Secretary Kempthorne Announces $3.9 Million in Grants for Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation
By Press Release: Nicholas Throckmorton (05/12/07)
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne today celebrated International Migratory Bird Day by announcing nearly $3.9 million in federal grants to aid neotropical migratory bird conservation in the United States, Canada and 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide the grants to conservation partnerships in those countries. Partners will, in turn, match those funds with nearly $18 million that will be used to conduct research, monitoring, and management programs for migratory bird populations, as well as related outreach and education.
There are 341 species of Neotropical migratory birds that breed in the United States and Canada and winter in Latin America. Examples of these birds include species of plovers, terns, hawks, cranes, warblers and sparrows. Many of these birds are presently in decline, and several species are protected as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
"Migratory birds don't read maps, and their range extends far beyond our borders. Successful conservation relies on rangewide partnerships with other nations as well as states, tribes, conservation organizations and many others here at home," Kempthorne said. "What happens in Central and South America affects the birds that visit our backyards every spring and summer; these grants will support cooperative conservation projects and research throughout the hemisphere."
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 established the matching grants program to fund projects promoting the conservation of Neotropical migratory birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Appropriations began in 2002 and the money is to be used to protect, research, monitor and manage bird populations and habitat, as well as to conduct law enforcement and community outreach and education. By law, at least 75 percent of the money goes to projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada while the remaining 25 percent can go to projects in the United States.
Projects in the United States include:
Arkansas. Arkansas State University will receive nearly $29,000 and match this grant with $90,000 to study the factors that cause birds to collide with towers, information that will be useful in designing future towers.
Maine. The National Audubon Society will receive $100,000 and match this grant with $328,000 to manage and restore tern nesting habitat in coastal Maine.
Michigan. Michigan State University will receive nearly $15,000 and match this grant with more than $46,000 to study the effects of wind turbines on songbirds in forests.
New York. Audubon New York will receive nearly $23,000 and match this grant with more than $68,000 to conserve grassland birds in New York by working with farmers and private landowners.
Puerto Rico. The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico will receive $250,000 and match this grant with $750,000 to purchase and protect habitat near the Encantado River.
Tennessee. The Nature Conservancy will receive $100,000 and match this grant with nearly $3 million to manage birds such as the cerulean warbler, provide education programs and prepare its 4,000-acre property on the Cumberland Plateau to be transferred to the State of Tennessee.
Vermont. Audubon Vermont will receive nearly $99,000 and match this grant with more than $385,000 to work with private forest owners to enhance habitat for neotropical migratory birds.
Projects in Canada:
Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Canadian Wildlife Service will receive more than $46,000 and match this grant with more than $193,000 to study how prairie landscapes affects the distribution of neotropical migrants; this work will inform conservation planning for the Prairie Habitat Joint Venture.
Boreal Forest. The University of Alberta will receive $177,000 and match this grant with nearly $2 million to study the distribution and abundance of neotropical migratory birds, information that will inform forest management in this vast ecosystem.
Boreal Forest. Bird Studies Canada will receive nearly $84,000 and match this grant with more than $255,000 to monitor and assess population trends of neotropical migrants in previously inaccessible regions, so that migratory routes and vulnerable species may [be] identified and better conserved.
Saskatchewan. The Nature Conservancy of Canada will receive more than $10,000 and match this grant with $44,000 to conserve habitat and purchase conservation easements on private land near Lake Alma.
International Projects that include the United States:
California and Mexico. The National Aviary will receive nearly $50,000 and match this grant with nearly $167,000 to study river habitat restoration and its impact on over wintering survival of neotropical birds.
Gulf Coast of United States, Mexico and Honduras. Gulf Coast Bird Observatory will receive nearly $136,000 and match this grant with nearly $408,000 to acquire island stopover habitat and monitor species where information is lacking.
Colorado and Mexico. The Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory will receive more than $168,000 and match this grant with more than $1 million to purchase grassland habitat in Colorado and Mexico and monitor grassland species.
United States, Canada and Mexico. Hawk Migration Association of North America will receive more than $83,000 and match this grant with $256,000 (for a research project) to consolidate raptor data into one central repository that can be used for conservation and management.
To learn more about the projects listed above plus the 20 projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, please see http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/2007.shtm [pasted below]
http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=7B967219-E7B7-34DC-6EBBC427739B199A
Division of Bird Habitat Conservation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
FWS http://www.fws.gov
birdhabitat http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/
Grants http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/
NMBCA http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/
2007 Neotropical Grants
Funding for the following projects was approved in April 2007. These projects are considered part of the Fiscal Year 2007 grants cycle.
