Laura Bies

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy will host a series of virtual listening sessions to explore perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for advancing open science in the United States and solutions that might be implemented by the U.S. Government. These sessions, part of a Year of Open Science  announced by the White House in January 2023 to advance open science policies across the federal government, will focus on the needs, priorities, and experiences of the early career researcher community. Registration is required to attend.

The four upcoming sessions all have a specific focus and target participant group:

Open Science Possibilities for Lowering Barriers to Entry: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers on Engaging in Open Science

Participants: The public, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers

Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 1:00 – 3:00 pm EDT

Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItfuiqqz4vHFvRDVHZ8InYIGm0sEgXvqA

Open Science Possibilities for Equitable Participation and Access: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers at Emerging Research Institutions

Participants: The public, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers from emerging research institutions, including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Community Colleges, and Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

Monday, June 5, 2023 at 1:00 – 3:00 pm EDT

Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsce2upj8rGmbK7qouu0H4OX4zDZeD7ZU

Open Science Possibilities for Career Advancement: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers on Opportunities and Challenges in Career Progression and Trajectory

Participants: The public, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 3:00 – 5:00 pm EDT

Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdOyppjIqHHZR9Fa75AjDHbIslfokQ58

Open Science Possibilities for Training and Capacity Building: Perspectives from the Early Career Researcher-Supporting Community

Participants: The public, including trainers, librarians, college and university administrators, or any other staff supporting the early career researcher community in capacity building for open science

Monday, June 12, 2023 at 1:00 – 3:00 pm EDT

Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItf-qhrTstHol-mxkbfsGVMmx4HcnTo-Q

When registering, you will be asked to indicate whether you would like to offer feedback during the listening session or not. If you would like to provide information in addition to or in lieu of participation in the listening session, contact OpenScience@OSTP.eop.gov.

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one donating to the OC at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

USFWS PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

May 18, 2023 

Contact: publicaffairs@fws.gov 

Innovating for Conservation: Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize Competitions Offer up to $100,000 for Novel Conservation Solutions 

The public can now help reimagine what drives wildlife conservation in the 21st century by participating in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize competitions, which open for entries today at https://www.challenge.gov/. The competitions will engage the public to help address six important conservation issues: preventing wildlife poaching and trafficking, promoting wildlife conservation, managing invasive species, protecting endangered species, managing nonlethal human-wildlife conflict, and reducing human-predator conflict. Prize winners are eligible for up to $100,000 for each winning prize solution. 

“Today’s communities and wildlife habitats face sizable conservation challenges like climate change, wildlife poaching and trafficking, habitat reduction and the loss of pollinators,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “We need innovators with a wide variety of skill sets and perspectives to help us collaboratively advance resource stewardship and conservation around the globe.” 

Through the prize competitions, the Service seeks to spark the interest and imagination of out-of-the-box thinkers across the nation, to source diverse solutions and catalyze new markets addressing complex conservation challenges. The prize competitions are open to every American and aim to build a community of innovators who can help guide the future of conservation. Last year’s winning ideas included an invasive reptile smart-trapping system, a nucleic acid barcode that identifies poached and trafficked wildlife products anywhere in the world, and a robotic technology that reduces cattle predation by encouraging natural herding behavior.  

By promoting innovation and engaging a diverse community of thought, the competitions support the missions of the Department of the Interior and the Service and contribute to achieving the goals of the Administration’s America the Beautiful initiative and work being done under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Both efforts underscore the Administration’s all-of-government approach to bolstering climate resilience and protecting natural areas for current and future generations.  

The Service is partnering with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which has helped administer the competitions. The competition is guided by the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize Advisory Council, a designated Federal Advisory Committee. The council advises competition winners on opportunities to pilot and implement their nascent technologies, helping them develop potential partnerships with conservation organizations, federal or state agencies, federally recognized Tribes, private entities and research institutions with relevant expertise or interest.  

The submission deadline for the competitions is June 27, 2023, with judging to occur July through August 2023, and winners will be announced in October 2023. The prize purse for each of the six focus areas is up to $100,000 for the winning technology innovation. The Service may also recognize additional participants with non-monetary, honorable mention awards. 

For more information and to apply, please visit https://www.challenge.gov/.  

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has approved the emergency use of an avian influenza vaccine for California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus), in response to an outbreak of HPAI along the Arizona/Utah border.

Recently, environmental groups had called for such authorization for the endangered Condor population, given that 21 of the flock’s 116 condors had died from avian influenza as of May 5.

Updates from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on HPAI and Condors are available here.

Read the press release from APHIS below.

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PRESS RELEASE:  USDA Takes Action to Help Protect Endangered California Condors From Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is taking emergency action to help protect the critically endangered California condors after several have died from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). APHIS has approved the emergency use of HPAI vaccine in an attempt to prevent additional deaths of these birds.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) approached APHIS about vaccination after a California condor was found dead in late March and then confirmed positive for HPAI at APHIS’ National Veterinary Services Laboratories. Since then, 20 more condors have died. Another four are recovering at a rehabilitation center.  Of these condors, 15 have been confirmed with HPAI, including two of the four in recovery. 

The authorized vaccine is a killed, inactivated product conditionally licensed by APHIS’ Center for Veterinary Biologics in 2016. Since the vaccine has not previously been tested against this strain of the virus in these species, the first step in the vaccination program is a pilot safety study in North American vultures, a similar species, to investigate if there are any adverse effects before giving the vaccine to the endangered condors. This trial is funded by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and will be carried out with the surrogate vultures in North Carolina beginning in May 2023.

APHIS grants emergency use approvals, which exempt products from one or more regulatory requirements normally applied to licensed vaccines, to prevent, control, or eradicate animal diseases in connection with an official USDA program and/or an emergency animal disease situation. APHIS approved this emergency vaccination of the condors because these birds are critically endangered, closely monitored, and their population is very small (less than 600), which allows close monitoring of the vaccine to ensure it is administered only to the approved population. Vultures and California condors are wild birds, not poultry as defined by the World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH), and APHIS does not expect their vaccination to result in impacts to poultry trade.

