CONSERVATION

LEADERS

John & Marsha Anderson

Habitat: Winters, CaliforniaAchievements: John is a former board member for Audubon California and National Audubon; Mar-sha is on Audubon Cali-fornia’s board. Owners of Hedgerow Farms, 400 acres of native grasses, forbs, and sedges. John helped found Audubon California’s Landowner Stewardship Program.Conservation Outlook:

“We live in a working landscape, and we rec-ognize how much more work needs to be done to create habitat corridors and get more farmers in-volved. If you add habitat, the insects, including the pollinators, return. Then the birds show up.”

CHALLENGE: Audubon California is helping farmers and ranchers in the state’s Central Valley to farm in ways that are eco-

nomically viable and benefi cial to birds. The ranch above is a prime spot for seeing Long-billed Curlews and other shorebirds.

WORKING LANDScol•lab•o•ra•tion Working lands cover roughly half of the total U.S. landmass. and grasslands are lost to agricultural expansion every year. That’s why Audubon to develop and promote land management practices that are both environmen- ranches, and forests to work for birds.

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C O N S E R VAT I O N P R I O R I T I E S

CONNECT: The Tricolored Blackbird Working Group, a partnership of Audubon California, farmers, and other stakehold-

ers, is aiming to build the species’ population to 750,000 in 20 years. Learn more at http://ca.audubon.org/birds/tcb.php.

PRIORITY BIRD

Long-billedCurlew

(Numenius americanus)Range and habitat: Nests in grasslands in the U.S. West and southwest-ern Canada. Winters in valleys in California and the Southwest, on tidal fl ats along the Pacifi c Coast and the Gulf Coast east to Florida, and in much of Mexico.Status: Populations down from historic levels; currently number 150,000 to 200,000.Threats/Outlook: Largely habitat loss: grasslands converted to agriculture in nesting range, develop-ment pressures in winter range. Still, species’ pros-pects are good if enough habitat is protected. Part-nerships with farmers and ranchers are promising.

And in Latin America, thousands of acres of native forests works with private landowners and public land managers tally and economically sustainable. We’re putting farms,

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CONSERVATION

LEADER

Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff

Habitat: New York City Achievements: Environ-mental attorney with a particular interest in Long Island Sound and land use. Former regional adminis-trator of the EPA. Audubon board member. Helped found Audubon New York and serves as chair. Conservation Outlook: “I’m very excited about the strategic planning process and fl yway concept. Audu-bon is a great organization and does a terrifi c job. But it’s always useful to step back and look at what you do, why you do it, what you should do, and how you can do things even better.”

CHALLENGE: More than half of Americans live within 50 miles of a coast, so balancing the needs of humans and wildlife is

key to a healthy future for places like Long Island Sound, Texas’s Gulf Coast (above), and San Francisco’s Richardson Bay.

SEAS AND SHORESstew•ard•ship The birds that depend on our nation’s shores, coasts, and seas are coastal development, and sea level rise from climate change. Diverse challenges engages local communities to help protect sensitive coastal nesting sites. We protect marine Important Bird Areas. We’re sharing our seas and shores.

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C O N S E R VAT I O N P R I O R I T I E S

CONNECT: National Audubon, Audubon New York, and Audubon Connecticut have joined forces to help restore and

protect Long Island Sound and its watershed. Learn more at http://policy.audubon.org/long-island-sound.

PRIORITY BIRD

Piping Plover

(Charadrius melodus)Range and habitat: Breeds on Atlantic Coast from Newfoundland south to North Carolina; in northern plains and Great Lakes region. Inhab-its open beaches, alkali fl ats, and sandfl ats. Status: Northern plains, Atlantic Coast breeding populations are threat-ened; Great Lakes breeding population is endangered. Fewer than 3,000 breeding pairs found in U.S. and Canada in 2001.Threats/Outlook: Com-mercial, residential, recre-ational development have destroyed beach nesting sites. Education, fencing off nesting areas, restricting ORV access, and predator control have helped.

vulnerable to multiple threats, such as overfi shing, require a multifaceted conservation approach. Audubon advocate for sound marine regulatory policy. And we

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CHALLENGE: Green energy sources, including wind farms (above), are essential to combating climate change, which

poses a looming threat to birds of all kinds. Arctic nesters, like the Spectacled Eider, will lose habitat as temperatures rise.

HEALTHY CLIMATEin•no•va•tion Climate change represents an unprecedented and catastrophic them. Audubon fi ghts tirelessly for much-needed legislative action to reduce an innovative conservation approach that uses Christmas Bird Count and other and habitat—and informs our conservation strategy to address those effects.

CONSERVATION

LEADER

Dr. GaryLangham Identifi cation: Chief Scientist, AudubonHabitat: Washington, D.C.Achievements: Earned a Ph.D. in ornithology from Cornell. As chief scientist for Audubon California, 2007–2011, led the devel-opment of a predictive model that identifi es spe-cifi c habitat and species at risk from climate change. Audubon is now expand-ing this effort nationwide. Conservation Outlook: “Climate change presents species- and site-specifi c conservation challenges. The GIS model enables us to be more strategic in our efforts to help these birds, and to target our initiatives at the places where they will do the most good.”