Project Summary Table http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/files/2007_May_NeotropicalGrantSummaryTable.pdf
U.S. Projects http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/2007.shtm#US
U.S. - Other Countries Projects http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/2007.shtm#USOTH
Other Countries Projects http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/2007.shtm#LAC
http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/2007.shtm
U.S. Projects
Arkansas
Project: Factors Influencing the Loss of Birds by Collision with Towers.
Location: Baxter, Boone, Craighead, Crawford, Faulkner, Garland, Greene, Independence, Jackson, Jefferson, Mississippi, Pope, Saline, St. Francis, and Washington Counties, Arkansas.
Congressional District: 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Grantee: Arkansas State University.
Contact: Erin Macchia erin.macchia@smail.astate.edu or 870-972-3082
Partner: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $28,800.
Matching Funds: $90,080.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Mississippi.
BCR: 24, 25, and 26.
Ecoregion: NA0404, NA0409, and NA0412.
It is estimated that tens of millions of migratory birds perish each year from collisions with communication towers, which are being constructed on the national landscape with increasing frequency. Years of anecdotal evidence of massive bird losses being reported at towers have prompted researchers and bird conservationists to study and quantify the problem more rigorously. Partners in this project will examine the effects of primary tower attributes on collision events, namely the elevation at the tower location (delta vs. mountains), tower height (60-140 meters vs. 150+ meters), lighting system (red vs. white), and supporting wires (presence vs. absence). The study will be conducted at multiple towers throughout Arkansas at times of “peak” movement by long-distance, Neotropical birds during both spring and fall migration. Additionally, partners will measure tower search technicians’ efficiency in recovering bird carcasses, and will estimate the carcass-removal rate by scavengers or predators. Partners will use their project data to develop a model for predicting bird fatalities at communication towers given certain variables, which will aid in the improved design and placement of towers.
Maine
Project: Habitat Management for Terns at Restored Nesting Islands in Maine.
Location: Stratton Island, Outer Green Island, Jenny Island, Pond Island, Eastern Egg Rock, Seal Island, and Matinicus Rock, Maine.
Congressional District: .
Grantee: National Audubon Society.
Contact: Stephen Kress skress@audubon.org or 607-257-7308
Partners: The Island Foundation, Ann Pinkerton Charitable Trust, Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, Jingo Foundation, Penzance Foundation, and National Audubon Society Seabird Restoration Program Donors.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $100,000.
Matching Funds: $328,000.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Atlantic.
BCR: 14.
Ecoregion: NA0406.
Historically, islands in the Gulf of Maine were prime nesting havens for terns migrating from the Neotropics. In recent decades, proliferation of predators and competitors, such as gulls, combined with increasing disturbances from human activities has negatively affected tern colonies. Project partners developed and have been implementing various population- and habitat-management techniques on some of the islands to encourage tern recolonization, with marked success. In this project, partners will protect and restore nesting habitat in the gulf specifically for common, Arctic, roseate, and least terns on three State-owned islands (Jenny Island, Eastern Egg Rock, Outer Green Island), three national wildlife refuge units (Pond Island, Seal Island, and Matinicus Rock), and one Audubon-owned island (Stratton Island). During the nesting season, small teams of stewards will be stationed on each island to monitor and census tern populations, discourage predation and nesting by certain gull species, collect data on tern chicks’ food resources, prevent the public from disturbing tern nests, and remove invasive vegetation. In total, partners’ efforts will benefit approximately 180.3 acres (73 hectares) of tern nesting habitat.
Michigan
Project: Does Wind Farm Development in Forested Environments Alter Songbird Use?
Location: Mason County, Michigan.
Congressional District: 2.
Grantee: Michigan State University.
Contact: Joelle Gehring gehringj@michigan.gov or 517-241-4912
Partners: Greenlight Energy, Inc., and Michigan Natural Features Inventory.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $14,570.
Matching Funds: $46,094.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Mississippi.
BCR: 12.
Ecoregion: NA0414.
Efforts to harness non-polluting, renewable energy sources have led to increased development of wind turbines and “wind farms.” Most bird-related research has focused on collision incidents at turbines or on birds’ avoidance of them. Very little is known, however, about the effects of these structures on birds in forested ecosystems. Since a high proportion of Neotropical migrants breed, rest, or winter in forests, project partners will study how habitat alteration at turbine sites affects birds’ use of the areas. Over the course of several spring and fall migrations, project partners will collect data, pre- and post-construction, on avian use in forested areas associated with a wind farm scheduled to be built near the Lake Michigan shoreline. Data collected from a control plot will provide a reference for an impact analysis, in addition to before/after comparisons. Partners also will quantify the relationship between avian nesting densities and distance to turbine structures. Partners’ efforts will help to address many important questions regarding the effects of wind farms on forest birds, and provide scientifically based recommendations for meeting the needs of both on a shared landscape.
