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Atlantic Coast Joint Venture Annual Report to the Board for 2008. Management Board Meeting March 3, 2009 via teleconference (handout #5). 1. ACJV LEADERSHIP Ken Elowe, Board Chair, ME Dan Forster, Vice Chair, GA David Norris, WTC Chair, VA Steve Rockwood, WTC Vice Chair, FL
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Atlantic Coast Joint Venture Annual Report to the Board for 2008 Management Board Meeting March 3, 2009 via teleconference (handout #5) 1
ACJV LEADERSHIP Ken Elowe, Board Chair, ME Dan Forster, Vice Chair, GA David Norris, WTC Chair, VA Steve Rockwood, WTC Vice Chair, FL Gwen Brewer, NBTC Chair, MD Laurel Moore-Barnhill NBTC Vice Chair, SC John Frampton, NAWMP Plan Comm., SC Wayne MacCallum NAWCA Council, MA Rob Deblinger, Council Staff, MA Management Board Members Connecticut Delaware Georgia Florida Maine Maryland Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina Vermont Virginia Ducks Unlimited (2) National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Park Service The Nature Conservancy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2) U.S. Geological Survey USDA Forest Service Wildlife Management Institute
Regional ACJV Staff Mitch Hartley North Atl. Coord. (Sunderland, MA) States: ME, NH, VT, NY, MA, RI, CT BCRs: LGL-SL, ANF, NE-MA Other: Coord. With EHJV, Canada JV-Wide Melanie Steinkamp Mid Atl. Coord. (Laurel, MD) States: NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, WV BCRs: NE-MA, Pied., N. Apps Other: Ches. Bay, Del. Bay Working Groups Andrew MillikenJV Coordinator Debra Reynolds Outreach Coordinator (Hadley MA) Tim Jones Science Coordinator (Laurel, MD) Kirsten Luke GIS Analyst (Contract) (Panama City, FL) Vacant Assistant Science Coordinator(s) Craig Watson South Atl. Coord. (Charleston, SC) States: NC, SC, GA, FL, PR BCRs: SAMBI, S. Pdmt., Pen. FL, PR-VI Other: Caribbean, Mexico
ACJV Highlights 2008 • 276,000+ acres of habitat conserved • 30 NAWCA grants approved (2008), and 34 grants recommended (2009) – most ever; additional oil spill funds received • Biological Foundation Plan completed • NAWMP Triennial Report successful • Conservation Design Multistate Grant Project Initiated • Flyway wetland bird monitoring designed • Marine bird projects coordinated and funded • Multiple research projects funded 4
Strategic PlanMission The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture will provide a forum for federal, state, regional and local partners to coordinate and improve the effectiveness of bird conservation planning and implementation in the Atlantic Flyway region of the United States. 5
Components needed to accomplish this mission • Biological Foundation • Conservation Delivery and Coordination • Communications and Outreach 6
Components, Goals & Objectives Biological Foundation Develop, maintain and communicate a strong scientific foundation and specific products for planning, implementing and evaluating conservation actions • Biological Planning • Conservation Design • Research • Monitoring and Evaluation • Information Management 8
Completed Biological Foundation Plan Initiate Multistate Grant Conservation Design project Designing Flyway wetland bird monitoring, BCR 30 marsh bird monitoring; marine bird surveys Completion of NE Coordinated Bird Monitoring Framework Developing Flyway SWAP database Research on Black Ducks and Brant nearing completion Research funded on sea level rise, forest and scrub-shrub birds, stopover habitat Leadership on NSST Conservation design project underway & northeast habitat mapping near completion Florida All Bird Conservation Plan fully developed Piedmont biological planning initiated Complete design of Flyway wetland bird monitoring Alternative performance metrics and step-down goals for waterfowl Southeast Coordinated Bird Monitoring? Improving spatial accomplishment tracking Complete Flyway SWAP database Marine bird surveys initiated Expanded role in regional/flyway scale climate change planning Biological Foundation 2008 Accomplishments 2009 Goals/Needs
Components, Goals & Objectives Conservation Coordination and Delivery Provide a structure and process that attracts partners, leverages and generates funding, and implements projects that support ACJV goals and objectives • Structure/Process • NAWMP Planning & Implementation • NABCI Planning and Implementation • Project Funding 10
