ABC's Domestic Habitat Programs

The goal of ABC's domestic habitat program is to improve conditions for all birds occurring within the United States. We attempt to accomplish this through development of partnerships and networks, improving the science of bird conservation, and changing the culture of the nation's conservation community. Although ABC's focus is primarily on non-game species, our interests extend, where relevant, to upland game birds and waterfowl.

Since ABC's inception it has been very active in Partners in Flight (PIF), the large national partnership dedicated to the conservation of non-game landbirds. Together, ABC and PIF have brought about enormous change in the culture of bird conservation in this country, raising the profile of non-game bird conservation to prominence with federal and state wildlife and land management agencies.

One of the most important advancements, and one in which ABC played a key role, has been in the development of Joint Ventures. Originally created to protect concentrations of waterfowl in important wetlands, these public-private partnerships have since expanded in mandate to cover all birds. They have also grown in size and number, to the extent that virtually the entire country is now covered by one all-bird JV or another.

ABC was also instrumental in the creation of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, a partnership within the US , Canada , and Mexico that encompasses all bird conservation initiatives. More recently, ABC has helped develop the Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative, a new effort to bring shared objectives regarding shared species among the 35 nations of the hemisphere.

ABC is the only NGO working closely with the US Army Corps of Engineers to improve the impacts that this agency has on bird populations. ABC's Waterways and Coastal program is having an enormous impact on management of Least Terns in river systems, and on beach habitat for species such as the Piping Plover. There are numerous other federal and state agencies with which ABC works closely domestically, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and most state wildlife agencies.

ABC has recently shown great leadership in the science of bird conservation, working with multiple partners to develop a bird monitoring framework for the Northeast that could serve as a model for the entire country. ABC is also proving a leader in improving concepts of conservation design that, more and more, dominate the way Joint Ventures work.