New York
Project: An Integrated Strategy for Conserving Grassland Birds in New York.
Location: Allegany, Cayuga, Chemung, Clinton, Cortland, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Oneida, Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Otsego, Saratoga, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, St Lawrence, Steuben, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates Counties, New York.
Congressional District: 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29.
Grantee: Audubon New York.
Contact:Michael Morgan mmorgan@audubon.org or 607-254-2487
Partners: None.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $22,750.
Matching Funds: $68,329.
Nonmatching Funds: $None.
Flyway: Atlantic.
BCR: 13, and 28.
Ecoregion: NA0401, NA0407, and NA0414.
Populations of several grassland bird species are rapidly declining and even approaching local extirpation in significant portions of their ranges, primarily from habitat loss. In New York, Henslow’s sparrows have decreased by 99 percent from historic populations; grasshopper sparrows by 97 percent; and bobolinks -- the State’s most ubiquitous grassland species -- by 50 percent. The vast majority of grassland habitats in New York are privately owned hayfields and pastures, making it improbable to use traditional conservation mechanisms that rely on government acquisition and management. Instead, Audubon New York will work with the State’s Department of Environmental Conservation to implement the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP), with a goal of protecting 1,100 acres (445.4 hectares) of grassland habitats on private lands. They will encourage the participation of landowners in areas where the greatest habitat potential exists for sustaining viable populations of grassland birds. Audubon New York will educate enrolled landowners about grassland conservation, assist them in developing a management plan for their property, and monitor grassland birds’ response to that plan. Additionally, Audubon will collaborate with federal, state, and other land-owning stakeholders on completing the draft New York State Grassland Bird Conservation Plan.
Puerto Rico
Project: Rio Encantado Migratory Bird Wintering Habitat, II.
Location: Municipalities of Ciales, Florida, and ManatĂ, Puerto Rico.
Congressional District: None.
Grantee: Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico.
Contact: Fernando Silva silva@fideicomiso.org or 787-722-5834
Partners: None.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $250,000.
Matching Funds: $750,657.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Atlantic.
BCR: None.
Ecoregion: NT0155.
Federal and commonwealth agencies and nongovernmental organizations consider the northern karst region to be the top conservation priority in Puerto Rico. This region contains the most important aquifer recharge area on the island, and its forests host more than 110 migratory bird species. The majority of these birds occur in the Rio Encantado project area, including 30 species that are threatened or endangered. Urban and agricultural development, mineral extraction, and conversion from shade-grown to full-sun coffee plantations are contributing to the loss and fragmentation of habitat for birds and other wildlife. The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico will build on its previous Act-supported accomplishments in securing habitat for migratory birds by acquiring and protecting in perpetuity another 338 acres (136.9 hectares) of forested habitat for the Rio Encantado Protected Natural Area, increasing its size to 1,635 acres. A long-term monitoring program will be created to gather information on migratory bird populations in the protected area. Additionally, a series of hands-on, environmental education activities will be conducted with the public that emphasize the importance of the karst region to birds and people, and inspire citizens to protect its habitat.
Tennessee
Project: Securing and Strengthening a Key Cumberland Plateau Habitat.
Location: Fentress County, Tennessee.
Congressional District: 4.
Grantee: The Nature Conservancy.
Contact: Gina Hancock ghancock@tnc.org or 615-383-9909
Partners: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust Fund.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $100,000.
Matching Funds: $2,750,000.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Atlantic.
BCR: 28.
Ecoregion: NA0402.
In September 2006, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) acquired the 4,208-acre (1,703.8-hectare) Skinner Mountain property, located in the northern part of the Cumberland Plateau in northern Tennessee. Like so many other forested parcels in this region, this property was otherwise slated for development. Approximately 75 percent of Northern Cumberland forests are privately owned and increasingly threatened by real-estate development and logging interests. The Skinner Mountain property’s largely intact, mature second-growth forests, woodland coves, and streams provide crucial habitat for many Neotropical migratory bird species of conservation concern, notably the cerulean warbler. Project partners will transfer the TNC-owned property to the State, placing it under permanent protection and managing it for birds and other wildlife. Partners also will enhance the property’s public use by creating an interpretive Wildlife Viewing Trail that would include sites for observing and learning about Neotropical migratory birds. In addition to its educational benefits, the trail will help to attract ecotourists and other visitors to the region, turning a conservation acquisition into an economic asset.