This emergency use approval is limited to the endangered California condors. USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists continue to research vaccine options that could protect U.S. poultry from HPAI, should vaccination be necessary for additional birds in the United States. Currently, biosecurity measures remain the best, most effective tool for mitigating the virus in commercial flocks, and improved biosecurity measures by the commercial industry have vastly reduced the number of detections compared to previous outbreaks. For example, in April 2022, there were a total of 106 commercial poultry HPAI detections. In April 2023, there were 2 commercial poultry detections, a decrease of 85% from the previous year. More information about APHIS’ efforts to work with industry as well as state and other federal partners to manage the outbreak can be found here.

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About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one donating to the OC at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

The landscape of science is changing: People from increasingly varied backgrounds, identities, cultures, and genders are pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Support for this more diverse population of scientists needs to extend beyond “one size fits all” to better meet the needs of today’s scientists. Expanding support and strengthening the sense of community for individuals and groups who have not been historically welcomed in a discipline can foster a deeper sense of belonging and meaningfully broaden representation within that field. Researchers from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Virginia Tech have teamed up on a new project recently funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in an effort to create widespread cultural change and increased inclusivity within the field of ornithology.

Professional scientific associations and societies can guide and shape the culture within their respective fields, cultivating supportive communities and providing relevant resources to ensure that all scientists have the professional and personal support they need to succeed on their chosen career path. The universities are partnering with three ornithological societies: the American Ornithological Society (AOS), the Wilson Ornithological Society (WOS), and the Association of Field Ornithologists (AFO). The project, Co-creation of affinity groups to facilitate diverse and inclusive ornithological societies, was awarded a combined half-million dollar grant through the NSF grant program Leading Cultural Change Through Professional Societies of Biology (BIO-LEAPS) to address the need for cultural change within ornithology. This initiative will use an internal culture assessment conducted by the AOS in 2022 as its starting point and seeks to build a scientific field that fosters a greater sense of belonging among society members from historically excluded communities. “The AOS’s initial culture survey shows that historically excluded groups within ornithology would like more support and a stronger sense of community,” AOS executive director Judith Scarl explains. “The first step is listening; the second step will be taking meaningful action,” she says. The BIO-LEAPS program “aims to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the biological sciences broadly by leveraging the leadership, broad reach, and unique ability of professional societies to create culture change in the life sciences.”  

The goal of the joint project is twofold: First, the project seeks to understand the climate of the other two societies with respect to diversity and culture in order to recommend what changes and resources are needed. Second, the project aims to design a process for co-creating affinity groups, or “Flocks”—identity-based groups created by and for members of these communities—that will facilitate “transformative resilience” for these historically marginalized groups. “We are committed to celebrating diversity and encouraging people from all communities to learn, research, and appreciate the beauty of birds,” says Julie Jedlicka, president of the AFO. “This NSF grant provides a wonderful opportunity for our three societies to work together to increase diversity within the ornithological community as a whole and systematically address barriers that hinder participation,” she adds.

Ultimately, the societies desire to transform ornithology into an inclusive discipline that leverages the talents of diverse communities of learners, scientists, and practitioners to solve urgent problems in ecology, conservation, and environmental justice. Principal Investigators (PIs) are Daizaburo Shizuka from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Ashley Dayer from Virginia Tech. “This grant is an important step in establishing a process for creating these communities and developing a plan for sustaining it,” Shizuka, also an AOS Council member, explains. “The goal of this program is to engage professional societies to catalyze cultural change in the field of ornithology,” he adds.

“As a social scientist focused on bird conservation, inclusive research, and diversifying the field of science, I’m excited about this opportunity to work with the societies to co-produce evidence-based affinity groups,” says co-PI Ashley Dayer, who served as the first social scientist on the Ornithological Applicationseditorial board and recently wrote an article on disciplinary inclusion in AOS. “I look forward to working with recently hired postdoc Nathan Thayer to conduct surveys, focus groups, and workshops with members of the societies and build these affinity groups from the bottom up to meet ornithologists’ needs.”  

The project will foster broader impacts by offering collaborative engagement opportunities among the three societies and bird-focused nonprofit organizations (e.g., birding, conservation), governmental agencies, and minority-serving institutions and societies, resulting in a wider network of organizations that are committed to changing the culture of ornithology. “We are thrilled to be an integral partner in this tangible, creative project to build a more diverse ornithological community that is welcoming and supportive of everyone,” AOS president Colleen Handel says. 

This project will also provide educational and professional development opportunities at Virginia Tech in diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice (DEIBJ) for a postdoctoral scholar and undergraduate researchers in the Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program. “Fascination with birds is a catalyst to the development of careers in STEM and related fields,” president Tim O’Connell of the WOS says, adding, “Too often that universal appeal is not matched by universal opportunity to pursue careers in ornithology. We are delighted to partner with our friends in the American Ornithological Society and Association of Field Ornithologists to explore the role our societies can play in identifying and dismantling barriers to participation in ornithology.” 

The project’s findings will be shared beyond academia through large networks of bird conservation professionals such as the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. Finally, the project’s PIs anticipate broadening the diversity of scholars engaged in DEIBJ research, including undergraduates, Flock leaders, advisory teams, and senior personnel. “Scientific associations have such a huge and important opportunity to change the culture of science, so that we are more welcoming and supportive of people who have historically been excluded,” Scarl says. “Co-creating these ‘Flocks’ is a big step towards creating a better culture of support and belonging.”

This grant will run from May 1, 2023, through an estimated end date of April 30, 2025. The partners are already considering applying for a follow-up implementation grant for stage two of this work. Shizuka says, “Our hope is that this is the tip of the iceberg, and that this work will lay the groundwork for a sustained, long-term commitment and funding to support the work of our Flocks.”

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About the National Science Foundation (NSF) Leading Culture Change Through Professional Societies of Biology (BIO-LEAPS) program

BIO LEAPS supports the design, implementation and evaluation of projects that leverage the work of professional societies to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the biological sciences.

