Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative
Collaborative Overview
The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) is developing novel ways to reverse the declines of grassland birds on working lands in the Virginia Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Shenandoah Valley. Together, VGBI partners work with landowners and producers across 16 counties to restore and monitor grassland habitat for the benefit of birds and farms.
Since its launch in 2021, VGBI has protected more than 3,600 acres of grassland bird habitat through implementation of best management practices. VGBI provides technical and financial assistance for landowners in the region to accelerate the adoption of bird-friendly grassland management practices; the collaborative also conducts educational outreach events and training opportunities for conservation practitioners, farmers, and landowners.
Through this program, we’re showing that conservation and agriculture can go hand in hand.
October Greenfield, VGBI Co-Coordinator
2024 Program Outcomes
- Enrolled 2,500+ acres in a financial incentives program protecting nesting grassland birds through delayed hay and summer stockpiling practices
- Conducted 130+ farmer and landowner site visits; led and/or participated in 75+ outreach events
- Installed 28 American Kestrel nest-boxes on private working farms
- Integrated new research results into grassland best management practices and published a booklet titled Meet Your Virginia Grassland Birds
Focal Species
Bobolink
Eastern Meadowlark
Savannah Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Harrier
Grasshopper Sparrow
Short-eared Owl
Northern Bobwhite
Barn Owl
Loggerhead Shrike
American Kestrel
Contacts and Resources
VGBI Co-coordinator
The Piedmont Environmental Council
(540) 347-2334 ext. 7051
VGBI Co-coordinator
Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes
(607) 229-6255
Partners in Conservation
Goals
The overarching goal of VGBI is to reverse the decline of grassland birds on working lands in Virginia by advancing conservation practices that support both biodiversity and agricultural viability.
Specifically, VGBI aims to:
- Raise awareness about the plight of grassland birds
- Enhance the quality and extent of grassland habitat across the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Shenandoah Valley
- Support farmers and landowners in adopting bird-friendly management practices
- Integrate science and monitoring to evaluate outcomes for birds, farms, and ecosystems
- Build conservation capacity among regional partners to scale up grassland bird conservation across the Mid-Atlantic and greater Atlantic Flyway
Currently, VGBI is focusing on the following:
1) Outreach and education
VGBI Collaborative partners will offer workshops on how to successfully incorporate a suite of best management practices (BMPs) onto working landscapes. Delayed hay cutting in the spring as well as summer pasture stockpiling (a component of rotational grazing that allows paddocks to be adequately rested) are two focal practices that have been vetted to protect grassland birds during their vulnerable nesting season. VGBI works with landowners and farmers to integrate these BMPs into their management plans while connecting them with funding support from state and federal agencies (e.g. NRCS) in order to accelerate the adoption of these practices, therefore amplifying sustainable bird-friendly grassland practices throughout the initiative’s 16-county region. Conservation Speed-Dating Workshops—novel outreach events developed by VGBI—will bring farmers and their county’s technical service providers together in a fun and engaging format that generate noteworthy numbers of follow-up site visits. These workshops will connect new landowners in the Shenandoah Valley with the region’s land trusts, accelerating the pace of land conservation and enhancing wildlife habitat.
2) Training opportunities for conservation practitioners
VGBI partners will offer new opportunities to support training for land trust staff on sustainable bird-friendly land management practices. The goal of these trainings will be to unite land trust staff from multiple organizations and highlight the year-round management needed to support the diverse needs of these birds while practicing sustainable farming techniques. Land trust staff will have opportunities to learn about the programs offered by other organizations and how they can be promoted. In addition, these events will help strengthen partnerships among land trusts across the region, energizing better communication and meaningful collaboration, and will result in joint site visits for multiple organizations, land trusts, and agencies.
3) Incentives program payments
VGBI partners will grow their grassland conservation efforts throughout the Shenandoah Valley by utilizing existing landowner and partner networks. Specifically, VGBI will grow its incentives program, which provides payments to farmers interested in adopting grassland bird-friendly agricultural practices into their long-term production goals, but who might be hesitant about the initial financial risks. By doing so, VGBI will amplify the scope of the Collaboration in the Shenandoah Valley and provide financial and technical assistance for incorporating birds as part of holistic planning on working lands in Virginia. This approach will balance the needs of birds and farmers, while putting more grassland acres on the landscape for at-risk species such as Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Eastern Meadowlark.
Background
Grassland birds are among the fastest-declining bird species in North America, with many populations having lost more than half their numbers in the past 50 years. In Virginia, species such as Eastern Meadowlarks, Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolinks, and American Kestrels depend almost entirely on privately managed farms for nesting and foraging habitat. However, changes in land use, intensification of agricultural practices, and the loss of open habitats have resulted in steep declines in both grassland bird populations and the ecosystems that support them.
Because more than 80% of Virginia’s remaining grasslands occur on private lands, meaningful recovery of these species must be achieved in collaboration with the agricultural community. Recognizing this need, a group of core partners launched the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) in 2021 to reverse bird declines by restoring and managing habitat on working lands in ways that also benefit farmers.
With support from the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative (LTBCI), the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) has protected more than 3,600 acres of grassland bird habitat through implementation of best management practices since its launch. In 2024, the VGBI became the LTBCI’s newest Conservation Collaborative.
As VGBI’s founding land trust partner, PEC works to ensure that the beauty and abundance of the Virginia Piedmont endures. An accredited land trust, PEC engages landowners, supports conservation partners, and actively pursues the permanent protection of the Piedmont through conservation easements and other tools. To date, more than 440,000 acres or 20 percent of VGBI’s Piedmont working region is protected with private conservation easements.
Support from Cornell Lab’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative
| Year | Grant Track |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $25K Small Grant |
| 2022 | $25K Small Grant |
| 2025 | $50K Conservation Collaborative Grant |
