The Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture

Greater Sage Grouse. Photo: USFWS

In 2003, the Appalachian Mountains Bird Conservation Region (AMBCR) organized a partnership to deliver effective, scientifically-based bird conservation at a landscape scale to the diverse and ecologically significant Appalachian region. The AMBCR partnership, comprised of experts from state and federal agencies, the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, non-governmental organizations, and industrial and private landowners with land management responsibilities and bird conservation interests, developed a Concept Plan to articulate the conservation goals of the partnership and establish a course of action. Upon approval of the Concept Plan in 2006, the partnership also decided to pursue Joint Venture status through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV) partnership is currently developing an Implementation Plan for approval by the USFWS. The AMJV's mission is " To provide a forum for partners to coordinate and improve the effectiveness of bird conservation planning and implementation in the Appalachian Mountains Bird Conservation Region in order to restore and sustain viable populations of native birds and their habitats ." To fulfill its mission, the AMJV staff, Management Board, and Technical Committees will:

•  identify priority species and target conservation actions towards those landscapes with the greatest ecological potential to support viable populations of priority birds;

•  develop a scientific foundation for conservation design,

•  implement projects and deliver funding for habitat conservation and management within the AMJV to further our objectives; and,

•  evaluate our progress through research and adapt as necessary.

Kentucky Warbler. Photo: USFWS

The AMJV area covers over 100 million acres and is dominated by eastern deciduous forests, including oak-hickory and northern hardwood forest types. High elevation spruce stands, wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural lands are interspersed throughout the region. The diverse, forest-dominated AMJV area provides habitat for 234 species of breeding, migrant, and wintering birds, many of which have experienced steep population declines in recent decades. Populations for at least 33 species have >10% of their population in the AMJV, including the Cerulean Warbler with ~80% of its entire breeding population occurring in the AMJV. Other species such as Kentucky, Worm-eating, Prairie, and Blue-winged Warblers, Wood Thrush, American Woodcock, and American Black Duck, to name a few, are species of conservation interest in the AMJV.

Although the region is still dominated by forests, bird populations face numerous threats, with some of these threats being 'high profile' issues. For example, many of the ridges in the Appalachian Mountains offer favorable winds for development of 'wind farms' that are designed to harness the wind's energy to provide a non-carbon energy source. Unfortunately, wind energy development is currently unregulated by the federal government, which makes siting recommendations voluntary. These same areas that are favorable for wind energy development also concentrate birds that are using the same favorable winds along migration corridors, potentially leading to birds striking turbines. Additionally, the 'footprint' of wind farms (area cleared for turbines, roads, transmission lines) can dramatically fragment forested habitats, leading to reduced reproductive output and changes in species composition in bird communities. The mountains in the region also hold a large percentage of the nation's coal reserves, so mining activities can alter forested habitats, and in some cases, even the landscape. Mountain top removal/valley fill (MTRVF) is one type of mining used in the Appalachian portions of Kentucky , Tennessee , Virginia , and West Virginia , and when used, its impacts on forested habitats, streams, and ridgetops are dramatic. As the MTRVF name implies, the tops of mountains are removed to get to the underlying coal seams, and once finished, the over-burden (all the rock and soil from removal of the mountain tops) is dumped into surrounding valleys, burying the streams and diverse hardwood forests around the MTRVF site.

Appalachian habitat. Photo: Steve Baskauf/Bioimages

The AMJV is a non-regulatory entity and therefore will not be attempting to halt these types of activities; instead, they will work proactively with partners to develop planning tools that inform industries such as these about important areas to avoid/reduce impacts, site reclamation, mitigation opportunities, etc. Strategic habitat conservation-biological planning, conservation design, implementation, and monitoring research-is the foundation of the AMJV and will help guide conservation efforts for priority bird populations and their habitats.

ABC has been involved with this partnership since its inception, and has recently taken a larger role in administering the AMJV. The AMJV coordinator ( ) is an ABC employee, we administer the grants and contracts for the AMJV, and we have additional staff members that serve on the AMJV's Management Board and Technical Committees. If you would like to find out more about the AMJV, please contact: , American Bird Conservancy, Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture Coordinator, 502-573-0330, ext. 227