About the American Ornithological Society

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an international society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of birds, enriching ornithology as a profession, and promoting a rigorous scientific basis for the conservation of birds. The AOS publishes two international journals, Ornithology and Ornithological Applications, which have a history of the highest scientific impact rankings among ornithological journals worldwide. The Society’s checklists serve as the accepted authority for scientific nomenclature and English common names of birds in the Americas. The AOS is also a partner with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the online Birds of the World, a rich database of species accounts of the world’s birds. The AOS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving close to 3,000 members globally.

About the Wilson Ornithological Society

The Wilson Ornithological Society (WOS) is an international scientific society comprising community members who share a curiosity about birds. The WOS produces the quarterly Wilson Journal of Ornithology as the latest iteration of scientific journal publication supported by the Society since 1888. The WOS is committed to providing mentorship to both professional and amateur ornithologists through the sponsorship of research, teaching, and conservation. The WOS is further committed to identifying and dismantling barriers to participation in ornithology in all their forms, and to better fulfill our mission to support, mentor, and build community for all who seek to incorporate ornithology in their professional lives.

About the Association of Field Ornithologists

Founded in 1922 as the New England Bird Banding Association, The Association of Field Ornithologists (AFO) is one of the world’s major societies of professional and amateur ornithologists dedicated to the scientific study and dissemination of information about birds in their natural habitats. AFO encourages the participation of amateurs in research, and emphasizes the conservation biology of birds. The flagship publication of AFO is the Journal of Field Ornithology, which publishes original articles that emphasize the descriptive or experimental study of birds in their natural habitats.

The Department of Energy released a plan to reach the current administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, including a vision of wind energy development that “avoids, minimizes, and mitigates impacts” on marine habitats. Learn more here. 

A new collaborative effort led by USGS aims to explore wind energy’s impacts on birds on a population level. Researchers use data from carcasses to gain better insight into how mortality events at individual wind developments impact bird populations across the continent.

Learn more here. 

A group of nearly 30 environmental groups have written to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the U.S. Fish and wildlife Service, asking them to move forward with “the rapid development, emergency approval, and swift deployment of a vaccine again the current HPAI strain jeopardizing the existence of the endangered California condor.”

California condors (Gymnogyps californianus), which are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, are found in a handful of populations in the American southwest. The USFWS, APHIS, and other parties are currently responding to an outbreak of avian influenza among the condors along the Arizona/Utah border. According to a recent update from the USFWS, 21 of the flock’s 116 condors have died from avian influenza as of May 5.

The letter, drafted the Center for Biological Diversity and signed by the American Bird Conservancy and others, notes that, “While there are currently no approved vaccines against the current strain of HPAI, a vaccine has already been approved for use in wildlife in other parts of the world. Even though the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) is testing vaccines and expects to have results by June, every day of delay matters and leads to potentially more condor deaths.”

It continues, “There is a vital need to contain this outbreak and prevent further spread among condor populations as spring migration increases transmission. These circumstances necessitate expedited development and emergency approval of a vaccine regiment to protect the California condor.”

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one donating to the OC at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued an update regarding the status of the avian influenza out break among California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus).  As of May 5, 21 confirmed HPAI positive condors have been found in northern Arizona. Read more in the update from USFWS here. 

You can find previous updates from USFWS and addition background information here. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that it will reopen the comment period on its 2018 proposal to list the Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Citing “new information regarding planned offshore wind energy projects that fall within the black-capped petrel’s range,” the agency will accept comments for an additional 30 days, until 1 June.

According to the Federal Register notice, “an area currently proposed for development off the coast of North Carolina overlaps with the species’ core foraging area along the Gulf Stream and nutrient-rich waters.”

Learn more and comment here.

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one donating to the OC at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

The American Bird Conservancy, along with several partners, has sued the Federal Aviation Administration, challenging the agency’s decision to allow SpaceEx to launch 20 Starship/Super Heavy rockets each year for the next five years at Boca Chica, Texas.

Boca Chica is an ecologically important area, with nearby Federal and state public lands surrounding used by hundreds of thousands of individual birds of many different species throughout the year. Recently, the first rocket launched from the site exploded, showering the surrounding area with debris.

Learn more in the press release from ABC, below.

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PRESS RELEASE

Lawsuit Aims to Protect Texas Wildlife Habitat, Beach Access From More Exploding Rockets: Regulators Failed to Address Dangers of SpaceX Launches at Boca Chica

May 1, 2023

Following a massive rocket explosion in South Texas, national and local environmental groups and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc. sued the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today for failing to fully analyze and mitigate the environmental harms resulting from the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy launch program at Boca Chica.

The launch site sits next to prime habitat for protected species and migratory birds, like the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle and the Piping Plover. The first rocket to be launched from the site as part of the program exploded on April 20, showering the surrounding area with particulate matter.

The agency permitted SpaceX to launch 20 Starship/Super Heavy rockets each year for the next five years. They are the largest rockets ever made, and they are being launched right next to crucial habitat, putting imperiled wildlife at great risk and harming community interests. Despite acknowledging the harm from SpaceX construction and launch activities, the FAA decided to forego a full environmental review, claiming the damages would not be “significant” due to proposed mitigation measures.

Today's lawsuit argues that the proposed mitigation by the agency isn't enough to prevent the launch program from causing significant environmental harm. The agency hasn't explained how mitigation would address and prevent rocket explosions and fires that could wipe out neighboring habitat. The suit calls for a full environmental analysis to truly protect Threatened and Endangered species and ensure public beach access for all people.

“It's vital that we protect life on Earth even as we look to the stars in this modern era of spaceflight,” said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Federal officials should defend vulnerable wildlife and frontline communities, not give a pass to corporate interests that want to use treasured coastal landscapes as a dumping ground for space waste.” 

SpaceX's Boca Chica launch site is surrounded by state parks, National Wildlife Refuge lands, and important habitat for imperiled wildlife, including Piping Plovers, Northern Aplomado Falcons, Gulf Coast Jaguarundi, Ocelots and Critically Endangered sea turtles. Rocket launches and explosions cause significant harm through increased vehicle traffic and the intense heat, noise, and light pollution from construction and launch activities. Rocket explosions spread debris across surrounding habitat and have caused brush fires.

