Building Partnerships and Capacity
Bird conservation projects can help land trusts build new partnerships, open the door to new sources of conservation funds, and connect with other organizations who have experience with analyzing data, monitoring avian populations, and implementing habitat improvement practices.
Sacramento Valley Conservancy (SVC) worked with Point Blue Conservation Science on a 2021 small grant project that included grassland, riparian, and oak woodland restoration and habitat enhancement at Deer Creek Hills Preserve for three bird species listed in California’s State Wildlife Action Plan. The project helped SVC build the appropriate skillset and credibility to take on larger restoration projects in the future, and also helped the land trust make connections with local birders, pro bono service providers, local professors, and the natural science community at large. Learn more about SVC’s small grant project.
Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) used funding from a 2019 small grant to develop a model for demonstrating how sustainable grazing practices can contribute to maintaining habitat conditions for Oregon Vesper Sparrow and other grassland species while supporting agricultural land uses. Through collaboration with Ecostudies Institute, Cascadia Prairie-Oak Partnership, and the owners of the 1,600-acre working ranch where the habitat management for the grant project took place, CNLM strengthened partnerships while setting an effective example for integrating conservation into working landscapes. Learn more about CNLM’s small grant project.
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust (MGLCT) received a small grant in 2023 for a project to promote forest resiliency and expand the diversity of bird breeding habitat at Guiney Memorial Forest, which helped the land trust develop relationships with a local forester and No Loose Braids, an Indigenous-led organization working to revitalize traditional practices in the region. Additionally, through outreach in newsletters and listservs, MGLCT developed relationships with local birders and volunteers, increasing the land trust’s capacity for monitoring bird activity at the site. Learn more about MGLCT’s small grant project.
Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) worked with partners at Western Michigan University (WMU) to establish a bird monitoring protocol as part of a 2020 small grant project, and graduate students under WMU Professor Sharon Gill conducted initial bird surveys across sites protected by SWMLC. The land trust then recruited and trained volunteers to conduct annual bird monitoring, expanding SWMLC’s capacity for gathering data on land where habitat has been managed for birds. Learn more about SWMLC’s small grant project.
