Partnering to Conserve Land and Protect Birds
Highlights & Takeaways from the Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative
A recent meeting of conservation partners from across the Northeast galvanized energy and action for the Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative (NBHCI), which helps achieve longer-term land protection objectives that benefit both birds and people. On a sunny September day, partners gathered at Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert, Vermont for a day of learning, including a field trip to showcase collaboratively managed bird-friendly landscapes. It was our first in-person meeting in five years, and we wanted to provide folks with an opportunity to network, share ideas, and develop future collaborations.
The mission of the NBHCI is to connect Regional Conservation Partnerships (RCPs) with partners and experts to advance land conservation and ecological priorities that also protect threatened bird populations. The technical expertise and resources that Audubon, Highstead, and the Cornell Lab offer partners, combined with the impact of RCPs, support landscape-scale protection for birds, while also strengthening local economies. Since 2019, we’ve implemented grants to train initiative partners in using eBird, created the NBHCI Mapping Tool, and supported numerous bird-friendly land management and restoration projects across the Northeast.
Steve Hagenbuch, Senior Program Manager at Forests for Audubon Vermont, leads partners in a field exercise exploring a bird-friendly managed sugarbush that creates habitats for birds and produces maple syrup. Photo © Katie Blake
At the meeting, conservationists from Ag Allies, 12 Rivers Conservation Initiative, Mass Audubon, Mid-Champlain Valley RCP, North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership, the Piedmont Environmental Council, Audubon Vermont, Cold Hollow to Canada, and Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative presented their work in protecting and stewarding private lands, engaging private landowners, and collaborating with partners to support their work. Attendees shared resources and discussed opportunities for collaborative conservation projects.
Additional themes included:
balancing the need to generate more renewable energy while also protecting critical bird habitat, such as grasslands;
concerns about the impact of delayed mowing on hay quality, and how Ag Allies is working with farmers in Maine to increase nesting success of grassland birds and improve economic viability;
fostering more effective landowner engagement using models such as Cold Hollow to Canada’s Woodlots Program and outreach events like the Conservation Speed Dating Workshop developed by the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative;
tapping into youth leaders to accomplish projects like Audubon Vermont’s work with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps;
how to continue to think creatively about connecting resources for shrublands and other habitats that can benefit multiple species, such as both bobolinks and golden-winged warblers; and
using tools like eBird to promote awareness of the role of birds in activities like land planning and community engagement.
Tim Duclos, Senior Associate, Forest Program at Audubon Vermont, provides an overview of the field portion of the day and orients attendees to the bird-friendly managed habitats to be visited at the Merck Forest and Farmland Center. Photo © Katie Blake
One thread throughout the day was how partnerships are essential not only to protect ecological resources but also to support local economies and livelihoods, address growing energy demands, grow healthy food, and reinforce people’s sense of community. RCPs can share information and resources about bird conservation, amplify the impacts of community leaders, and bring diverse partners together while also highlighting local concerns. RCPs are responsive and can quickly pool resources to share information or collaborate on a funding opportunity. This important convening exemplifies the integrated approach outlined in the Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities vision.
If you’d like to join the conversations with NBHCI about bird conservation, contact Katie Blake, Conservationist at Highstead, and Sara Barker, Project Leader at Cornell Labs. If you’d like to meet people from RCPs in your region, be sure to attend the annual RCP Network Gathering in UMass Amherst.
Partners meet in small groups to share their work with one another and discuss ways the NBHCI and RCP Network might support further collaborations. Photo © Katie Blake
Editors' Note: Learn about the other gatherings that connected and inspired us in the fall of 2024.
Sara Barker is the Program Director for the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative and Co-Coordinator of the Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative. She helps provide strategic planning, technical assistance, planning tools, and funding opportunities to advance the pace and impact of land trust protection and stewardship efforts. She also assists land managers and practitioners in managing habitat for priority bird species and strives to build capacity for the land trust and private lands community around birds.
Katie Blake is a trained conservation biologist with over 20 years of experience in landscape ecology, environmental outreach, conservation planning, and scientific research. In her role as Regional Conservationist at Highstead, Katie supports Regional Conservation Partnerships across the Northeast in their efforts to increase the pace and scale of conservation by way of capacity building, network coordination, and leadership of various landscape-scale initiatives. Katie holds a master’s degree in conservation biology from Antioch University New England and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Mount Holyoke College. At home, Katie delights in tending to her homestead with her husband Jeremy and daughters Tziporah and Tahlia.