The Boca Chica area is one of the most biologically diverse regions in North America. Bird species from both the Central and Mississippi flyways converge there, making it an essential wintering and stopover habitat for migratory birds as they move north and south each year. Shorebirds are showing the most dramatic population declines out of any group of birds. It is also one of the few places where the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle — the most Critically Endangered sea turtle in the world — comes ashore to nest on refuge beaches in the spring and summer.

“By now, most people know that birds are in serious decline — and shorebirds like those that rely on Boca Chica are among the fastest-disappearing,” said Michael J. Parr, president of American Bird Conservancy. “Overall, we've lost nearly 3 billion birds from the United States and Canada since 1970. At what point do we say, ‘Space exploration is great, but we need to save habitats here on Earth as a top priority?' For the sake of future generations, let's protect the healthy habitats we have left instead of treating them as waste places for pollution and fuselages.”

“In December 2022, I personally counted nearly 160,000 shorebirds of more than 20 species within the Boca Chica mudflats in a single day during the local Christmas Bird Count. That's undoubtedly just a fraction of the number of birds that call Boca Chica home during the winter and migratory periods,” said Justin LeClaire, Avian Conservation Biologist with the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program. “Boca Chica is not a wasteland; it's a thriving ecosystem that provides some of the most rich foraging and nesting habitat in all of North America for shorebirds and countless other wildlife.”

The SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy project also greatly reduces the public's ability to access and enjoy the refuge and park lands adjacent to the project site. This includes Boca Chica State Park and Beach, a popular public beach on an 8-mile stretch of sand.

It is one of the few undeveloped, no-cost public beaches in the area, and the closest to the city of Brownsville. The project would close the only public roadway connecting surrounding communities to the Boca Chica area for up to 800 hours annually, severely hindering the public and local communities from accessing the beach and important public trust resources.

“Eight hundred hours of closure fly in the face of the Texas Open Beaches Act, the state constitution, and Texans' rights to free and unrestricted access to Texas beaches," said Sarah Damron, senior regional manager for the Surfrider Foundation. "That's the equivalent of 20, 40-hour work weeks every year that Texans and visitors will be deprived of access to Boca Chica Beach. What's worse is that these closures can happen at almost any time with little to no notice to the public, so the beach, park lands and refuge lands are ostensibly closed to anyone who needs to make plans. This is an unacceptable loss to area residents and to the people of Texas.”

These closures have a significant impact on the local community, including the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation's ability to hold traditional ceremonies and leave offerings for their ancestors.

“The Carrizo/Comecrudo people's sacred lands are once again being threatened by imperialist policies that treat our cultural heritage as less valuable than corporate interests,” said Juan Mancias, tribal chair of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc. “Boca Chica is central to our creation story. But we have been cut off from the land our ancestors lived on for thousands of years due to SpaceX, which is using our ancestral lands as a sacrifice zone for its rockets.”

Rockets explode frequently at the Boca Chica site, with at least eight exploding over the past five years. The agency expects that many more explosions will occur over the next five years. This puts people and wildlife at great risk, as shown by a recent fire caused by a Super Heavy rocket explosion that burned 68 acres of the adjacent national wildlife refuge, and another fire that burned 150 acres in July 2019.

“The administration's failure to fully analyze the dangers of a rocket test launch and manufacturing facility mere steps from the Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge and two state parks is an astonishingly bad decision,” Mary Angela Branch, board member at Save RGV. “So many Threatened and Endangered species are counting on the agency to get this right.”

The complaint also argues that the agency failed to fully consider the climate harms of fueling rockets with liquid methane — a potent greenhouse pollutant that may need to be vented into the atmosphere — and other community concerns.

Today's lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., by the Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation, Save RGV and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc. 

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About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one donating to the OC at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

The Ornithological Council’s website, www.birdnet.org, contains extensive information about the permits that are required for ornithological research. That information has recently been updated - including information and links to scientific collecting and banding permit applications for all 50 states in the US. There is also information about US federal permits, as well as the provincial and federal permits required in Canada.

Check out the updated permitting information here.

Some helpful hints for securing your permits -

1. Apply early! If you haven’t already applied for permit for this summer, do so now! Many regions in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are dealing with a permit backlog, so securing your permit or permit renewal may take longer than you think.

 2. Don't assume that you know if a species is protected. The MBTA list includes over 1,000 bird species, and dozens are listed as threatened or endangered. ALWAYS CHECK THE MBTA AND ESA LISTS.

3. You can collect blood and feather samples under a banding permit ONLY if the permit expressly authorizes this activity and ONLY if you are also marking the bird. If you are not marking the bird, you must have a scientific collecting permit. If you wish to collect blood and feather samples under your banding permit, you must request that authority when you file your application. It is not automatically allowed under a banding permit.

4. You need a federal scientific collecting permit for every activity that involves capture or handling of a bird protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act other than capture and marking with bands, radio-transmitters, geolocators, patagial tags, neck rings, or other auxiliary markers that are approved by the USGS Bird Banding Lab. If you intend to implant a transmitter (other than subcutaneously), you will need a scientific collecting permit.

5. Make your requests clear and simple. State exactly what you are seeking permission to do before you go into more detail about the project.

6. Remember that for MBTA permits, you are allowed by law to continue the permitted activities if you have applied for renewal at least 30 days prior to the expiration date (and your permit has not been revoked or suspended).

7. Do your best to ensure your permit covers all the activities that your research project will entail. Having to apply for amendments just increases the workload and your expenses – and slows things down for you and everyone else.

8. If you plan to work on federal land (such as National Wildlife Refuges, National Parks, Forest Service or BLM property), be sure to determine if you need a permit or other authorization. 

9. Under some circumstances, you may need to contact the USFWS to determine if you need an ESA permit, even if you are not studying an ESA species. If you will use non-selective capture techniques (such as mist nets or rocket nets, for instance) or using other techniques such as predator playback or nest searching in an area where a federally-listed species is known to occur and within the habitats where it occurs, then you should communicate with the Endangered Species office. They will determine if you will need an endangered species “Section 10” (incidental take) permit.

Finally - READ YOUR PERMITS WHEN YOU RECEIVE THEM! Make sure they allow you to do what you need to do. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions.

