Goals and Objectives

Wisconsin partners will deliver the full spectrum of bird conservation, including both game and nongame birds, by working together in voluntary, cooperative initiatives. We will coordinate bird-based projects to ensure effective management for all birds in Wisconsin. We will assess and manage birds and their habitats using the best available science and using ecological landscapes as the management units. Accordingly, we will work both within and outside of Wisconsin to ensure that bird conservation needs are met, and we will share knowledge widely to further bird-based recreational opportunities in Wisconsin.

The focus of the WBCI is on Wisconsin birds, but coordination of conservation efforts will be required at the regional, continental, and even hemispheric levels, since most birds are migratory. In the Upper Midwest, a regional approach will be necessary to provide the appropriate types, amounts, and distribution of habitats for conservation efforts to be successful.

Goals

  • Manage communities of birds at a regional and landscape level.
  • Keep common birds common.
  • Conserve and restore endangered, threatened, and rare bird species and their habitats.
  • Identify and prioritize management opportunities and needs for birds and their habitats in Wisconsin.
  • Coordinate existing bird conservation initiatives in Wisconsin.
  • Develop broad-based partnerships.
  • Provide private landowners and land managers the best available ecological information.
  • Use voluntary approaches when working with public and private landowners.
  • Promote bird-based recreation and the enjoyment of birds.
  • Develop management strategies that consider the social and economic impacts on people throughout planning and implementation.

Long-term Objectives

  • Conduct ongoing statewide assessments using local and regional data to identify management opportunities and needs for bird species and habitats in Wisconsin.
  • Manage all birds and their habitats using ecological landscapes as the assessment and management unit.
  • Develop ecological landscape opportunities that identify how to conserve birds within Wisconsin using the best available science.
  • Coordinate and integrate ongoing bird initiatives with other state, regional, national, and international bird conservation initiatives.
  • Develop and implement an information and education strategy designed to promote the conservation of breeding, migration, and wintering bird habitats both within and beyond Wisconsin.
  • Develop broad-based, cooperative partnerships that will encourage incorporation of management opportunities into existing and future land management plans.
  • Deliver the best available science to land management decision-makers.
  • Encourage bird research, management, and educational opportunities, including development of bird conservation programs, especially for urban/suburban landscapes.
  • Enhance bird-based recreation in Wisconsin.
  • Identify research and management priorities, and seek new and pool existing resources to accomplish priority work.
  • Encourage the incorporation of bird conservation strategies into county, state, and federal land stewardship programs.
  • Work with landowners to provide bird-based land management strategies on private lands in Wisconsin.