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C O N S E R VAT I O N P R I O R I T I E S

CONNECT: Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count reveals that 60 percent of the 305 bird species found in North America in winter

have shifted their ranges north by an average of 35 miles. Learn more at http://birds.audubon.org/birds-climate-change-move.

threat to birds and all of us who share the planet with both the risk and the impact. We are also advancing data to predict the effects of climate disruption on birds We’re supporting a healthy climate for birds and people.

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PRIORITY BIRD

Spectacled Eider

(Somateria fi scheri)Range and Habitat:

Three breeding popula-tions: two in coastal Alaska along Beaufort and Chukchi seas, one in Russia. Birds winter in the Bering Sea.Status: Global population between 330,000 and 390,000 individuals, with marked decline in the smaller U.S. population.Threats/Outlook:

Current threats include energy development near Teshekpuk Lake plus reduced numbers of the chalky macoma, a clam that’s an important food source. Controlled energy development is crucial. Climate change could have a large effect on both breeding and wintering grounds.

CHALLENGE: Many of the most important places for birds are also the most vulnerable, like Louisiana’s “birdsfoot” delta

(above). Dams, levees, and canals on the Mississippi River have starved the delta of the marsh-building sediments it needs.

IMPORTANT BIRD AREASlead•er•ship Many of our most beloved and biologically rich landscapes are in high plains of sagebrush country, and from the Platte River in Nebraska to the to protect these iconic places and the birds that depend on them. And we are preserve healthy habitat all along the fl yways. We’re saving the most important

CONSERVATION

LEADER

Steve Scalise Identifi cation: U.S. Repre-sentative (R-LA)Habitat: Gulf of MexicoAchievements: Longtime champion of coastal Louisi-ana. Introduced RESTORE Act, to dedicate BP fi nes to Gulf restoration; led the effort to direct funds to large-scale ecosystem restoration. Co-founder of House Gulf Coast Caucus.Conservation Outlook: “Audubon’s dedication to wetlands restoration direct-ly benefi ts Louisiana and all of America. I appreciate Audubon’s work to restore coastal Louisiana, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to pass my bill to dedicate 80 percent of BP Clean Water Act fi nes to Gulf states for ecosystem and wetlands restoration.”

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C O N S E R VAT I O N P R I O R I T I E S

CONNECT: Audubon’s Important Bird Areas program engages Chapters, landowners, public agencies, community groups,

and others to protect and connect the most critical habitat for birds. Learn more at http://web4.audubon.org/bird/iba.

grave danger. From the Arctic slope in Alaska to the wetlands of the Everglades, Audubon is leading the way joining with partners in Central and South America to bird areas across the Americas.

CONSERVATION

LEADER

Lisa JacksonIdentifi cation: Administra-tor, U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyHabitat: Gulf of MexicoAchievements: A tire-less advocate for Gulf restoration. As chair of an interagency task force, she coordinates federal agencies and resources to support the region’s recovery not only from the Deepwater Horizon spill but from decades of mismanagement.Conservation Outlook: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead response and recovery ef-forts as chair of President Obama's Gulf Coast Eco-system Restoration Task Force. We have a historic opportunity to protect critical ecosystems and the people and communi-ties who depend on them. I grew up enjoying the beauty and gifts provided by the natural resources of the Gulf, and I know how important they are. I’m committed to protect-ing them today.”

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CHALLENGE: By engaging people through its network of Centers and Chapters and through such citizen-science eff orts

as the Christmas Bird Count, Audubon works to protect birds, like this Bobolink (above), in communities across America.

BIRD-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIESen•gage•ment Audubon has always been a social network. That was true more in halting the plume trade that was decimating waterbirds. Today, through pro- at Audubon Centers, and the community-based outreach of our network of they live and to advocate for transformational policies and practices. We’re

CONSERVATION

LEADER

Lucy Waletzky Habitat: Westchester County, New YorkAchievements: Physician, past member of Audubon Board, and the driving force behind Audubon At Home, nationally and in New York and Con-necticut. Recipient of 2011 Audubon Connecticut En-vironmental Leadership Award. Current chair of the New York State Coun-cil of Parks, and deeply involved in Audubon in the Parks, a partnership between Audubon New York and New York State to promote bird conser-vation in state parks.Conservation Outlook:

“Flyways tie everything to-gether in ways that engage people who will then pay attention to bird issues.”

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C O N S E R VAT I O N P R I O R I T I E S

CONNECT: Audubon At Home off ers easy steps people can take to help ensure safer environments for migrating and resident

birds, from creating healthy backyard habitats to conserving water and energy. Learn more at http://athome.audubon.org.

than a century ago when the fi rst Auduboners succeeded grams like Audubon At Home, life-changing experiences Chapters, we engage people to improve habitat where creating bird-friendly communities and cities.

ENGAGEMENT

Birding the Net

(Social media)Range and habitat: The Internet. Audubon let 34 species of animated birds loose on more than 100 websites in an unprecedented campaign developed by leading ad agency Goodby, Silver-stein & Partners.Status: More than 10,000 online birders competed for prizes in a virtual “big month.”Impact/Outlook: The vi-ral campaign introduced a new audience to Audu-bon and birding, boosting our web traffi c by 50 per-cent and nearly doubling the size of our Facebook community. Audubon.org profi les of each featured species opened a window onto the real world of birding and conservation. It is only one of the ways that we’re getting more people involved in taking action to protect birds and the planet we share with them.

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