Implementation Schedule

  1. Establish a WBCI Steering Team within one year. The Steering Team will guide, integrate, and coordinate WBCI activities. Responsibilities should include coordination of monitoring and assessment activities, identification of management opportunities, and prioritization of research needs. This team should consist of members representing a broad coalition of diverse interest groups.
  2. Identify Important Bird Areas (IBAs) by 2002. A map with a description of the areas most essential for birds within Wisconsin will be developed and distributed to all partners. This is part of a larger international effort to identify IBAs.
  3. Develop a comprehensive bird-monitoring program by May 2003. Wisconsin's existing bird monitoring efforts, both formal and informal, will be reviewed. In addition, a determination will be made of what base-level information is required for WBCI. Gaps or deficiencies in our information gathering will be addressed. Monitoring of IBAs for changes to birds and habitat will be emphasized.
  4. Incorporate bird monitoring into statewide forest inventory system by 2004. Regular inventories of Wisconsin's forests are conducted every 10 years. This objective will collect bird data to help examine bird-forest habitat relationships and quantify forest habitat abundance changes at regular intervals.
  5. Complete a statewide bird assessment by 2006 that identifies (1) trends in bird abundance and habitats, (2) management opportunities and (3) management priorities in different ecological landscapes to maintain sustainable habitats for breeding, migrating, and wintering birds found in Wisconsin. Collaborate with the assessment efforts for the variety of bird initiatives (North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Partners In Flight, the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan, the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Initiative) utilizing the best available information. The assessment will include strategies to increase and maintain bird populations as well as manage bird populations that are determined to be overabundant and in conflict with other wildlife and humans. Information that is unknown or lacking that limits our ability to effectively manage and conserve birds and bird habitats in Wisconsin should be identified. Development of this assessment will need to address 4 different scales: continental and regional (the majority of this work has been done by PIF and NAWMP), statewide, and the ecological landscape scale. This information will be provided to land managing partners for consideration and integration into current and future planning efforts.
    1. Establish natural community working groups within 1 year. Working groups for the following major natural communities will be formed: northern forests, southern forests, grasslands/agricultural, urban/suburban, and wetlands/lakeshores/sandscapes. Working groups should include members from all the key stakeholders important to that community group. Working groups will report to the governing body for WBCI established under Objective A. The working groups will review continental and regional assessments and conduct statewide assessments to identify which bird species and habitats should be managed for in Wisconsin and where in Wisconsin is the best opportunity to do this management. To accomplish these assessments the natural community working groups will:
      • Evaluate the need for landscape-scale projects, minimum habitat size, connectivity of habitats, etc. to meet the needs of all birds.
      • Identify sites, including IBAs, that need protection or management.
      • Employ a "gap" analysis to see what habitat is protected and what needs protection.
      • Identify information gaps that are hindering effective bird conservation in Wisconsin.
    2. Establish ecological landscape working groups by 2003. Ecological landscape working groups will be established to develop landscape-specific (see map) assessments. By combining recommendations from each natural community-working group into an ecological landscape assessment, it should identify opportunities to manage for a mosaic of forest, grassland, urban/suburban, aquatic, and wetland habitats across different ownership. Related ecological landscapes might be combined to ensure that the correct scale is being used for bird assessments. For example, all ecological landscapes within the northern forest might be treated as one unit for bird assessment; however, bird management opportunities should be identified for each ecological landscape. Specifically, the ecological landscape working groups should:
      • Use a nested hierarchical ecological classification system for assessment so that the issues of scale can be easily addressed. Use of the Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin, which is based on the National Hierarchical Framework for Ecological Units (NHFEU), is preferred.
      • Develop ecological landscape assessments that identify how to conserve birds within Wisconsin using the best available science.
      • Coordinate and integrate what partner organizations can contribute to the management, protection, monitoring, and research of birds and bird habitats in each ecological landscape (e.g., federal farm programs, Managed Forest Law, County Forest Plans, WDNR Master Plans, Forest Service Plans, non-government organizations, and other land management agency and university plans). Integrate regional PIF plans and national shorebird, colonial waterbird, and waterfowl management plans into the planning process.
      • Provide specific guidelines on how to manage habitats to benefit different bird guilds.
      • If necessary, recombine the recommendations of the working groups by Ecological Landscapes, WDNR Geographic Management Units, or other geographic units so work will be directly applicable to field managers.
  6. Develop educational "how to" information for managers and the public. Educate the public, decision-makers, and others on what they can do to help promote bird conservation in Wisconsin through use of written and web-based technologies, annual training days, and media-based technology.
  7. Work with private business interests, individuals, organizations, and government agencies to promote partnerships and jointly seek current and new funding and resources to accomplish these goals of bird conservation initiatives.

Completion of these assessments should result in priority bird management opportunities for Wisconsin that can be implemented by partners interested in birds.