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one donating to the OC at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that it will accept additional comments on its 2013 proposed rule to list the bi-state distinct population segment of Greater Sage-Grouse as threatened with a critical habitat designation.

Bi-state Sage Grouse exist in six separate population segments spread over 4.5 million acres in Nevada and California, totaling about 3,300 individuals. Last year, a federal court reversed a 2020 decision by the USFWS, which found that the Bi-State population of Sage Grouse, found along the Nevada-California border, did not warrant federal protection.

Learn more in the announcement from USFWS, below.

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USFWS PRESS RELEASE: Service seeks public comment on 2013 bi-state sage-grouse proposed listing rule, initiates species assessment

Apr 26, 2023

Media Contacts: Robyn Gerstenslager

RENO, Nevada – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it is reopening a 60-day public comment period and seeks new and updated information on the bi-state distinct population segment of greater sage-grouse.   

The Service is reopening a 60-day public comment period on the 2013 proposed rule to list the bi-state distinct population segment of greater sage-grouse as threatened with a critical habitat designation. The Service is taking this action after the United States District Court of Northern California’s May 16, 2022, ruling reinstated the Service’s October 28, 2013, proposed rules to list the bi-state DPS of greater sage-grouse as threatened with a 4(d) rule, and designate critical habitat. The Service will use existing and new information to conduct a species assessment, which will inform a final listing determination for bi-state sage-grouse and anticipates making a final listing determination by May 2024.  

“Through the new evaluation process, we will review the current status of bi-state sage-grouse, the impacts caused by the threats it faces, and the potential benefits accrued by ongoing and planned conservation,” said species expert Steve Abele, a fish and wildlife biologist with the Service in Reno. “We encourage the public and interested parties to submit new, substantive information to help in our review. Information submitted during previous proposed rule public comment periods does not need to be resubmitted; it will be fully considered during this current review.” 

Six populations spread across 4.5 million acres of high desert sagebrush make up the bi-state distinct population segment. The species is found along the California-Nevada border near Mono Lake. Greater sage-grouse are known for the males elaborate springtime mating displays on traditional dancing grounds, known as leks. The birds use a variety of sagebrush habitats on private, state and federal lands. 

According to Abele, conservation and research for the species continues to expand, “For the last 20 years the local conservation community has worked hard and been very effective at getting conservation efforts on the ground for the benefit of bi-state sage-grouse. And it’s still got legs; people are still invested in conserving the bird and its habitat, and ongoing commitments have not slowed.” 

To date, federal, state, local and Tribal partners in the Bi-state Local Area Working Group have conserved, restored or enhanced more than 140,000 acres of sagebrush in the bi-state area since implementation of the Bi-state Sage-grouse Conservation Action Plan.  

In 2023 the Service’s Reno field office helped secure $482,000 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for collaborative projects to improve and restore sagebrush habitat in the bi-state area. This investment is part of the larger $3 million in funding made available by the Law for projects to restore and conserve the sagebrush ecosystem in Nevada and California in 2022 and 2023.  

“We will continue to work with our partners to leverage our combined resources to conserve and protect the sagebrush ecosystem,” said Justin Barrett, deputy field supervisor for the Service in Reno. “This uniquely beautiful landscape supports our rural communities, recreation opportunities and a diversity of wildlife.” 

A 60-day comment period opens April 27, 2023, and closes June 26, 2023. Information on how to submit comments can be found at www.federalregister.gov by searching under docket number FWS-R8-ES-2023-0052.

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About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one donating to the OC at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

Following up on the recent release of their new guidance on import permits, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Import Permit Program has released a new e-tool, which helps potential applicants determine if an import permit for infectious biological materials is needed.

The IPP e-tool will lead prospective importers through a structured series of questions and answers to assist them in determining whether an import permit in needed.

The CDC Import Permit Program regulates the importation of infectious biological materials that could cause disease in humans in order to prevent their introduction and spread into the United States.

Permits are required for the import infectious biological agents, infectious substances, or vectors, and can be obtained electronically. Permits are valid for one year and can include multiple shipments.

You can read the recent CDC guidance here. For more information about the various policies and procedures that govern importing specimens and samples into the U.S., check out the OC’s Import Guide. Still have questions? Contact the OC!

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one donating to the OC at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

Over 100 scientists signed a letter (attached below) to the President and the Secretary of the Interior, indicating that they are “gravely concerned that the current Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is not a ‘scientist’ in direct violation of federal law.”

According to the letter, in 1974 Congress established scientific qualifications for the Director of the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, with statutory language requiring that, “[n]o individual may be appointed as the Director unless he is, by reason of scientific education and experience, knowledgeable in the principles of fisheries and wildlife management.”

The current USFWS Director, Martha Williams, was nominated as Director in October 2021. She had been serving as Principal Deputy Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service since January 20, 2021. The nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February 2022.

Prior to her appointment, Williams served as the Director of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks from 2017 to 2020. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor of Law at the Blewett School of Law at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana where she co-directed the university’s Land Use and Natural Resources Clinic. Williams has a BA in philosophy from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the University of Montana.

“Without specific academic training in the natural sciences, the Service Director lacks a sufficient scientific understanding of the natural world and its fundamental principles to consider all the biological and ecological factors that are important to ensure the scientific integrity of critical decisions affecting the fate of imperiled species and ecosystems,” say the letter.

The previous director, Aurelia Skipwith, who was confirmed for the post in 2019, also met with some resistance from some environmental groups, because her degree with in molecular biology and not a field more directly related to wildlife.

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists; these societies span the Western Hemisphere and the research conducted by their members spans the globe. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

call-for-resignation.pdf

From Audubon and TNC - 

New Research Reveals Scale and Success of Seabird Recovery Efforts Worldwide 

Study provides a tool to restore and build climate resilience for seabirds by relocating or restoring them to places where they can survive.

Media contacts:
Rachel Guillory, National Audubon Society, rachel.guillory@audubon.org
Armin Mahramzadeh, The Nature Conservancy, a.mahramzadeh@tnc.org

(April 10, 2023) - New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences demonstrates the effectiveness of restoring seabird populations around the world for the first time. The study is a global synthesis of all reported seabird translocation and social attraction restoration efforts, which spans nearly 70 years and over 850 efforts across 36 countries, targeting 138 seabird species–roughly one-third of all seabirds worldwide.

