News Release: Conservation of Landbirds and Associated Habitats and Ecosystems in the East Cascade Mountains of OR and WA
The updated Partners in Flight Conservation of Landbirds and Associated Habitats and Ecosystems in the East Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington (Altman and Stephens 2022) brings forward recommendations and support for the conservation of landbirds and their associated habitats and ecosystems in the East Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington. The desired habitat attributes of 24 focal species are used as a conservation tool providing an opportunity to achieve broad ecosystem and restoration goals.
The primary goal of this document is to promote the long-term persistence of healthy populations of native landbirds and associated habitats and ecosystems. To facilitate that goal, described in the plan is a process that emphasizes providing quantitative, prescriptive recommendations for the desired range of habitat types and habitat conditions needed for landbird conservation. That process can be implemented in conjunction with other land management priorities to best meet multiple objectives.
The foundation of Partners in Flights’ long-term strategy for bird conservation is a series of geographically based landbird conservation plans, of which this document is one. The primary goal of PIF landbird conservation planning is to promote the long-term persistence of healthy populations of native landbirds. This document is intended to facilitate that goal by stimulating conservation actions for landbirds, particularly for not listed and nongame landbirds, which historically have been under-represented in conservation efforts, and many of which are exhibiting significant declines that may be possible to reverse if appropriate actions are taken now. Thus, the implementation of the recommendations in this document also supports efforts to reduce the need for future listings of bird species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
This document is an update of Conservation Strategy for Landbirds in the East-Slope Cascade Mountains of Eastern Oregon and Washington (Altman 2000). In version 2.0 there is continued leadership in being progressive and innovative by providing examples of habitat objectives at site and landscape scales, as well as population objectives that encourage habitat management for small populations where appropriate. It is hoped that the presentation of these types of quantitative biological objectives will not only stimulate conservation action on the ground but also encourage data collection and analyses to test the models and professional judgment used to develop the objectives.
