed as a workingforest to demonstrate forestrypractices that also maintainand enhance wildlife habitat,

air quality, water quality, andaesthetic, recreational, andhistorical values. This areareceives thousands of visitorsannually who can see or hearBrown-headed Nuthatch, Yel-low-throated Warbler, Chuck-will's-widow, and other pinespecialists. Each spring, thecenter celebrates InternationalMigratory Bird Day to welcomethe return of the warblers.

27G- W G V

M R, M TNC


28/48

At a Glance

Coastal areas constitute only 9% of theland area of the U.S., but 25% of all birdspecies in North America use coastalhabitats for some part of their annualcycle. About 83% of coastal lands areprivately owned.

Coastlines provide birds with importantnesting, migration stopover, and winter-ing habitats. Coastal wetlands supportmillions of migrant and wintering birds.

Many birds that nest on beaches or usethem during migration are of high con-servation concern, such as Piping Ploverand Least Tern.

In Louisiana, National Coastal WetlandsConservation Grants and North AmericanWetlands Conservation Act funds haveconserved 110,000 wetland acres and320,000 acres of shoreline and wetlands

(including private lands).

Coastal Birds on Private LandsThe U.S. has more than 90,000 miles of coastalshoreline, of which 53,677 miles occur along thelower 48 states that border the Atlantic and PacicOceans and the Gulf of Mexico. Although the landarea within 50 miles of the ocean only represents9% of total land area of the U.S. excluding Alaskaand Caribbean and Pacic Islands, 36% of the U.S.human population in 2010 lived in this zone. Ad-ditionally, more than 180 million Americans makeannual visits to coastal areas for recreation and va-cation. Ownership of our coastal areas is complexand varies among states. In some states, private

ownership begins above the low tide line, and inothers it begins above the high tide line.

One-quarter of all bird species in North Americause coastal habitats for some part of their annualcycle. Most coastal lands are privately owned83%, with less than 1% being private protectedlands. Twenty-one of the 27 obligate breeding birdspecies along the coast nest on beaches or rockyshorelines; another 3 species are obligate saltmarsh

breeders. Ten of the 11 obligate beach nesting birdsare of conservation concern. Most beach-nestingspecies nest or forage in early-successional habitat,

such as bare sand beaches and over-wash zonesnear mudats, or sparsely vegetated dunes. Beach-es are also used by tens of thousands of migratingand wintering shorebirds, such as the Black-belliedPlover, Red Knot, Sanderling, and Ruddy Turn-stone. Coastal marshes provide wintering habitatfor millions of waterfowl such as Brant, AmericanBlack Duck, and Greater Scaup.

Conservation SuccessesThe Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection andRestoration Act of 1990 directed the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service to engage in interagency wetlands

COASTS

B G V

restoration and conservation planning in Louisiana.Additionally, the act established National Coastal

Wetlands Conservation Grants and allocated aspecic proportion of North American WetlandsConservation Act funds to coastal states. Since1991, 151 projects in Louisiana have resulted in thecreation or restoration of 110,000 wetland acres andthe protection of 320,000 acres of shoreline or wet-lands. These programs involve private landownersand the public in the decision-making process.

The San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority,which includes private landowners and citizens,was established in 2008 to raise and allocateresources for the restoration, enhancement, pro-

tection, and enjoyment of wetlands and wildlifehabitat in the San Francisco Bay and along its

28

A O B.N. S;..//

R K B.N.

Documents

2013 State of the Birds