Tag: NABCI

State of the Birds 2025 highlights how conservation partnerships are benefitting western forest birds in decline and their neighboring communities

Written by Elva Manquera on March 18, 2025. Posted in Klamath Call Note, Press Room.

MEDIA CONTACT: Elva Manquera-DeShields, Science Communications, Outreach, and Community Conservation Manager, Klamath Bird Observatory, 541‐908-0040, ejm@KlamathBird.org

[Ashland, Oregon] – [3/18/2025] – The State of the Birds 2025 report has been delivered to the American people by scientists from more than two dozen conservation groups and agencies, including Oregon-based Klamath Bird Observatory. This report paints a concerning picture of declining bird populations in the United States. The report also underscores the significant environmental, economic, and human benefits of bird conservation and birdwatching to millions of Americans.

The report reveals that more than 50% of the birds in our western forests are declining. This alarming trend is largely attributed to current forest conditions that drastically differ from those that characterized western forests pre-settlement. Pre-settlement conditions included mosaics of older and mixed-aged forests that experienced regular fires. Over the past 100 years, industrial timber practices and fire suppression have changed our forests, making them less resilient putting bird populations and our rural communities at risk of extreme fires and drought.

State of the Bird 2025 report also highlights ongoing efforts addressing western forest bird declines through sustainable forest management and fire-use practices. Many of these efforts are being guided by bird habitat conservation plans that focus on investments in increased watershed resilience and benefits for both birds and people. Migratory Bird Joint Ventures (JVs) in the West, such as the Intermountain West and Pacific Birds Habitat JVs (Pacific Birds), are facilitating long-term investments that are increasing ecosystem and community resilience, reconnecting people to forests and forest birds and integrating tribal priorities. Led by Pacific Birds, the Pacific Northwest Oak Alliance is focusing investments on oak ecosystem restoration and protection. These oak woodlands provide crucial habitats for many of our most at-risk western forest birds, including species like Lewis’s Woodpecker.

“The trends for western forest birds are a clear call to action,” says Dr. John Alexander, Executive Director of the Klamath Bird Observatory. “At the same time, increased investments in implementing forest restoration practices that benefit at-risk bird species also show benefits to the people who depend on resilient forested lands in Oregon and throughout the West. This State of the Birds report underscores the urgent need for continued investments in conservation strategies that protect our vital forest ecosystems while highlighting the many ways birds enrich our lives and communities. For example, the popularity of birding and its proven economic and health benefits demonstrate Americans’ deep connection with birds and the natural world.”

While the State of the Birds 2025 report draws attention to the challenges birds in the United States face, the report also emphasizes the profound and widespread benefits that birds offer communities. Nearly 100 million Americans are birdwatchers, a diverse group that includes large shares of hunters (58%) and anglers (53%). This widespread passion for birds generates $279 billion annually in total economic output through birder trips and equipment expenditures. Beyond the economic impact, the report highlights compelling research demonstrating the mental health benefits of engaging with birds. Encounters with birds have been shown to benefit the mental well-being of people with depression and can significantly reduce stress and anxiety.

State of the Birds 2025 critically assesses the health of the nation’s bird populations, providing essential data to inform conservation policy and action for the benefit of both birds and people.

The full State of the Birds 2025 report is available at www.StateOfTheBirds.org.

The Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) is a non-profit organization that advances bird and habitat conservation through science, education, and partnerships. Working in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the ranges of migratory birds KBO emphasizes high-caliber science and the role of birds as indicators to inform and improve natural resource management. KBO also nurtures an environmental ethic through community outreach and education.

Pacific Birds is one of 25 migratory bird joint ventures, which are regional partnerships that conserve habitats for the benefit of birds, biodiversity, and people. Pacific Birds works from Alaska to Northern California and across the Pacific Islands. Our mission is to create the ideal environment for bird habitat conservation through promoting collaboration, advancing knowledge and planning, building capacity, and informing and inspiring. For more information, visit pacificbirds.org.

The U.S North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) Committee is a forum of government agencies, private organizations, and bird initiatives helping partners across the continent meet their common bird conservation objectives. For more information, visit nabci-us.org.

