The Habitats for Shorebirds Project
Empowering, catalyzing, and amplifying shorebird conservation at key sites across the Western Hemisphere
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Shorebirds, like this Whimbrel, are among the most migratory animals on the planet.
But even though many shorebird species are extreme long distance travelers, we've learned that the geographic footprint they rely on is actually quite small.
For example, over the course of three and a half years, Postel the Whimbrel ...
...returned to the same four sites every year.
If even one of those four sites were to disappear, it's likely Whimbrel like Postel wouldn’t survive this epic annual journey.
In North, Central, and South America, 81 shorebird species depend on specific habitats and locations spanning more than 35 countries, connecting the Arctic to the southern tip of Argentina.
Tragically, much of the habitat that shorebirds rely on has been destroyed, damaged, or mismanaged.
In fact, shorebirds are undergoing some of the most significant declines of any bird group globally.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Data from Manomet's International Shorebird Survey (ISS)
Some shorebird species, including Red Knot, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Whimbrel, have declined more than 70% in the last 30 years.
Red Knot (left), Semipalmated Sandpiper (center), and Whimbrel (right). Photos by Brad Winn.
But there is still hope!
Shorebirds are resilient. They respond well to habitat protection, improvement, and management.
Through Manomet's Habitats for Shorebirds Project, Monica Iglecia and Brad Winn bring together biologists, industry professionals, farmers, government officials, tourism entrepreneurs, students, and community members to learn about shorebird ecology, conservation, and habitat management.
By providing technical support, data, and immersive educational workshops, we ensure they have the skills, methodology, and strategies to effectively improve habitats – so depleted shorebird populations can recover.
At key sites throughout the hemisphere, we educate and empower local stakeholders and communities,
provide guidance on methods to improve habitats,
and help implement strategies to benefit shorebird species across the flyways in the Americas.
Our conservation efforts support and advance the goals of national and international cooperative strategies, including the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, the International Canadian Shorebird Plan, the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Conservation Business Strategy, and the Pacific Americas Shorebird Conservation Strategy.
Each Shorebird Ecology, Conservation, and Habitat Management workshop delivers a core curriculum – but every workshop is uniquely tailored to meet local needs.
Workshops elevate the efforts of local partners to the national and international conservation arena, amplifying their efforts to engage local municipalities and industries in new ways.
In many cases, workshops are just the beginning of long-term collaborative relationships with the Habitats for Shorebirds team.
To date, the Habitats for Shorebirds Project has delivered 27 workshops in eight countries.
Our workshops have been attended by more than 690 participants from 23 countries and island nations.
Through these workshops and subsequent collaboration, we have advised the stewardship of more than 3.7 million acres of shorebird habitat - an area larger than Connecticut.
We have facilitated habitat improvements and conservation actions on more than 113,000 acres.
These acres ensure that shorebirds have the resources they need to survive their migrations.
On-the-Ground Impact:
The Habitats for Shorebirds Project is increasing the acres of wetland and coastlines that provide prime habitat conditions for migrating, wintering, and nesting shorebirds.
Inspired by new knowledge acquired at our workshops, Jason, the Wetland Bird Biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries created and tested a tool that helps land managers choose where and when it is best to manage habitat for shorebirds.
In a pilot project to test the decision tool, more than 1,500 southbound migrating shorebirds were observed using a previously little-used wildlife area now implementing new management actions.
Building upon this success, Jason is now deploying this new tool at state wildlife areas throughout Louisiana and is an emerging leader in shorebird conservation.
As a result of our workshops in South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) committed to manage 15,000 acres in ways that support migratory shorebirds.
These acres will provide improved food resources and resting areas for northbound shorebirds en-route to nesting grounds in the Arctic.
"Your workshops and [our continued collaboration] at Santee Coastal Reserve have made a huge impact. [The new manager] listened, and now a few years later he is providing habitat for shorebirds. [He manages] thousands of acres of impoundments, so his enthusiasm is significant."