“Seabirds play key roles in coastal and island ecosystems, yet they are suffering massive declines across the planet,” said Dena Spatz, Ph.D., Senior Conservation Scientist at Pacific Rim Conservation and lead author of the paper. "That's why it's crucial that conservationists world-wide have shared knowledge on their restoration experiences, which can now help to restore seabirds in the most efficient way possible." Seabirds are one of the most threatened bird groups on the planet with approximately 30 percent of species at enhanced risk of extinction, primarily due to threats from invasive predators at breeding sites, habitat loss, and harmful fishing practices. Climate change poses yet another challenge, as sea-level rise and increasing storms can flood low-lying seabird breeding habitat. These threats have prompted conservationists to relocate or restore nesting
seabirds by physically translocating birds from one nesting site to another, or attracting them using seabird social cues to more secure breeding sites. Using social attraction methods like decoys and broadcasted bird sounds, conservationists can create the appearance of a thriving seabird colony at key locations, attracting new pairs of birds to safely nest together in large
numbers.

“Fifty years ago Audubon first combined translocation and social attraction to successfully bring a healthy population of Atlantic Puffins back to Maine’s coast, so it was amazing to learn of more than 800 projects undertaken since then,” said coauthor Donald Lyons, Ph.D., Director of Conservation Science for Audubon’s Seabird Institute. “These projects are a powerful
testament to the dedication of seabird practitioners around the globe, and Audubon is proud to have supported restoration training for many of these devoted conservationists.” 

To understand which restoration methods have been most successful and guide future
best-practices, Spatz and co-authors created the Seabird Restoration Database, an interactive catalog of efforts to help seabirds recover based on a review of over 1,400 resources and communications with over 300 experts. The authors analyzed the success of these seabird projects, finding the outcomes largely positive–within an average of 2 years from the project’s start, 80 percent of seabird projects resulted in birds visiting the site, and 76 percent achieved breeding.

The authors found that terns, gulls, and auks are among the seabird groups seeing the most success, as these groups are among the most commonly restored. The most highly threatened seabird group - petrels, shearwaters, and albatrosses - have also been common targets for active restoration, typically using social attraction or a combination of social attraction and
translocation, both of which have also had high success rates.

“It’s a fantastic outcome for the conservation community to learn that seabird restoration techniques are becoming established and have high likelihoods of success,” said coauthor Nick Holmes, Ph.D., Associate Director for Oceans at The Nature Conservancy. “This is a call to action for more of these valuable restoration projects to be evaluated and implemented,
especially where they can aid imperiled species at risk of extinction, and where the restored ecological role of seabirds can strengthen coastal and island resilience to climate change impacts.”

The Seabird Restoration Database partners include Pacific Rim Conservation, the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Northern Illinois University, New Zealand Department of Conservation, and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
 

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Pacific Rim Conservation is a Hawaii-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We are a conservation organization whose primary focus is wildlife research and management, with a specialty in native birds. Our mission is to maintain and restore native bird diversity, populations, and ecosystems in Hawaii and the Pacific Region.

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 79 countries and territories, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more,
visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed a critical habitat designation for the Rufa Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) which would include 683,405 acres (276,564 hectares) of habitat spread over 13 states. USFWS first listed the Red Knot as threatened in 2015, citing a population that had fallen by about 75 percent since the 1980s. A draft recovery plan was released in May 2021. 

In July 2021, the agency first proposed critical habitat. This week’s announcement would add an additional 32,615 acres to what was proposed in 2021.

The newly proposed critical habitat would be made up of 127 units in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The revised proposal includes seven new units in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, as well as revised units in Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas.

Comments on the proposal will be accepted through 30 May.

Read the Federal Register notice to learn more, and to see maps of the proposed areas of critical habitat. The USFWS has also prepared an FAQ regarding the proposal. 

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists; these societies span the Western Hemisphere and the research conducted by their members spans the globe. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

A recent USGS report indicates that sea level rise along southern Florida’s coast could contribute to a significant decrease in the endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow population (Ammospiza maritima mirabilis) in the next 50 years. 

Read more from USGS here. 

Read the underlying paper here. 

Read a species profile from the National Park Service here. 

From the Institute for Bird Populations:

IBP is excited to announce the release of the MAPS Data Exploration Tool, a new web application created to make the MAPS database more accessible and the MAPS program more impactful. The MAPS database is a unique and valuable scientific resource consisting of over 2.5 million bird capture records spanning 33 years and counting. We wanted to make it easier for researchers to use the data and for everyone to understand how bird populations are faring. The web app houses two tools developed by IBP: a data download tool and a results exploration tool.

The MAPS Data Download tool gives researchers access to over 1,850,000 capture records for the years 1992-2018 (additional years will be added as the data is proofed.) The app interface allows users to select the timespan and type of data they are interested in. Data available includes capture records (band numbers, age estimates, mass, wing length, etc. for individual birds), banding station locations, effort and net-hours information, and local breeding status classifications. To date over 280 peer-reviewed research papers and reports using MAPS data have been published by IBP scientists and outside researchers. We hope that this data download toll will encourage even more researchers to investigate bird conservation and other ecology questions using MAPS data.

The Explore MAPS Results app serves as an update to the Vital Rates of North American Landbirds published in 2015. Thirteen additional years of data and newer, improved statistical modeling techniques have been used to create region- and year-specific estimates of demographic parameters. The tool includes estimates or indices for 5 demographic parameters: 1) adult abundance, 2) juvenile abundance, 3) productivity, 4) adult apparent survival, and 5) residency probability for dozens of the more commonly captured bird species. Results for more species, regions, and parameters may be added over time. Users can visualize the results on an interactive map, with pop-up graphs for some parameters, or if they prefer to create their own graphs, they can download the results to visualize as they choose.

