The existing network of bird conservation partners and resources provides an excellent opportunity for land trusts to engage in conservation at different scales. This Resource Directory is designed especially for land trusts, bringing many resources together in one place and helping navigate the resources to find what is pertinent to land trusts. The resources can be useful for land trusts’ funding proposals, community outreach, strategic conservation planning, land acquisition and easement justification, management plan development, and monitoring. The resources on these pages are organized by four categories: Engaging People, Management Guides, Planning, and Belonging & Accessibility.
If there are additional resources that you’ve found helpful and would like added to the site, please email us with the resource name, category in which it should be listed, online link, and a description of how it’s useful to land trusts. We value your contributions!
2022 U.S. State of the BirdsThe State of the Birds 2022 report sounds an alarm about steep population losses in virtually all habitats. The report identifies 70 Tipping Point species that have lost half or more of their breeding population since 1970, and are on tract to lose another half or more in the next 50 years.
- Download eBird Data
eBird has open data access products available in several formats that can be helpful in your strategic conservation planning, scientific modeling, and analyzing data from your land trust hotspots.
- eBird Trip Reports
Looking for new ways to tell stories on your land? eBird Trip Reports are a great way for land trusts to engage the birding community and share birding stories.
- eBird Abundance Maps
Abundance maps are a visual tool for land trusts to identify which species they should target on their properties and easements and strategize ways to manage lands to help reverse bird declines and improve habitat quality.
- State-level eBird Data Summaries
The eBird state-level data summaries are downloadable data products from eBird Status and Trends that provide summaries at a state level for relative abundance and population metrics.
- eBird Status and Trends
See seasonal abundance patterns that reveal migratory pathways and when and where species occur as well as where bird populations are increasing or decreasing at local and regional scales.
- Merlin
Merlin is a free bird identification app for your smartphone, offering quick identification help for all levels of bird watchers to learn about North America and Europe’s common and rare birds.
- 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
Every five years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services publishes a survey about the participation rate of Americans in recreational activities, including hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching, and the economic impact of those activities. The section on wildlife watching begins on page 29 of the 2022 report.
- Land Trust Alliance: Framework and Resources for Change
The Land Trust Alliance’s Framework and Resources for Change is a flexible, adaptable roadmap for personal and organizational use. A comprehensive tool for developing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion competencies, the framework is a resource for land trust staff and board members in the U.S.
- Garden for Birds
Garden for Birds is a community initiative that provides guidance to bird enthusiasts about native plants and habitat features they can add to their properties to better support birds.
