Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

WHSRNews Update

05 February 2009

Congratulations to Xicotencátl Vega Picos, Ph. D!

It is our great joy to congratulate our colleague and dear friend, Xicotencátl “Xico” Vega, WHSRN Deputy Director, on receiving his Doctorate—cum laude—from Universidad de Extremadura in Spain. Xico successfully defended his thesis, “Analysis of the Waterbird Conservation Problems in Coastal Ecosystems of Sinaloa, Mexico,” at the University in November 2008. !Felicitaciones y abrazos, Dr. Vega!

The Red Knot rufa Subspecies Receives Higher Consideration for Protection by U.S. Government

In December 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its annual Candidate Notice of Review, the re-evaluation of the plants and animals that are candidates for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). This re-evaluation is based on new information received or petitions filed for an existing or new candidate species during the previous year.

In the 2008 Review, the priority level for the rapidly declining rufa subspecies of Red Knot was elevated from a 6 to a 3 (on a scale of 1-12), thereby increasing the potential for this subspecies to be listed under the ESA. The main threat to the rufa subspecies is considered to be the insufficient amount of Horseshoe Crab eggs available as a food resource due to over-harvesting of adult crabs in the Delaware Bay area. The magnitude and timeframe of this threat are now categorized as “High” and “Imminent,” respectively, increasing the rufa’s priority level. Our gratitude goes to all those whose scientific dedication and diligent advocacy for this species have brought these troubling facts to light!

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Continues to Invest in Shorebird Conservation

In November 2008, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) awarded five grants totaling $1.25 million to help increase the U.S.’s Atlantic and Gulf Coast population of the American Oystercatcher by 30 percent over the next 10 years. This endeavor is the first initiative under NFWF’s new Bird Keystone Program, which uses a focused, results-oriented, business plan approach to conservation. It also advocates decision-making that is informed by quantitative metrics, such as population-level benefits, monetary costs, and risk assessment. The grants will enable partners to carry out various actions identified by the American Oystercatcher Working Group as being key to increasing this shorebird species’s declining population.

Congratulations to Rutgers University Foundation, Audubon North Carolina, The Nature Conservancy (Virginia), and our Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences colleagues on being awarded these grants. Manomet and the College of William and Mary also received funding under another pilot initiative focused on the rapidly declining rufa subspecies of Red Knot. Our sincerest thanks goes to NFWF and its corporate partners, ConocoPhillips and Southern Company, for their consistent and generous support for shorebird conservation. In addition to these initiatives, together they have contributed more than $2.5 million since 2000.

Upcoming Events:

WHSRN Hemispheric Council Annual Meeting: 23-27 February in Santa Marta, Colombia

This year’s WHSRN Hemispheric Council meeting will be held in Santa Marta, Colombia, from 23–27 February. Among other business, the Council will be considering the nominations of up to eight new WHSRN sites, including two from countries not yet in the Network. The Council also will be reviewing its 5-year Strategic Action Plan (2003-2008) and taking steps towards developing the next. The meeting site was chosen, in part, in celebration of our Colombian partner, Asocación Calidris, for its 20th anniversary this year and for being the winner of the 2008 Pablo Canevari Memorial Award from Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Dr. John Hagan, Manomet’s President and WHSRN Council member, will present the Award.

3rd Annual Meeting of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group: 9–13 March in Sinaloa, Mexico

The 3rd annual meeting of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group will be held 9–13 March, 2009, in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. This meeting offers four days filled with plenary speakers, symposia, presentations of scientific papers, poster sessions on graduate students’ research, and a silent auction, as well as one day for a choice of optional field trips. Deadlines for abstracts, symposium ideas, and travel award requests have all past, and coordinators urge everyone planning to attend to send in their registration and make their hotel reservations as soon as possible, if they have not yet done so!

 
  
 
Copyright 2009