WHSRNews: 17 December 2009 (in full)

American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) Working Group Update

American Oystercatchers/Courtesy of Shiloh Schulte

There are fewer than 12,000 American Oystercatchers in the United States, and remaining populations face year-round threats from disturbance, development, and predators. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) recently designated the American Oystercatcher as a keystone species, thereby committing significant funds over the next 10 years to projects that will advance the goals of the conservation “business plan” written for this species.

This November, Alexandra Wilke and Barry Truitt of The Nature Conservancy-Virginia Coast Reserve hosted the 9^th annual meeting of the American Oystercatcher Working Group in Oyster, Virginia (USA). Interest in oystercatcher conservation and research has never been higher, as evidenced by record meeting attendance and lively discussion sessions. The 42 participants came from nearly every state along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, plus Texas, to present research results and discuss the direction of future work. Recent studies and work carried out on the Pacific coast of Mexico were also included in the discussions. The working group’s goals for the meeting included making a candid assessment of the current status of oystercatcher conservation, finding better ways to coordinate research and monitoring, and integrating coastwide results into a framework to provide rapid feedback for conservation actions. Discussions focused on habitat enhancement practices, coordinated field protocols, and the best way to leverage the position of Manomet’s American Oystercatcher Recovery Campaign Coordinator to synthesize the efforts of the working group and make the best use of NFWF's funds.

American Oystercatcher Working Group (in part)/Courtesy of Shiloh Schulte

The working group agreed to adopt standard protocols and reporting metrics so that results will be comparable from year to year across the range of the species. The field trip through the beautiful waterways and bays of The Nature Conservancy’s Virginia Coast Reserve was a highlight for the group, with calm winds and cooperative oystercatcher flocks. Participants left the meeting with a renewed commitment to develop management and conservation practices that will meet their overall goal – to increase the American Oystercatcher population of North America by 30% over the next 10 years.

For more information, contact Shiloh Schulte (sschulte@manomet.org [1]), American Oystercatcher Recovery Campaign Coordinator, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.

1st Meeting of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus) Working Group

Red Knot (Calidris canutus)/© Art Morris, birdsasart.com

The rufa subspecies of Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) is perhaps the most threatened shorebird in the Western Hemisphere. The population which numbered 100,000 just 15 years ago has fallen to fewer than 30,000 today. Other Red Knot subspecies in the New World are also threatened. A remarkable international coalition of academic, government, and non-governmental scientists and conservationists is working with the philanthropic community to halt the decline and recover these populations.

Convened by Drs. Lawrence Niles (Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey [USA], “CWF”) and Charles Duncan (Shorebird Recovery Project of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, “Manomet”), the first-ever meeting of the Red Knot Working Group was held on St. Catherines Island, Georgia (USA) from 17-20 November 2009. The specific goal of the meeting was to develop the basis of a “business plan” to recover rufa knots. Such a business plan is requisite for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF [2]), co-sponsor of the meeting, to advance Red Knots as a “keystone species.”

A reflection of the breadth—and challenges—of the meeting is the fact that the 30 participants came from seven nations and speak four native languages. Led by NFWF’s Daniel Petit and Matthew Birnbaum, the group used the Miradi methodology (miradi.org) to build a conceptual model of conservation targets for knots, and identify the threats these targets face as well as the factors contributing to the threats. Strategies to abate the threats and “results chains” (“If we do X, then Y will result”) for each strategy were developed for stopover sites and wintering grounds across the enormous range of the subspecies. A small group comprising Annette Scherer (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Larry Niles (CWF), Charles Duncan (Manomet), and Humphrey Sitter (International Wader Study Group), as well as Petit and Birnbaum, agreed to compile and polish the group’s work into a draft business plan to be reviewed and revised by the larger group.

Red Knot Working Group/Courtesy of Diego Luna Quevedo.

It is expected that the Red Knot Working Group will meet annually to focus on conservation and research needs and cooperation among various entities. Inclusion of the roselaari subspecies of the Pacific coast of the Americas is anticipated for the future.

The organizers thank all participants for their collaborative spirit; NFWF for financial support and meeting facilitation; Brad Winn and Gale Kennedy of the State of Georgia, [USA] Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for invaluable organizational and logistical support; Jen Hilburn and the St. Catherines Island Foundation for unsurpassed hospitality; and colleagues from other countries for the great effort made and distances traveled in order to attend.

For more information, contact Charles Duncan (cduncan@manomet.org [3]), Director of the Shorebird Recovery Project, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, or Larry Niles, (larry.niles@gmail.com [4]), Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

Red Knot Superstar “B-95” Seen Again in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina!

We are thrilled to share the good news we received recently from our colleague Patricia González that the shorebird superstar “B-95,” now at least 17 years old, survived another long migration from Canada to Argentina! She and her team saw him last weekend (13 December) while they were monitoring flocks of Red Knots (Calidris canutus rufa) “wintering” in Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina – where B-95 was first banded in February 1995. To learn more about this amazing shorebird and “his” international team of researchers, just visit our October 2008 [5]and July 2009 [6]editions of WHSRNews!

Call for Nominations: Pablo Canevari Memorial Award

Pablo Canevari (1951-2000)

Every two years, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences presents an award of US$2,000 to an individual or organization from Latin America that demonstrates an outstanding commitment to shorebird conservation – much the way Pablo Canevari did until his sudden death 2000. Pablo, a former WHSRN Director, is remembered for his extraordinary dedication to and passion for the conservation of shorebirds throughout his career and life. Likewise, the Award in his honor recognizes and supports exemplary work in the field of shorebird conservation.

You are invited to recommend an individual or organization for the 2010 Award no later than March 15, 2010. The winner will be announced in mid-April. To learn more about Pablo and the previous Award winners, or to download a nomination form, please visit our Canevari Award [7]webpage.