Vermont
Project: Forest Bird Initiative.
Location: Addison, Chittenden, Washington, and Orange Counties, Vermont.
Congressional District: At large.
Grantee: Audubon Vermont.
Contact: Doug Parker dparker@audubon.org or 802-434-3068
Partners: Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Family Forests, Vermont Woodlands Association, Upper Valley Land Trust, New Hampshire Audubon, Coverts, County Foresters, Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Vermont Division of Forests and Parks, local teachers, and the Town Planning and Conservation Commissions of Waitsfield, Warren, Fayston, and Moretown.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $98,800.
Matching Funds: $385,080.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Atlantic.
BCR: 14.
Ecoregion: NA0410.
In Vermont, some 85 percent of the land is privately owned, the vast majority of which contains habitat critical to forest-breeding birds. This habitat is under increasing pressure for development and conversion to other uses. Audubon Vermont, in partnership with several other organizations, developed a pilot conservation-and-education program for engaging private and public landowners in voluntarily managing their land in ways that will benefit wildlife, particularly migratory birds. In 2006, the pilot program was successfully initiated in two communities in west-central Vermont, garnering 7,000 acres’ worth of conservation commitments from landowners attending the first workshops. Partners in this project will now follow through with the program’s next stages in these communities. Partners also will initiate the program in at least one new community, working with New Hampshire Audubon. By giving interested landowners the information and tools they need to properly incorporate the needs of migratory birds and other wildlife into everyday land-use decisions, partners aspire to improve thousands of acres of habitat in Vermont in meaningful and enduring ways.
U.S. - Other Countries Projects
Alabama, Louisiana, Texas - Honduras, Mexico
Project: Avian Migratory Stopover Habitat Protection in and around the Gulf of Mexico.
Location: Brazoria County, Texas; Mobile County, Alabama; Jefferson Parrish, Louisiana; State of Veracruz, Mexico; and Honduras.
Congressional District: Texas, 14 and 22; Alabama, 1; and Louisiana, 3.
Grantee: Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Inc.
Contact: Bill Eley beley@gcbo.org or 979-480-0999
Partners: Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy, and Malcolm C. Damuth Foundation.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $135,879.
Matching Funds: $407,932.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Mississippi.
BCR: 25, 27, and 37.
Ecoregion: NA0529, NA0701, and NT0233.
In Texas, the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory is leading its Site Partner Network program into its second decade, with partners now in each U.S. and Mexican state around the Gulf of Mexico. Partners at the network’s 62 sites seek to conserve essential habitat for the gulf’s more than 300 migratory bird species, and expand the scientific knowledge base about these species. In Louisiana, project partners will acquire a 0.2-acre(0.08-hectare) parcel of remnant, barrier island live oak-hackberry forest on Grand Isle -- the only known occurrence of such habitat -- and add it to the Lafitte Woods Preserve. In Alabama, 0.7 acres 0.28 hectares) of critical stopover habitat on Dauphin Island will be acquired for inclusion in the island’s bird sanctuary. In Mexico, partners will conduct a second year of monitoring in Veracruz as part of the Avian International Monitoring Network initiative. This initiative, launched in 2005 with Act funding, is designed to collect migration data from every partner site for a gulf-wide snapshot of the migration phenomenon. In Honduras, partners will complete their 3-year study to determine the Central American flyway of the cerulean warbler, a species in severe decline.
California - Mexico
Project: The Value of Restored Riparian Habitat to Overwintering Neotropical Migratory Birds, Phase II.
Location: Shasta, Glenn, Tehama, Sacramento, and San Joaquin Counties, California; States of Baja California, Sonora, Jalisco, and Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Congressional District: 2, 11, 18, and 20.
Grantee: National Aviary.
Contact: Steven Latta steven.latta@aviary.org or 412-323-7235 extension 288
Partners: Bella Vista Foundation, Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO), California Bay Delta Authority-San Joaquin Resource Conservation District, Pronatura Noroeste, University of Guadalajara-Manantlan Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation (IMECBIO), Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE), and Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $49,776.
Matching Funds: $166,806.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Pacific.
BCR: 32, 33, 47, and 56.
Ecoregion: NA0516, NA0801, NA1201, NA1202, NA1310, NT0181, and NT0217.