Work on the new web application began in 2020 during the pandemic after IBP received generous grants from the Knobloch Family Foundation and Tracy Aviary. MAPS program coordinator and bird banding guru Dani Kaschube and IBP biologist and man-of-many-talents Bob Wilkerson have spent endless hours developing and coding the website, and IBP Research Ecologist Jim Saracco applied his considerable experience with modeling MAPS data to create estimates and indices of demographic parameters.

This amazing team has yet another trick up their sleeves! Another application, just forMAPS station operators, is coming soon. This app will allow operators to use their own capture records to calculate summary statistics (with lovely graphs!) for their stations with just a few clicks. Statistics include standardized captures per year and population and productivity trends, with survival and recapture probabilities to come in future versions. This tool will help operators share professionally analyzed results with stakeholders, land managers and funders. We expect this new app to go online by early summer.

We are so excited for you to dive in and explore the MAPS database with these new tools. The database is an amazing resource for bird conservation and it would not be possible without the hard work and sacrificed sleep of thousands of MAPS banders over 33 years and counting. These banders didn’t wake up at zero-dark-thirty just to fill in numbers on a spreadsheet! Dig in and put the data to good use!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a proposal to introduce a nonessential experimental population of Guam Kingfisher (Todiramphus cinnamominus), also known as Sihek, on Palmyra Atoll to promote the conservation and recovery of the species. Sihek are currently extinct in the wild and the captive population is at high risk of extinction, partly due to a recent moderate decline in reproductive output that is likely to have long-term negative consequences on the survival probability for this species.

Endemic to Guam, Sihek were common in the early 1900s but declined between 1950 and 2000, mostly due to predation by the brown treesnake. It was listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act in 1984. The last remaining wild Sihek were taken into captivity between 1984 and 1986. Sihek were considered extinct in the wild by 1988.

The primary cause of the Sihek’s extinction in the wild was predation by the introduced brown treesnake, which likely arrived on Guam prior to 1950 as stowaways on shipping materials. Brown treesnakes are still present on Guam; that presence precludes consideration of Guam as a viable reintroduction site for Sihek for the foreseeable future.

The reintroduction will occur on Palmyra Atoll. The majority of the islands, waters, and the coral reefs surrounding Palmyra Atoll are owned by the United States and managed by the USFWS as Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. 

Section 10(j) of the ESA allows for the designation of reintroduced populations of listed species as experimental populations, giving the USFWS greater regulatory flexibility and discretion in managing the reintroduced species to encourage recovery in collaboration with partners, especially private landowners. The agency plans to introduce up to nine hatch-year Siheks in the first year, and fewer in subsequent years, to ultimately achieve a target of 10 breeding pairs.

Read the Federal Register notice to learn more about the reintroduction plan. 

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists; these societies span the Western Hemisphere and the research conducted by their members spans the globe. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, a landmark piece of legislation that would provide permanent, reliable funding to states and tribes to assist in their efforts to conserve, restore, and protect wildlife and habitat, has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate. If passed into law, the Recovering America's Wildlife Act would provide permanent, dedicated funding to state and tribal agencies to proactively conserve at-risk species for the first time in U.S. history.

RAWA would amend the Pittman-Robertson Act and provide an additional $1.3 billion per year for states and territories and $97.5 million per year for tribes, allowing them to implement state and tribal wildlife action plans which designed to conserve over 12,000 species of the greatest conservation need.  Currently, Pittman-Robertson program collects about $1 billion a year from excise taxes on sporting goods and related products and distributes it to states. That funding mechanism would remain unchanged by RAWA.

RAWA, first introduced in 2016, was passed by the House of Representatives last year and has bipartisan support in the Senate as well, but lawmakers could not decide how to pay for the bill, preventing its passage.

Learn more about RAWA from The Wildlife Society or the National Wildlife Federation. 

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists; these societies span the Western Hemisphere and the research conducted by their members spans the globe. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

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

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance for those acquiring import permits. The CDC Import Permit Program regulates the importation of infectious biological materials that could cause disease in humans in order to prevent their introduction and spread into the United States.

Permits are required for the import infectious biological agents, infectious substances, or vectors, and can be obtained electronically. Permits are valid for one year and can include multiple shipments.

You can read the CDC guidance here. For more information about the various policies and procedures that govern importing specimens and samples into the U.S., check out the OC’s Import Guide. Still have questions? Contact the OC!

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists; these societies span the Western Hemisphere and the research conducted by their members spans the globe. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

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

The Canadian Council on Animal Care has released new peer-reviewed guidelines for wildlife, which provide information for protocol authors, animal care committees, animal care staff, and veterinarians to help facilitate improvements in both the care given to wildlife, and the manner in which scientific procedures are performed.

The guidelines cover scientific activities involving wildlife that require animal care committee approval under Canadian policy and law. It applies to free-ranging and wild-caught cephalopods and vertebrates except fish, including wild amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals that are native, introduced, or have become feral.

Specific to birds, the new guidelines note that cardiac puncture must be performed under general anesthesia and is only appropriate for birds in terminal procedures. For euthanasia of birds, manual cervical dislocation can be used on small birds (<200 g), but a mechanical cervical dislocation device is required for larger birds. Decapitation is conditionally acceptable for birds that are already anesthetized or unconscious. Thoracic Compression, or Rapid Cardiac Compression, is also conditionally acceptable for birds that are already anesthetized or unconscious.

The Canadian Council on Animal Care provides the only national oversight of animal-based scientific activities in Canada through a rigorous process of assessment and certification, and standards development and ensures that animals in science are used only when necessary, and that when they are, they receive optimal care according to high-quality, evidence-informed standards. The CCAC relies on more than 190 local animal care committees and other subcommittees and task forces, as well as a volunteer governing Board of Directors, nominated and elected by member organizations reflecting a wide range of interests, concerns, and objectives surrounding animal-based science in Canada.

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists; these societies span the Western Hemisphere and the research conducted by their members spans the globe. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

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

USDA APHIS recently passed long-awaited regulations that cover birds not bred for use in research under the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act. What does this mean for ornithologists?

You can learn more about the rule and the background behind its promulgation here. To learn more about how it might effect you and your institution, read on.

