Facilitating partnerships in keeping common birds common and reversing species decline

Bird Conservation Minnesota Annual Report

Ron Windingstad, Partnership Coordinator Minnesota

BCM is a cooperative conservation initiative made up of partners from federal, state, and local government agencies, conservation groups, academic communities, industry, and private individuals committed to conservation of birds in Minnesota. It is the goal of BCM to direct resources to the conservation of all birds and their habitats through cooperative efforts in the areas of research, monitoring, management, and education. Outcomes will be achieved by supporting and enhancing the mutual goals of the participating organizations through collaborative efforts.

Organization

A nine-member, multi-agency BCM design team was organized by the Minnesota DNR in January, 2003. The team received an $8,000 grant from the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA) to hold a two-part workshop to promote discussion and action in Minnesota on all-bird conservation. There was agreement among those who attended that the task of all-bird conservation is too complex for any single organization to accomplish alone. All agreed that a coalition with a committee structure was needed in Minnesota to accomplish bird conservation. This program grew from those workshops, attended by 80 government agency and NGO representatives who offered input and support.

The funding agencies for the 2006 BCM activities included Minnesota Ornithologist’s Union, US Fish & Wildlife Service (Migratory Bird Conservation Program and Joint Ventures), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) Ecological Services, Audubon Minnesota, and The Bell Museum. Later in the year MDNR Nongame Program and Prairie Restorations, Inc both made contributions to the success of this initiative.

The nine-member Coordinating Council, made up of representatives of funding agencies, was in place by 1 January 2006. This council is made up of Scott Lanyon (the Bell Museum), Lee Pfannmuller MNDNR), Mark Martell (Audubon Minnesota), Barb Pardo USFWS), Tom Will (USFWS), Ray Norrgard (MNDNR), Bob Holtz (MOU), Jan Green (Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory), and Jim Williams (Private Citizen). Peter Harris (Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center) was added to the Coordinating Council later in the year. Terms are for two years with alternating start dates so half of the Council is up for renewal in 2007. The Coordinating Council is responsible for overall policy and direction of BCM.

One of the first responsibilities of the Council was to hire a Partnership Coordinator. The Coordinator is responsible for statewide partner coordination and organization and network building and to help BCM effectively support its members in bird conservation actions and draw public attention to bird conservation opportunities in Minnesota. Ron Windingstad was hired as the Coordinator and began work in early March of 2006 on a part-time one year contract

Partnership Building

By the end of 2006 BCM had 143 partners. These partners endorse the efforts of Bird Conservation Minnesota to protect, restore, and enhance the populations and habitats of Minnesota's wild birds. The list of the partners can be found on the BCM website www.birdconservationminnesota.org. There are currently 39 governmental agencies, 50 non-profit groups, 20 nature/environmental centers, 11 from the academic community, 17 from business/industry, and 6 private citizens signed on as partners. This partnership base is growing and will continue to have a diversity of groups involved with the conservation of birds and their habitats. BCM E Updates are sent to partner contacts who are encouraged to share with others in their agencies/groups.

Communication

A website, www.birdconservationminnesota.org was developed in collaboration with The Bell museum of Natural History. The site includes:

• The BCM Mission Statement and Upcoming Events on the home page
• A page about BCM – Who we are, Background, What BCM will do, and information about Coordinating Council
• A list of our partners with links to their web sites
• Information about the Bird Conservation Regions in Minnesota
• A page listing the Species in Greatest Conservation Need in Minnesota
• Information about the four major, national/international, bird conservation plans
• Ways you can contribute to the conservation of wild birds and their habitats in Minnesota, and
• How to Partner with Bird Conservation Minnesota

Two additional pages on Member Projects and Resource Links are in the process of being developed.

A full color, six-page, informative BCM brochure was prepared with the help of the DNR Nongame Wildlife Program. The BCM Education Committee provided invaluable input to the brochure. The brochure contains brief information on:

• What is BCM?
• Goal of BCM
• Need for BCM
• Bird Conservation Regions map
• Threats to birds
• What will BCM do? and
• How you can contribute to the conservation of wild birds and their habitats

The multi-panel BCM table top display was just recently completed. Two of the panels highlight BCM and the third panel will be rotated depending on the venue. Again, the DNR Nongame program and the DNR Graphics Department were instrumental in the production of this traveling multi-purpose display.

Funds provided from the Minnesota Ornithologist’s Union and the others have allowed BCM representation at a variety of conferences and symposia during the year. BCM was involved in the:

• Natural Resources Conference in Brainerd (March)
• Owl Symposium in Duluth (March)
• Cooperative Bird Monitoring Workshop (March) in Wausau, WI
• USFWS/MN DNR Private Lands Meeting in Palisade (June)
• Boreal Hardwood Forest Bird Diversity Workshop at Cass Lake (July)
• Midwest Audubon Conference held in Wisconsin Rapids (October)

Future Initiatives

One of the biggest needs Bird Conservation Minnesota partners identified was to produce a scoping document or blueprint in 2007 that outlines resource needs, budget methodologies, potential partners, and timeline required to produce a Breeding Bird Atlas for Minnesota. As a result BCM submitted a proposal through Audubon Minnesota entitled: Producing a plan to conduct a Breeding Bird Atlas in Minnesota. The proposal was ranked as a high priority for funding from the USFWS Nongame Bird Program and Joint Venture Office for 2007! Monies for producing this plan were also committed by the MOU, MN DNR Ecological Services, Audubon Minnesota, and The Bell Museum. MOU leaders and other BCM partners having a vested interest in a BBA project will work together in the drafting of such a blueprint. The Plan for a Breeding Bird Atlas in Minnesota is to be completed by 30 September 2007.

Another BCM initiative for 2006 was that the Coordinating Council decided that we should sponsor a workshop entitled "Inventory and Monitoring Programs for Breeding Birds in Minnesota”. The workshop is slated to be held in Duluth in February 2007. It is be hosted by UMD Natural Resources Research Institute and Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. Program managers, including MOU President, are being invited to present information about the purpose, methods and accessibility of data that is collected. The workshop objectives are to compile a catalogue of programs that inventory and/or survey breeding bird species, to share information for synergism of ideas, and to plan for increased coordination and data management.

Still in progress are the discussions about another workshop that would focus on prairie grassland birds and land use in Bird Conservation Region 11 (Prairie Potholes). Such a workshop(s) would center on how to best work together with local landowners to help preserve/restore native grasslands of benefit to all grassland birds.

Sign On

BCM welcomes all partners and encourage bird conservationists to complete the Endorsement Form. The form can be returned to the BCM Partnership Coordinator: Ron Windingstad at Audubon Minnesota, 2357 Ventura Drive, Suite 106, St. Paul, MN 55125. Tel: 651-739-9332; Fax: 651-731-1330. rwindingstad@audubon.org

Bird Conservation Minnesota requires no formal commitment to any specific actions by any of its partners. It does imply that partners have a desire to build strong connections among bird conservation organizations and individuals in keeping common birds common and reversing species declines in Minnesota.

Photo by Carrol Henderson, MN DNR