In the Central Valley of California, an estimated 98 percent of riparian habitat has been altered for urban or agricultural development or by water diversions in the past 100 years. These habitats are also essential to Neotropical migratory songbirds. Project partners will build upon and finalize a 4-year, binational endeavor to provide critical data for guiding the restoration and enhancement of riparian habitat to benefit these birds. The first stage of this project was initiated in 2004 and successfully carried out with Act funding; the data to be collected in this final stage will allow partners to relate bird use, overwinter site persistence, and survivorship to restoration design, silvicultural practices, and water flow regimes. Partners’ work involves 20 plots at six sites: in California, the Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley; in Mexico, Rio Santo Tomas watershed (Baja California), Colorado River Delta (Sonora), Ayuquila River (Jalisco), and Yucatan Peninsula (Quintana Roo). Project results will be shared with the numerous partner-entities engaged in habitat restoration and bird conservation in California and Mexico, such as joint ventures, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, private lands programs, and academic institutions.
Colorado - Mexico
Project: U.S.-Mexico Grassland Bird Conservation, Phase V.
Location: Larimer County, Colorado; States of Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, and Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Congressional District: 4.
Grantee: Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.
Contact: Arvind Panjabi arvind.panjabi@rmbo.org or 970-482-1707
Partners: City of Fort Collins Natural Resources Department and The Nature Conservancy.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $168,405.
Matching Funds: $756,000.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Central.
BCR: 18, 35 and 35.
Ecoregion: NA0815 and NA1303.
Recent trend analyses from the North American Breeding Bird show that, as a group, grassland-associated bird species have declined more dramatically, more consistently, and over a more geographically widespread area than any other group of birds over the last 40 years. Extensive habitat loss and degradation across these birds’ migratory ranges are major factors contributing to their decline. In this project, partners are building upon their accomplishments in previous phases to conserve another 45,220 acres (18,309.5 hectares) of habitat important to high-priority grassland bird species in western United States and Mexico. In Colorado, partners will acquire 220 acres of shortgrass prairie on Bernard Ranch, a significant inholding within a 193,000-acre network of protected lands in the Laramie Foothills region. Also, the effects of grazing and recreation on nesting grassland and shrubland birds will be researched and monitored in this region, resulting in better-informed management of such land uses. In Mexico, partners will acquire 45,000 acres of arid grasslands on Rancho El Uno in Chihuahua. Additionally, they will continue conducting a wintering grassland bird survey and monitoring program in the 8-state Chihuahuan Desert grasslands region.
New York - Canada - Mexico
Project: RPI: Monitoring Migratory Raptors from Regional to Continental Scales.
Location: Tompkins County, New York; multiple sites throughout the United States; Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, Canada; and State of Veracruz, Mexico.
Congressional District: 22.
Grantee: Hawk Migration Association of North America.
Contact: Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza ruelas@hmana.org or 607-254-2464
Partners: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and HawkWatch International.
Approved: April 2007.
Grant: $83,050.
Matching Funds: $255,799.
Nonmatching Funds: None.
Flyway: Atlantic.
BCR: 5, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 36 .
Ecoregion: NA0406, NA0407, NT0176, and multiple regions throughout U.S.
Hawks, falcons, eagles, kites, and vultures -- collectively referred to as raptors -- are top predators and, as such, are key indicators of ecosystem quality. Raptors are more readily studied and monitored during migration because it is a time when these otherwise low-density birds aggregate conspicuously along shorelines and mountain ridges. In 2004, partners initiated the Raptor Population Index (RPI) Project to help address the need for better and more standardized information about the status of raptors. Partners in this Act-funded project will build upon their previous accomplishments in raptor conservation by promoting the adoption of their revised, standard monitoring protocol to increase the quality and homogeneity of data collected at sites throughout the continent; improving the design and reporting capabilities of the RPI online data-collection system; preparing an initial, large-scale analysis of raptor populations using data from at least 22 sites in the United States, Canada, and Mexico that meet certain scientific standards; and making project information easily available to land managers as well as to the public. This project is continental in scope, with primary coordination taking place from the grantee’s headquarters in upstate New York.
Other Countries Projects
"Comming [sic] Soon"
http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/2007.shtm
News Releases Home Page: http://www.fws.gov/news/newsreleases/default.cfm
Nicholas Throckmorton
(Note: For anyone seeking official proof that The Nature Conservancy receives your taxpayer dollars -- and appointed bureaucrats of the Department of Interior and its agencies cannot be voted out. Various branches of the Audubon Society and other "conservancies" are also bellied up to the plan of acquiring control of private property under the guise of "protecting" this, that or the other. Also of note is the cavalier way of splashing American money across borders as though there were no borders -- as though America was financing The Wildlands Project everywhere. Property rights targeted for extinction with these plans. Please ponder that thought... Julie Smithson)
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