The PLJV staff is putting the final touches on an innovative, new implementation plan created not on paper but with technology to help guide all-bird conservation. Over the past year, PLJV staff and partners have been crunching numbers on birds and acres, and have devised a database that stores the latest information on bird densities and habitat acres and conditions in a format that can compare any number of factors and provide up-to-date planning information for PLJV partners.
The database, called the Hierarchical All-Bird Strategy or HABS, can be used to calculate current and optimal habitat carrying capacities for birds, and can assess the effects of conservation programs on bird numbers within the PLJV region. HABS users can look at individual species, groups of birds or all birds at once to obtain specific and broad views of how conservation actions affect species within a single landscape. The ultimate products of HABS are simple, brief Area Implementation Plans that give specific guidance to land managers on local habitat needs to reach national bird population goals.
"We are extremely excited about the potential of HABS as a tool for all bird conservation," said PLJV Coordinator Mike Carter.
The system will be continuously updated as new information emerges, making HABS a 'living' plan based on the best scientific data available. The PLJV staff and partners are also authoring several companion documents which explain the planning process, products and philosophy. The last PLJV implementation plan was authored in 1994 and has not been updated since. This new plan exemplifies the Joint Venture's commitment to science-based planning for all birds within the entire PLJV landscape. The plan culminates two years of hard work by PLJV staff, planning teams and other partners.
The PLJV staff will formally present the new implementation plan during the JV's winter management board meeting in Amarillo, Texas February 22 - 24.
Playa Lakes Radio Series to Launch January 7 - Tune In!
The PLJV is teaming up with DeSha Agrimedia of Amarillo, Texas to bring the 'voice of conservation' to radio listeners throughout the Southern High Plains. Starting January 7, the Playa Lakes Radio Series will air on six radio stations heard by thousands of farmers, ranchers and other rural residents in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles and eastern New Mexico.
The Series is a weekly report on conservation issues and efforts in the high plains, focusing on people and partnerships that are making a difference in the conservation of wetlands, water and prairies. The show will air every Friday afternoon at 12:50 p.m. CST and will be archived on the PLJV web site. Plans are in the works to distribute the show to other radio stations throughout the High Plains, eventually covering the entire PLJV listening audience.
The show is made possible by independent radio producer Larry DeSha who is a well-known and longtime rural radio personality, and has covered conservation issues in the PLJV region on numerous occasions. Starting January 7, you can download and listen to the shows from the PLJV web site.
Happenings Around the PLJV
> Jan. 12: Oklahoma Wildlife and Prairie Heritage Alliance board meeting/Great Plains Trail meeting; contact Trapper Heglin.
> Jan. 19 - 20: Joint Venture Science Summit, Denver CO; contact Carol Lively.
> Jan. 27: Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams CP23a workshops in Goodland and Bird City KS; contact Tim Christian.
> Jan. 31: Deadline to submit comments on the first draft of Oklahoma's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy; contact Bruce Hawkinson.
> Feb. 2: World Wetlands Day
> Feb. 4 - 5: Ogallala Commons Wind, Water and Sun Symposium, Lubbock TX; contact Darryl Birkenfeld.
> Feb. 8: Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Informational Seminar, Hastings NE; contact Steve Moran.
> Feb. 22 - 24: PLJV management board meeting, Amarillo TX; contact Mike Carter.
> Feb. 22 - 24: Great Plains Grasslands Conservation Conference, Ft. Collins CO; contact Francie Pusateri.
> Feb. 22 - 25: Shorebird Summit, Galveston TX; contact Brad Andres.
State Partners Conduct Workshops on CRP and Playas
The workshops focus mainly on the new CRP provision for playas - the Wetlands Restoration Non-Floodplain Initiative, or CP23a, but have also touched on the Farmable Wetlands Program (CP27), Wetlands Restoration Initiative (CP23) and Bobwhite Quail Initiative (CP33).
In Colorado, participants not only learned about the CRP, but also about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife program, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife's Wetlands Initiative and Cooperative Habitat Improvement Program. They also toured pitted and cropped playas and playas in native grass, and discussed how programs might work for each condition.
The PLJV is helping to fund the workshops, and has offered financial incentives to all its member states to conduct similar workshops or other projects that result in landowner participation in CP23a and other Farm Bill programs that benefit playas and prairies.
Upcoming Funding Deadlines
>Jan. 15: Proposals due to The Conservation Fund's Banrock Station Wines Wetlands Conservation Program which provides grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to nonprofit groups that are planning and implementing wetlands conservation and/or restoration projects at the local level. Open to all PLJV states.
> Feb. 1: Proposals due for the Natural Resources Conservation Service of Colorado's Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program which targets USDA/Colorado priority habitats (including playas) and species conservation on private land. Contact Dennis Alexander at (720) 544-2805. Open to Colorado applicants only.
> Feb. 8: Pre-proposals due for the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 Wetlands Protection Development Grant Program for conducting or coordinating research, monitoring, etc. related to the cause/effect, prevention of water pollution. Priority is given to projects that address protection of isolated waters (read 'playas'). Region 6 serves New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
> Feb. 15: Proposals due for the Colorado Division of Wildlife's Colorado Wildlife Conservation Grant Program, a competitive program to support projects to conserve, restore or enhance Colorado's threatened, endangered or declining wildlife resources. Grants of up to $50,000 are available. Contact Jim Guthrie for more information. Open to Colorado applicants only.
> Feb. 17: Proposals due for the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Conservation Partnership Initiative Grants, a voluntary program to foster conservation partnerships that focus resources on high priority watersheds and other areas of environmental sensitivity. Grants of up to $200,000 are available. Open to all PLJV states.
Playa Post ©2004 Playa Lakes Joint Venture. Submission deadlines are the 15th of each month for publication the following month. Send press releases, comments and subscription inquiries to Debbie F. Slobe.