First, remember, if your birds are bred for use in research, they are not covered under the AWA. Bred for use in research means “an animal that is bred in captivity and used for research, teaching, testing, or experimentation purposes.” Birds captured in the wild and use for research are covered under the AWA.

What institutions are covered?

Exhibitors: Individuals or businesses with warm-blooded animals or birds (domestic or exotic) that are on display, perform for the public, or are used in educational presentations must be licensed as exhibitors with APHIS. Licensed exhibitors include circuses, zoos, educational displays, petting farms/zoos, animal acts, wildlife parks, marine mammal parks, and some sanctuaries.

Captive birds in a wildlife sanctuary that are exhibited for public education would be regulated. Birds undergoing rehabilitation would be exempt from AWA regulation if they are not exhibited and physically separated at the facility from exhibited birds.

Conservation and restoration entities that release birds into the wild or maintain bird restoration programs will not be required to be licensed, provided that they do not act as dealers or exhibitors.Rescues and shelters that do not exhibit or engage in any other covered activity are also exempt from licensing.

Educational exhibits will likely need a Class C license.

Research Facilities: Research facilities, which are defined under that law as “any school (except an elementary or secondary school), institution, organization, or person that uses or intends to use live animals in research, tests, or experiments, and that (1) purchases or transports live animals in commerce, or (2) receives funds under a grant, award, loan, or contract from a department, agency, or instrumentality of the US for the purpose of carrying out research, tests, or experiments.” If your research institution receives federal grants or transports birds across state lines, then it is a facility for purposes of the AWA and must comply with the law. Examples of research facilities include hospitals, colleges and universities, and pharmaceutical firms.

Researchers will not need a license, but will likely need to register for research involving birds. Keep in mind that field studies are not covered by the AWA. A field study is a study conducted on free-living wild animals in their natural habitat.The IACUC is responsible for evaluating whether an activity with wild animals is regulated under the AWA. Learn more about field studies and read recent guidance from USDA here. 

Commercial Animal Dealers: Individuals or businesses who sell or offer to sell or transport or offer for transportation, in commerce, warm-blooded animals or birds for use in research, exhibition, or as pets must be licensed as a dealer. In addition, individuals or businesses who buy, sell, offer to buy or sell, or transport or offer to transport, in commerce, warm-blooded animals or birds to or from another dealer or exhibitor must be licensed as a dealer.

Transporters: A person with a commercial business that moves animals from one location to another is considered a transporter under the Animal Welfare Act and must be registered with the USDA.

What do covered institutions have to do?

Under the AWA, research facilities must:

1. Register with APHIS (Not required for federal facilities. Also, per USDA, research facilities that conduct only field studies do not need to register.)

2. Establish and follow an IACUC process and appropriate review protocols.

3. Follow housing and husbandry requirements set forth by the USDA.

4. Report annually to the USDA (Animals used only in field studies should not be included in the annual report.)

5. Undergo annual inspection.

In practice, many research facilities working with birds are already meeting many, if not all, of these requirements, as a condition of funding that they already receive or because other research done by that facilities falls under the AWA. However, smaller institutions, especially those that work only with birds, should be aware of these new requirements.

Under the AWA, exhibitors must:

1. Secure a license from USDA.

2. Complete a pre-licensing inspection.

3. Follow housing and husbandry requirements set forth by the USDA.

4. Undergo annual inspection by the USDA.

What is the timeline?

If you currently maintain a USDA license or registration, you have until August 21, 2023, to become compliant with the new avian welfare regulations. If you are not currently USDA licensed or registered, you have until February 21, 2024, to become compliant with the new avian welfare regulations.

Additional Resources

Read the OC’s Fact Sheet on the AWA.

Use the Licensing and Registration Assistant tool on Animal Care website to see if you need a license or to register: 

USDA Animal Care has prepared a series of videos to help the regulated community understand the new requirements.

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists; these societies span the Western Hemisphere and the research conducted by their members spans the globe. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

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

The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon mobile drilling unit in April 20, 2010, resulted in a massive discharge of oil into the ocean. A 2016 settlement directed the well’s owner, BP Exploration and Production, Inc., to pay $8.1 billion in natural resource damages over a 15-year period, as well as an additional amount, up to $700 million, for adaptive management or to address effects on natural resources that were unknown at the time of the settlement.

Restoration is being overseen by Trustee Implementation Groups for each of the eight designated Restoration Areas. The Open Ocean Restoration Area has prepared a draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment regarding birds.

Comments are due April 28. The Trustee Implementation Group will help public webinar on the draft plan on March 28 and April 4. You can read the draft plan, fact sheets about the proposed projects, and additional background information here.

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists; these societies span the Western Hemisphere and the research conducted by their members spans the globe. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!

Charlie F. Leck, 78, died Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at Parker at Monroe of Monroe Township, NJ. Born and raised in Princeton, he resided in Kendall Park before moving to Monroe Township. Charles received his undergraduate degree from Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA and his PhD in Animal Behavior from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 

Charlie taught undergraduate courses in ornithology and ecology and graduate courses in natural history and animal behavior at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ for 30 years, before retiring in 2000. At Rutgers, he served as Director of the Graduate Ecology Program, for more than ten years.  He authored two books, The Birds of New Jersey: Their Habits and Habitat and The Status and Distribution of New Jersey’s Birds(Rutgers University Press) 

Son of the late George and Carrie (Schaal) Leck, Charlie is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary (Allessio) Leck, a brother George Leck (Barbara) of Tucker, Georgia, sister-in-law Rosemary Morton of Hinsdale, MA, brother-in-law, Michael Allessio, of Pittsfield, MA, and seven nieces and nephews.

Charlie will be remembered for his sense of humor and wit, his knowledge and love of birds, and his contagious enthusiasm and avid support of the natural world, all of which he shared generously.

He, with his wife, was a recipient of a Governors Environmental Excellence Award for Stewardship, acknowledging a long-termcommitment to preserving and protecting the Abbott Marshlands, an urban wetland near Trenton, NJ.  He was a frequent leader of field trips and provided inventories of Abbott Marsh animals, including birds, reptiles and amphibians, and mammals.  He was featured in the award winning NJN documentary 'Turning the Tide' about NJ wetlands.