Boreal partners in flight: Working together to build a regional research and monitoring program

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Edited by: Rick BonneyDavid N. PashleyRobert J. Cooper, and Larry Niles

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Abstract

Boreal regions of western North America regularly support breeding populations of 130 species of landbirds, including 68 Nearctic-Neotropical migrants. Primary conservation concerns within the region include increased timber harvesting, insect outbreaks, fire suppression, mining, impacts of military training activities, urbanization, and recreational activities. Under auspices of Partners in Flight, biologists, land and resource managers, and conservationists from Alaska and western Canada have combined efforts to develop a regional research and monitoring program for landbirds. An experimental monitoring program has been under way during the past four years to test the relative statistical power and cost-effectiveness of various monitoring methods in Alaska. Joint efforts currently include the Alaska Checklist Project on National Wildlife Refuges, 75 Breeding Bird Surveys along the road system, 122 Off-road Point Count routes, 27 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship banding sites, and 8 migration banding stations. The ultimate goal is to design a comprehensive monitoring program that is sensitive to changes in population size, survival rates, and productivity, but robust enough to accommodate logistical constraints that arise when working in vast, roadless areas with limited funds and staff. Primary challenges that must be faced to assure the long-term future of such a program are obtaining long-term commitment from resource agencies in the region, integrating this program with other national and regional programs that address those species and habitats that are inadequately monitored by established techniques, and developing cooperative research, monitoring, and management programs at the landscape level.

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Publication type Conference Paper
Publication Subtype Conference Paper
Title Boreal partners in flight: Working together to build a regional research and monitoring program
Year Published 1999
Language English
Publisher Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Publisher location Ithaca, NY
Contributing office(s) Alaska Science Center
Description 8 p.
Larger Work Type Book
Larger Work Subtype Conference publication
Larger Work Title Strategies for bird conservation: The Partners in Flight planning process: Proceedings of the 1995 Partners in Flight (PIF) International Workshop
First page 143
Last page 150
Conference Title 1995 Partners in Flight (PIF) International Workshop
Conference Location Cape May, NJ
Conference Date October 1-5, 1995
Country United States
State Alaska
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