Corporate Campaign for Migratory Bird Conservation

Migratory Bird Campaign        First Flight Awards

2006 Update

Riparian Areas of the Great Basin: A Management Guide for Landowners

The Wildlife Habitat Council announces the release of a new publication on riparian management, as part of the CCMBC program, for the Great Basin region, which includes the entire area of drainage between the Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. It is the only region in North America whose waters do not ultimately flow into an ocean. Though they represent only a small percentage of land, riparian areas provide essential habitat for many wildlife species.

In the relatively dry Great Basin,riparian areas represent an oasis of biodiversity within a vast sea of arid uplands. However, human land-use practices in the Great Basin have disturbed large tracts of land, degrading both riparian and upland areas and posing a major concern for natural resources managers and landowners.

This publication describes the Great Basin riparian areas and their ecological value and outlines the ecology, plants and wildlife of the area. It outlines conservation strategies and suggestions to assist landowners and resource managers in mitigating ecological threats and improving riparian areas on their properties.

Riparian Areas of the Great Basin: A Management Guide for Landowners

Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader

CCMBC Model Projects
Individual sites provide specific temporal and spatial habitat needs for migratory birds, and when linked with other sites and land resources, corridors are formed! The following model projects provide an overview of the goals and initial partners that have been engaged.

The overarching goal of each project is to enhance migratory bird habitat on corporate lands by fostering public-private partnerships to engage in collaborative habitat work in surrounding landscapes. These projects – and all future CCMBC projects are landscape scale efforts. They will operate within the framework of recognized international migratory bird conservation plans.

Tennessee River Corridor
In combination, some 40-50 miles of the Tennessee River corridor plus some critical habitat in the mountains of central Tennessee are being improved for migratory bird via this team effort.  Following to the west, between the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and City of Decatur, Alabama, and to the east, the Mallard Fox Wildlife Management Area.

The project will play a vital role in improving habitat on a landscape scale along a critical migratory bird corridor. The first phase of the work includes conversion of approximately 250 acres of fescue and weed fields to native warm-season grass-forbs mixture on 3M and Nucor lands adjacent to provide habitat for grassland birds, such as dickcissel and grasshopper sparrow. Tree thinning and a prescribed burn on the land next to corporate landowner, Vulcan Materials Company, will provide habitat for prairie warblers and other grass-shrubland birds. Also, the restoration of six acres of habitat will take place on 3M and BP sites.

A Conservation Challenge Cost Share Grant from the Department of Interior has been secured for habitat improvement expenditures on the corporate lands. A community-wide migratory bird celebration is being planned in Decatur for April 2005. These habitats will link to sites that the public can visit along the northern Alabama birding trail, which is being developed and promoted by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Corporate Partners

• 3M                             
• The Boeing Company                              
• BP                 
• Bridgestone-Firestone Americas Holding, Inc.                           
• Nucor Corporation                             
• Vulcan Materials Company

Non-Profit Partners

• American Bird Conservancy                             
• Morgan County Environmental Education Foundation

Government Partners

• Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources                             
• City of Decatur                             
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge)                             
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Piceance Basin and Associated Riparian Corridor
In cooperation with seven partners, CCMBC will enhance migratory bird habitat in the Piceance Basin and along the White and Colorado Rivers in Northwest Colorado. This habitat improvement project will be lead by Shell Exploration & Production Company on at least three of their properties in this area. These include: a 426-acre tract known as the Valley Property located on the Colorado River just south of De Beque, Colorado; the Ivory Ranch, a 960 acres tract along the White River; and the Violet Springs Unit in the heart of the Piceance Basin. 

Wilson's warbler

Corporate Partners

• Shell Exploration & Production Company

Non-Profit Partners

• Ducks Unlimited, Inc.                             
• Intermountain West Joint Venture                             
• National Audubon Society                             
• Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Government Partners

• Colorado Division of Wildlife                             
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Gulf Coast Migration Linkage Project
The Gulf Coast Migration Linkage Project currently has 12 partners. This initiative is still in the formative stages, but several sites have been defined on corporate lands. Others companies are expected to become engaged in this effort in the near future. 

The Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes Ecoregion is invariably listed as one of the highest priority areas in the hemisphere for providing habitat for migratory birds of all types. Not surprisingly, the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, which encompasses over 2,000 miles of sites for bird watching, is often called the "great granddaddy of birding trails." Over 300 species are seen along this nature route. 

St. Mary's Island - black skimmer colony

One of the smaller, but most exciting migratory bird sites involves ExxonMobil restoration project on St. Mary’s Island, located in the Houston Ship Channel, and its noteworthy colony of black skimmers. ExxonMobil restored the island from 2.5 to 10.25 acres creating nesting habitat for threatened migratory shorebirds, including a large population of black skimmers. In addition to the skimmers that capture the excitement of every birder that has the privilege of viewing them, the island supports the Forster’s tern, gull-billed tern and least tern. ExxonMobil’s Baytown Complex will join with St. Mary’s Island to anchor their contribution to this critical effort to link migratory habitat within the Gulf Coast ecosystem and beyond. 

Read about St. Mary's Island and WHC's Houston Waterways for Wildlife Project in Texas.

Coupled with ExxonMobil’s sites within the Gulf Coast linkage Project will be sites owned by The Dow Chemical Company located near Freeport along the Brazos River, in Texas City on Galveston Bay and possibly a unit on their Seadrift, Texas site. These sites will provide critical habitat that range from open water to live oak stands. Species that rely on this timbered habitat, which is becoming increasingly limited, include the yellow-rumped warbler, yellow-throated warbler, black-and-white warbler, orange-crowned warbler, white-eyed vireo and northern parula. Open water feeders include the anhingas, great blue heron, tricolored heron, green heron, black-crowned night heron, yellow-crowned night heron, little blue heron, great egret and snowy egret.

