NPS Park Flight Migratory Bird Program to end

[Fern Davies]

This news and analysis are provided by the Ornithological Council, a consortium supported by 12 ornithological societies. Join or renew your membership in your ornithological society if you value the services these societies provide to you, including Ornithology Exchange and the Ornithological Council!

 

 

News from the Ornithological Council, in the category "Lousy News." Being the bearer of bad tidings is not fun. This is probably one in a long string of losses to come as budget cuts destroy components of bird conservation programs that took years to build.

 

A true champion of bird conservation, Carol Beidleman, writes to say:

 

Dear Friends of the National Park Service (NPS) Park Flight Migratory Bird Program,

 

I am writing to inform you that the NPS Biological Resource ManagementDivision has made the decision that the Park Flight Migratory Bird Programno longer exists. This includes all activities you have associated withPark Flight since 2000, and the NPS national/international migratory birdprogram. My title in the new Wildlife Conservation Branch (same division)is now Wildlife Biologist, and under my new position description I will beworking with all taxa, but with set priority tasks.If you are slated to be involved next year with International Volunteers inParks for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Latino outreach grantproject, the project partners will be in touch with you to continue andcomplete that effort. I will not be representing NPS for the NSF project,nor for Partners in Flight, International Migratory Bird Day, and othernational and international bird conservation efforts Park Flight has beeninvolved with. However, I will be volunteering for these efforts asappropriate and as I'm able to.I want to thank all of you for your long interest in, involvement with, andsupport of the NPS Park Flight Migratory Bird Program, and for all yourcontributions and enthusiasm that made it such a success and such a joy forme to coordinate.Carol

 

Carol Beidleman

Wildlife Biologist

Wildlife Conservation Branch

Biological Resource Management Division

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science

National Park Service

(970) 225-3581

Carol_Beidleman@nps.gov

On behalf of the Ornithological Council, I would like to extend sincere thanks to Carol for her invaluable and unflagging devotion to bird conservation. She's been a mainstay of Partners in Flight almost since the beginning and won a Partners in Flight award in 2005 for her efforts:

 

http://www.pwrc.usgs.../2005awards.htm

[Fern Davies]

This news and analysis are provided by the Ornithological Council, a consortium supported by 12 ornithological societies. Join or renew your membership in your ornithological society if you value the services these societies provide to you, including Ornithology Exchange and the Ornithological Council!

 

UPDATE:

 

 

Dear National Park Service Friends and Colleagues,

I would like to thank you all for being good stewards in bird conservation

as well as outstanding National Park Service (NPS) partners. It has come

to my attention that the message below was sent by one of our NPS

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science (NRSS) employees and may have

caused some confusion. I would like to correct this misinformation and

fill you in on some of our exciting news about not only migratory bird

conservation, but migratory species conservation at both the national and

international level.

 

 

NPS has expanded the Park Flight Program to include all migratory species;

mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects, as well as birds. We have

had several significant workshops and meetings to help us develop and

evaluate various strategies to effectively assist parks and neighbors in

conserving and restoring a number of different migratory species and their

habitats, and again, including birds. To enhance the program, we will:

 

 

Accrue knowledge on migratory/shared fish and wildlife in North

America (including the territorial waters of Canada, Mexico, and the

United States).

 

 

Identify threats to key migratory/shared fish and wildlife.

 

 

Identify key habitats, pathways, and protected areas for

migratory/shared fish and wildlife.

 

 

Work cooperatively with partners to identify and implement

conservation strategies for migratory/shared fish and wildlife.

 

 

Conduct research to further identify key actions to promote the

conservation of migratory/shared fish and wildlife.

 

 

Develop outreach and education programs to communicate the stories of

migration and the interlinked natural heritage of Mexico, Canada and

the United States.

 

 

Encourage ecotourism opportunities that contribute to the

understanding and protection of migratory pathways.

 

 

While the message below may have caused alarm, I hope you will take my

message as a cause for celebration and an NPS commitment to all migratory

species and their habitats, as well as their natural and cultural

significance in our world today and tomorrow.

 

 

Should you have any questions or would like additional information, please

do not hesitate to contact Elaine Leslie, Chief, Biological Resource

Management Division (NRSS ) at elaine_leslie@nps.gov or 970 267-2135. We

look forward to continued long and prosperous partnerships for the

conservation of migratory species.

 

 

Regards,

 

 

Bert

 

 

 

 

 

**********************************************************

Herbert C. Frost, Ph.D.

Associate Director/Chief Scientist

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science

National Park Service

1849 C Street, NW

Washington DC 20005

Voice: 202-208-3884

Fax: : 202-273-4431

E-mail: bert_frost@nps.gov

*********************************************************

 

 

 

Dear Friends of the National Park Service (NPS) Park Flight Migratory Bird

Program,

 

I am writing to inform you that the NPS Biological Resource Management

Division has made the decision that the Park Flight Migratory Bird Program

no longer exists. This includes all activities you have associated with

Park Flight since 2000, and the NPS national/international migratory bird

program. My title in the new Wildlife Conservation Branch (same division)

is now Wildlife Biologist, and under my new position description I will be

working with all taxa, but with set priority tasks.

 

If you are slated to be involved next year with International Volunteers in

Parks for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Latino outreach grant

project, the project partners will be in touch with you to continue and

complete that effort. I will not be representing NPS for the NSF project,

nor for Partners in Flight, International Migratory Bird Day, and other

national and international bird conservation efforts Park Flight has been

involved with. However, I will be volunteering for these efforts as

appropriate and as I'm able to.

 

I want to thank all of you for your long interest in, involvement with, and

support of the NPS Park Flight Migratory Bird Program, and for all your

contributions and enthusiasm that made it such a success and such a joy for

me to coordinate.