Sierra Foothill Conservancy

Why Bird Conservation?

Through a longstanding relationship with Point Blue Conservation Science (PBCS), the Sierra Foothill Conservancy (SFC) learned the value of avian data as an indicator of ecological health. PBCS collects avian data across California through its Rangeland Monitoring Network, a protocol for assessing the ecological function of working lands in the state.

Following this example, SFC used funds from a 2021 Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative small grant to integrate eBird data in its Working Lands Conservation Strategy, which was originally funded by the California Department of Conservation. The goal of the project was to incorporate eBird data to identify threatened, endangered, and other listed avian species in proximity to a subject property; SFC accomplished this by developing a GIS mapping tool that integrated an eBird Basic Dataset to help staff make strategic land conservation decisions with limited conservation dollars.

According to Lauren Miller, SFC’s Conservation Director, “eBird data helps tell the story of what birds are doing across the landscape.” Including eBird data in SFC’s mapping tool allows the organization to be strategic about conserving lands that connect properties and corridors relied upon by priority avian species in the region. The eBird data serves as an indicator for the co-benefits of conserving properties in SFC’s region.

Spotlight Resources: eBird Basic Dataset, Conservation Planning

Certain bird species indicate associated ecological factors or lack thereof, says Miller. And because most of the lands that SFC protects are private, eBird data gives the land trust insight on the holistic health of parcels being considered for protection. It’s important to have a nuanced approach to conservation in SFC’s service region, notes Miller, because the service area is large, and most of the land trust’s holdings are working lands.

SFC protects land across a large swath of California, including Mariposa, Fresno, Madera, and eastern Merced counties. With an office in Mariposa, just outside Yosemite National Park, SFC’s service area stretches to Kings Canyon National Park, then down to Highway 99, where the vernal grasslands end.

SFC’s holistic and nuanced approach includes consideration of watershed health, the viability of the agricultural operation, biodiversity, climate resiliency, and connectivity with other conserved lands. Avian data provides insight into many of these considerations, and the fact that birds can be observed by the public from the road means that eBird data acts as a window into the health of private lands.

Along with helping SFC prioritize lands for protection through the mapping tool, eBird data is also being used to help the organization identify funding for conservation. In some cases, the presence of listed or special status bird species helps elevate projects for protection, allows SFC to leverage other funding to conserve or manage land, or informs the drafting of the conservation easement for the property.

Making the Connection

Several properties in SFC’s portfolio have recently received funding for forest health from CAL FIRE, in part because observations of Great Gray Owls have been recorded at the sites on eBird. Currently, SFC is working on securing funding to help a local tribe purchase a property that is on the flight path for foraging and nesting California Spotted Owls.

In SFC’s service region, Burrowing Owl is an indicator species associated with vernal pool grasslands—and Miller notes that she often sees the species when she goes out on site visits in SFC’s conserved lands. Great Gray Owl, California Spotted Owl, and Willow Flycatcher are associated with mountain meadow conifer, so the presence of these avian species helps indicate that properties may be part of a corridor for these priority birds—and thus, important for conservation because of their ability to filter and store fresh water.

Not seeing a bird species on a property also provides information; for instance, there have not been many Tricolored Blackbirds observed in the area over the past few years; this is a species that is typically seen on cultivated farmland on the border of SFC’s service area. From conversations with Audubon and other local partners, SFC has learned that this species seems to be creeping up toward the interface between the region’s vernal pools and oak savanna. Similarly, Swainson’s Hawks seem to be moving up higher into the foothills of the Sierras. SFC is keeping an eye on these species, which may someday help tell the story of how habitats are shifting because of land conversion and climate change.

Advice to Other Land Trusts

Miller points to SFC’s relationship with Point Blue scientists and the land trust’s in-house capacity to develop its Working Lands Conservation Strategy and GIS mapping tool as keys to the success of this project. She notes that SFC was able to leverage other funds to develop the conservation plan, which provided the foundation for this grant project.

While federal and state agencies have data for public land, land trusts across the country collect information about a large portfolio of privately held properties, Miller says. Data about these properties can be leveraged in innovative ways, Miller suggests, to tell important stories about ecosystem health, birds, and land conservation across the country.

Next Steps

SFC is currently in an organizational phase where the focus has been on completing previously selected projects; in fact, the organization will close on a 10,000-acre project—its biggest transaction to date—in June of 2024. Miller says SFC will be entering an acquisition and funding development phase next, and she expects that the GIS mapping tool will be even further utilized during that time to help identify priority parcels for conservation.

In the future, Miller would like to integrate the tool in SFC’s monitoring of current easement holdings, too. While Point Blue Conservation Science does extensive monitoring in the area, not every property is in enrolled in the Point Blue Rangeland Watershed Initiative Program, which includes biannual avian point counts, Miller says, so the eBird data built into the tool will also help SFC understand how birds are using the landscapes and corridors that SFC has already conserved.