BP is expected to bring into the program a substantial portion of their 2,500-acre Chocolate Bayou Works site near Alvin, Texas. In addition to the waterbirds previously mentioned, this site will provide excellent habitat for red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, white-tailed kite, osprey and a variety of waterfowl.

ConocoPhillips will dedicate a portion of their Sweeney Refinery along the Gulf Coast. Much work has already been done to improve the health of this site’s wetlands and vegetation. The Gulf Coast Migration Linkage Project will continue and expand the ongoing commitment to migratory birds.

Corporate Partners

• BP                             
• ConocoPhillips                             
• ExxonMobil                             
• The Dow Chemical Company

Non-Profit Partners

• Ducks Unlimited, Inc.                             
• Gulf Coast Bird Observatory                             
• National Audubon Society                             
• The Nature Conservancy

Government Partners

• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department                             
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service                              
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic Coast Joint Venture
WHC’s Three Rivers Habitat Partnership, a regional Waterways for Wildlife project, plans to initiate a 2,200 + acre corridor between the Alcoa Technical Center and Pennsylvania State University’s New Kensington Campus. The Alcoa Technical Center project currently has seven partners.

meadowlark

WHC will work with partners to manage the forest through deer management, improving structural diversity, invasive plant control, and other forest management strategies as appropriate for the improvement of breeding songbirds. The project will target numerous migratory species, including the cerulean and other warblers, wood thrush, sharp-shinned hawk and others. Efforts will be made to convert open tracts of over 20 acres to warm-season grasses to provide for ground-nesting for species such as the bobolink, eastern meadowlark and grasshopper sparrow. In addition, these open areas adjacent to the forest edge will provide singing grounds for the woodcock, which has been declining in the region due to its preference for early successional habitat. Neighboring landowners will also be sought to partner as well. Penn State University students and Alcoa Inc. employees will be trained to participate, including monitoring species, plan development, implementation, and outreach. 

This CCMBC project will link directly to WHC’s Wings of Wonder program, which links corporate habitat projects with local schools to help students and communities learn about the conservation of migratory species. 

Wings of Wonder will then utilize the Alcoa/Penn State corridor to offer unique, inquiry-based learning opportunities for students, while also serving as a demonstration to other sites across the country about the importance of bio-regionally specific curriculum and multiple landowner corridors. Once a management plan is in place, the partners will link with other corporate sites and schools along a migratory route. They will study the migration and wintering grounds of key species at other Alcoa facilities throughout the United States as well as facilities in Mexico, Central America and South America. 

Corporate Partners

• Alcoa Inc.                             
• ASSET, Inc.                             
• others to be determined

Non-Profit Partners

• Atlantic Coast Joint Venture                             
• Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania                             
• Pennsylvania State University                             
• Westmoreland Bird & Nature Club                             
• others to be determined

Government Partners

• Pennsylvania Game Commission                             
• others to be determined

Boreal Hardwoods; Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes and Eastern Habitat Joint Ventures
Lafarge Corporation has developed partnerships with a wide range of agencies and non-profit groups to address migratory bird habitat issues on three of their sites in Michigan and Ontario, Canada. Specifically, the pilot sites are: Alpena Plant and Presque Isle Quarry located in Upper Michigan, and Manitoulin Quarry in Meldrum Bay, Ontario.

The Alpena Plant offers a variety of migratory bird habitat, which includes open water within a 600-acre quarry adjacent to approximately 200 acres of mixed hardwood stands, largely red oaks, with a lush understory of herbaceous vegetation. An abundance of common loons and variety of other shore and wading birds, along with bald eagles, frequent the open water. The hardwood stands envelop some grasslands and support breeding populations of numerous species of wood warblers as well as interesting species like the barred owl accompanied by colorful species such as the cedar waxwing, indigo bunting and eastern bluebird. 

The Presque Isle Quarry consists of more than 5,000 acres of bays, estuaries and isolated wetlands surrounded by mixed hardwoods and grasslands. Bell Bay is one example of prime wetland habitat that serves the needs of numerous species of waterfowl and their wading and shore-loving cousins. Scores of species depend on this wide range of habitat types. With a focus on improvements on these existing habitat areas, coupled with a team approach to reclaiming the quarries, the site will provide even better nesting and resting habitat for migrating birds.

The Manitoulin Quarry, located on the extreme west end of Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, represents WHC’s first CCMBC project beyond the borders of the United States. This site consists of almost 5,000 acres (owned or leased by Lafarge) of strategically located migratory bird habitat. According to the reports presented from the Wildlife Habitat Canada and Nature Conservancy Canada representatives at a site meeting, there are numerous species of "concern" that use Manitoulin Island for nesting and cover. Mixed hardwoods and grassland/shrublands currently dominate the acreage on-site. The site provides critical habitat for species such as the common loon, scoters, oldsquaw, red-necked grebes, least tern and a variety of other open-water, edge-loving waders and shorebirds. When the quarries (one viewed consisted of 250 acres) are reclaimed over the next few decades, the resulting habitat will pay tribute to the partners that are currently focusing attention on the value of such planning and teamwork.

Corporate Partners

• Lafarge Corporation

Non-Profits Partners

• Ducks Unlimited, Inc.                             
• Michigan Audubon Society                             
• The Nature Conservancy                             
• Nature Conservancy Canada                              
• Ontario Wetland Habitat Fund

Government Partners

• Canadian Wildlife Service (Eastern Habitat Joint Venture)                             
• Michigan Department of Natural Resources                             
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources                             
• U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture)