WBCI Research and Monitoring Committee

Members

  • Jerry Bartelt (Committee Co-chair, WDNR)
  • Andy Paulios (Committee Co-chair, WDNR)
  • Tara Bergeson (WDNR)
  • Eric Epstein (WDNR)
  • Joanne Hanowski (University of Minnesota – Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute)
  • Bob Howe (UW - Green Bay)
  • Jack Kaspar (UW - Oshkosh)
  • Rich King (U.S. F&WS)
  • Sumner Matteson (WDNR)
  • Mike Mossman (WDNR)
  • Robert Rolley (WDNR)
  • Dave Sample (WDNR)
  • Bill Smith (WDNR)
  • Julie van Stappen (National Park Service)
  • Eunice Padley (WDNR Forestry)
  • Ursula Petersen (Wisconsin DATCP)
  • Stan Temple (UW-Madison, Wildlife Ecology)
  • Karen Etter Hale (WBCI Chair; Madison Audubon Society)

Goals

  • Create a coordinated bird monitoring plan that will address both long-term and short-term monitoring needs for all species of birds in Wisconsin.
  • Regularly review existing bird population monitoring efforts in Wisconsin, both formally and informally.
  • Provide a status report on all species of birds in Wisconsin based on a monitoring program at an interval of time yet to be decided.
  • Identify any deficiencies in monitoring activities and make recommendations to how best to address problem areas.
  • Review continental, regional, and state bird population data to identify which species are experiencing significant declines or are overabundant in Wisconsin and recommend changes to the Partners in Flight Science Committee and their planning process.
  • Identify which bird species are in most need of management attention because of serious declines or overabundance issues.  Communicate those changes to the state Wildlife Action Plan committee.
  • Investigate opportunities and take action to incorporate bird surveys into ongoing statewide, regional, or county resource assessments (e.g. statewide forest inventory assessments).
  • Identify information that is unknown or lacking that limits our ability to effectively manage and conserve birds and bird habitats in Wisconsin and suggest research projects to answer those questions.  Share information gaps with all research institutions in the state to promote getting the research accomplished.

Accomplishments

  • Held a statewide monitoring meeting as part of the WBCI annual meeting in 2006.  This meeting outlined long-term monitoring deficiencies for each species in Wisconsin and started the process of identifying short-term management issues in need of monitoring in Wisconsin.  There was also a one-day session highlighting existing and new citizen science opportunities for WBCI partners.
  • Helped create and implement the Western Great Lakes Owl Monitoring Survey with Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory.  This survey completed its second year of data collection in 2006.
  • Assisted with the development of the Forest Bird Matrix project for Wisconsin.  This project attempts to create a classification system for forest habitats across the state and a database to input point-count data from existing and future surveys into that habitat classification system.  This project will assist with conservation planning and will help outline additional habitat-based surveys needed to complete our understanding of bird-habitat use.
  • Sponsored the development of a Birder Certification Program with UW - Green Bay (http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/certification/).  This project will help develop the capacity for citizen science in Wisconsin for existing and new projects needed to monitor bird populations in the state.
  • Sponsored a number of local monitoring and inventory projects as part of the WBCI Small Grants program.  These included surveys to gather more data for potential Important Bird Areas, Navarino Wildlife Area Bird Survey, research on housing impacts in the Baraboo Hills, and Black Tern surveys in southeast Wisconsin.
  • Sponsored important conservation meetings on Shorebird Management and Golden-winged Warblers. The Golden-wing Workshop, presented by the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group, with major funding from WBCI and American Transmission Company, focused on development of a conservation strategy (research, education, and management) for the species throughout its range (breeding and wintering grounds).

Current Activities

  • Write the Coordinated Bird Monitoring (CBM) Plan for Wisconsin.
  • Implement new surveys as needed as part of the initial CMB planning effort.
  • Work with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to establish a Wisconsin page on eBird (http://www.ebird.org) to implement a citizen monitoring program for birds in Wisconsin.

For more information about the Research, Inventory, & Monitoring Committee or to join, please contact