- – Felicia Sanders, Wildlife Biologist, SCDNR
"Every day birding at Santee Coastal is a good day, but the shorebird show was better than I ever remember there."
– Local birder's post on the CarolinaBirds birding ListServ, after Habitats for Shorebirds workshops led to habitat improvements in South Carolina
On-the-Ground Impact:
The Habitats for Shorebirds Project is expanding the capacity of local communities to identify and reduce threats to shorebirds and to increase the amount of shorebird habitat in areas where it is limited.
As a result of workshops in Brazil, two local professors have prioritized shorebird research.
This has resulted in nine undergraduate and six graduate students advancing our understanding of shorebird abundance and distribution as well as the impacts of human disturbance and habitat management on shorebirds in coastal Brazil.
After a workshop in Kansas, our partner reported that,
“Some major progress has been made thanks to Monica; state department managers are thinking about adjusting their management to provide shorebird habitat. A couple more have initiated shorebird monitoring as a result of the workshop.
All of these are major steps here in Kansas, and most likely are just the beginning, as the Nature Conservancy’s partnership with Manomet continues to grow.”
- Robert Penner, The Nature Conservancy - Kansas
On-the-Ground Impact:
The Habitats for Shorebirds Project is informing local constituents and the public about shorebird conservation. Our workshop participants become teachers and ambassadors in their own networks and communities.
As a result of our workshop in southwest Manitoba, new shorebird surveys run by local organizations and citizen scientists are now filling a critical gap in shorebird information in the Central Flyway.
Future efforts will expand surveys to the neighboring province of Saskatchewan.
Our workshop in Atlantic Canada drew needed attention to a regional threat to shorebirds and local Whimbrel conservation work.
We provided partners with advice on ways to work with agricultural producers, helped inspire regional and national news coverage, built new allies for the area's migratory shorebirds, and supported a census of Whimbrels using the region.
On-the-Ground Impact:
The Habitats for Shorebirds Project is growing a hemispheric culture of shorebird conservation and building a network of communities connected by shared migratory species.
“The workshop [in Santiago, Chile] was really enriching.… We learned new tools to help the conservation of migratory shorebirds, but more importantly, tools to disseminate this information to the community – so that each of us, with our own grain of sand, can help protect these birds.”
- – Workshop participant Francisca Rojas
In these collective ways, we are amplifying and accelerating conservation efforts across the Americas.
Our most recent workshops were in Patagonia and Puerto Rico.
We currently have a wait-list for new workshops and follow up engagement with interested partners in coastal Uruguay, Trinidad, the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley and the Georgia Bight of the United States.
Our collaborations with workshop participants that have initiated conservation projects throughout the Hemisphere are ongoing.
With continued support we can deliver additional workshops, strengthen our partnerships, maintain a network of collaborative and interconnected efforts, and continue to increase the acres of habitats improved through projects on the ground.
Whether in coastal mudflats, blueberry barrens, tropical mangroves, or urban wetlands, we are empowering effective conservation action at the sites that matter most to migratory shorebirds.
These incredible migrants know where to go, but it’s up to us to make sure the habitats they’re counting on are there when they arrive.
Please support our work to recover shorebird populations and their habitats by donating now
Be sure to direct your gift to "Habitats for Shorebirds" in the comments section.
The Habitats for Shorebirds Project and the Executive Office of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) are initiatives of Manomet’s Shorebird Recovery Program . Many Habitats for Shorebirds Workshops take place at WHSRN sites. WHSRN is a voluntary, non-regulatory network of public and private partners working to protect the most important sites for shorebirds throughout the Americas.
Through science, site conservation, and habitat management, we are working with partners across the hemisphere to conserve critical sites and improve the quality and availability of habitat for imperiled shorebirds.
Thank you to the individual donors and family foundations for supporting the Habitats for Shorebirds Project and to all our site partners for their continued work to protect migratory shorebirds. Please support our program here . Be sure to direct your gift to "Habitats for Shorebirds" in the comments section.