World Migratory Bird Day: Achieving bird conservation priorities

Written by KBO on May 8, 2020. Posted in Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Education, KBO Partners, KBO Science, Trips & Events.

While we miss being in the field with all of our partners, this year KBO is honoring our long-standing WMBD connections in this new virtual way. Here, our staff share highlights from our work to meet Partners in Flight and North American Bird Conservation Initiative conservation priorities. Please, have a safe and healthy World Migratory Bird Day.

Just Published State of North America’s Birds Report Is a Call to Action

Written by KBO on May 18, 2016. Posted in Klamath Call Note, Conservation, KBO Education, KBO Partners, KBO Science, Press Room.

*** NEWS RELEASE—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***

May 18, 2016

Media Contact: John Alexander, Executive Director Klamath Bird Observatory

541-890-7067; jda@klamathbird.org

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative has published the State of North America’s Birds report. Through a groundbreaking collaboration between the United States, Mexico, and Canada this report evaluates birds of nine key ecosystems across the continent. The report highlights two key aspects of bird conservation that are core to Klamath Bird Observatory’s science, education, and partnership efforts in southern Oregon and northern California. First, science driven conservation works, and second, our continent’s birds still need our help.

The Report’s authors found that where an investment is made in healthy habitat management, birds are doing well; and healthy birds mean healthy ecosystems. They provide several examples, including southern Oregon’s Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network collaboration of Lomakatski Restoration Project, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Klamath Bird Observatory and others. The Klamath Siskiyou Oak Network has leveraged $4.5 million of combined federal and non-federal resources to restore over 3,000 acres of oak woodlands across our region, with another 3,000 acres to be restored by 2020. This work is being guided by and evaluated with KBO research and monitoring using oaks-associated birds as indicators of success.

The Report also presents a Watch List that identifies one third of North America’s bird species as high risk, including the Olive-sided Flycatcher. Klamath Bird Observatory research shows that in our region the Olive-sided Flycatcher is associated with fire and related forest conditions. This is just one example of the many indicator species that Klamath Bird Observatory studies, with results informing forest management. The State of North America’s Birds report emphasizes the importance of such studies, because quality, not just quantity, of our temperate forests, is critical for forest birds. In the West, fire plays a key role in maintaining high-quality forest ecosystems, and Klamath Bird Observatory is working to show how this understanding, and the use of birds as indicators, can inform management our western forests. This application of science and bird conservation priorities to address pressing forest management challenges, with an intention to protect and restore our forests, and thereby stop the steepening declines of our western forest birds.

This new State of North America’s Birds report is a call to action. Of North America’s 1,154 bird species, 432 are now considered of “high concern” due to low or declining populations and growing threats from habitat loss, invasive predators, and climate change. Migratory birds connect people to nature and provide multiple benefits – ecological, economic, agricultural, aesthetic, and recreational – for people and the natural environment. Therefor our governments, industry, and the public must once again come together to support migratory bird conservation. The 2016 Report and past State of the Birds reports archive are available at www.StateOfTheBirds.org.

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Klamath Bird Observatory, based in Ashland, Oregon, is a scientific non-profit organization that achieves bird conservation in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the migratory ranges of the birds of our region. We developed our award-winning conservation model in the ruggedly beautiful and wildlife-rich Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion of southern Oregon and northern California, and we now apply this model more broadly to care for our shared birds throughout their annual cycles. Emphasizing high caliber science and the role of birds as indicators of the health of the land, we specialize in cost-effective bird monitoring and research projects that improve natural resource management. Also, recognizing that conservation occurs across many fronts, we nurture a conservation ethic in our communities through our outreach and educational programs.

The U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) Committee is a forum of government agencies, private organizations, and bird initiatives helping partners across the continent meet their common bird conservation objectives. The Committee is working to secure a bright future for North America’s more than 1,150 species of birds, in conjunction with NABCI partners in Mexico and Canada to increase cooperation and effectiveness of bird conservation efforts among the three countries. The NABCI Committee’s strategy is to foster coordination and collaboration on key issues of concern, including bird monitoring, conservation design, private lands, international collaboration, and state and federal agency support for integrated bird conservation.

For more information about the North American Bird Conservation Initiative: www.nabci-us.org/