276K acres habitat conserved 900 + partner projects funded High success with NAWCA, oil spill $ Focus Area Partnerships e.g. Lake Champlain, Great Marsh, Cape May, Winyah Bay, Chesapeake Bay WAT Habitat initiatives e.g. early successional Renewed NFWF Coord. Increased BDJV Coord. Revised Technical Committees Habitat Conserved Projects Funded State Working Groups NRCS Coordination NFWF Coordination NPS Coordination Audubon Coordination Fully functional technical committees Landscape Conservation Cooperatives Conservation Coordination & Delivery 2008 Accomplishments 2009 Goals/Needs 11
Components, Goals & Objectives Communication and Outreach Develop effective communication products to attract partners, support existing funding and seek new funds, improve internal relations and raise awareness of ACJV conservation priorities targeted to specific audiences. • Partners • Public/External Partners • Congress 15
New BCR websites completed Brochure update Quarterly newsletters Fact Sheets Expanded and Updated Congress National Fact Sheet Climate Change Insert Letter 15+ visits Website updates Biological Foundation Plan elements online Update Fact Sheets Five Year Summary of Progress Spatial Accomplishment Information Congress 2010/11 Budget Outreach Hill and District Visits Field trips Communication and Outreach 2008 Accomplishments 2009 Goals/Needs
Budget • FY 2008; level funded at about $780K; possible minor increase in FY 2009 • Increased fixed costs for salary and operations; sharing costs for biological planning and monitoring with Division of Migratory Birds populations branch • No discretionary funds for projects • Need for additional base funding in FY 2010 to implement Strategic Plan maintain GIS support and have discretionary funds – tie to climate change • Allocation process based on matrix of JV activities does not explicitly account for size and complexity 18
Budget Adequate staff Loss of GIS position (contract) Discretionary funds Making new technical committee structure work well re-engage initiatives and NGOs Piedmont, FL and PR planning underway Meaningful accomplishment tracking Articulate clear role in larger landscape conservation and climate change efforts Concerns and Challenges for 2009 19
Five-Year Highlights (summary in July) • Closely followed and implemented strategies in 2004 Strategic plan all planning tools were developed; • Maintained adequate staff to effectively coordinate planning, delivery, evaluation and outreach; • Improved technical committee structure and state participation; • Completed initial planning in four BCRs, launched AMJV; • Updated Waterfowl Implementation Plan and refining objectives; • Completed first Biological Foundation Plan and organized science program around Strategic Habitat Conservation framework; • Successful NAWMP Assessment and Triennial Review; • Launched large-scale conservation design and monitoring programs; • Successful with outside funding for biological foundation – multiple research, monitoring and design grants; • Greatly increased number of federal grants received; • Conserved over 2 million acres! 20
Unfinished business from 2004 Strategic Plan • No full-time GIS support and other science capacity • Budget flat for several years • No discretionary funding program • No BCR plan for Piedmont; need more planning support for FL and PR • Incomplete population and habitat objectives • Not able to effectively track accomplishments and relate to specific geographic habitat goals • More engagement with delivery of Farm Bill and other major federal programs • Better outreach with non-traditional funding partners 21
ACJV LEADERSHIP Ken Elowe, Board Chair, ME Dan Forster, Vice Chair, GA David Norris, WTC Chair, VA Steve Rockwood, WTC Vice Chair, FL Gwen Brewer, NBTC Chair, MD Laurel Moore-Barnhill NBTC Vice Chair, SC John Frampton, NAWMP Plan Comm., SC Wayne MacCallum NAWCA Council, MA Rob Deblinger, Council Staff, MA Management Board Members Connecticut Delaware Georgia Florida Maine Maryland Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina Vermont Virginia Ducks Unlimited (2) National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Park Service The Nature Conservancy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2) U.S. Geological Survey USDA Forest Service Wildlife Management Institute Thanks to the leadership and members of the Management Board and Technical Committees