Bald Eagle. Photo: USFWS

In November, Americans go to the polls to elect the 44th President of the United States. According to surveys by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), as many as 46 million people watch birds. This makes the bird watching community a potentially powerful force in any election–if it makes itself heard. From budgets to energy policy, many executive decisions will impact birds; so what should we be requesting of our next President when it comes to addressing our conservation priorities?

American Bird Conservancy’s report, American Birds: An Endangered Species Act Success Story, demonstrates how a strong Endangered Species Act can help restore populations of our most threatened birds. The next President needs to commit to a fully funded Act, and provide FWS with the direction, tools, and resources it needs to assess, protect, and recover endangered species and their habitats.

The next Administration’s energy policy will surely focus on the critical issues of global warming and energy independence, but it must also incorporate the immediate, direct effects that generating power has on our birds and other wildlife. Expanding corn ethanol production stands to drastically impact bird habitat; oil and gas drilling operations could continue eating away at our last pristine wildernesses; the growth of unregulated wind farms will kill more and more birds through collisions, and impact ever more grassland and forest species through habitat alteration unless addressed; and the coal industry is turning thousands of acres of bird habitat and miles of clear mountain streams in the Appalachians into desolate moonscapes through mountaintop removal/valley fill operations. Each of these and other energy issues must be comprehensively addressed by the next President.

American Avocet. Photo: USFWS

Hawaii is one of America’s foremost conservation priorities, yet its isolation from the rest of the country has meant large-scale efforts have been lacking. To his credit, President Bush created the largest conservation area ever under the U.S. flag when he designated the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, but so much more needs to be done; from safeguarding against the invasive brown tree snake, which could decimate bird populations if it were ever to get to the Hawaiian islands, to boosting funding for habitat protection and restoration, and species recovery efforts.

Birds do not abide by political boundaries, and so any comprehensive conservation strategy must recognize that partnering with other countries to protect birds is paramount. International funding through such programs as the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act needs to be significantly increased, and the next President can support bipartisan efforts currently underway in Congress to do just that.

The list of other priorities includes increased funding for Joint Ventures, expanding carbon cap and trade programs for U.S. corporations to include avoided deforestation, increasing funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program, strengthening the registration process for pesticides that can be hazardous to birds, significantly raising the budget for our National Wildlife Refuge system, and demanding accountability from the Federal Communications Commission for the birds that are killed at lighted towers. Ultimately, however, the most important thing the next Administration must do is to sufficiently value both our birds and the science we use to protect them.

Birds generate billions of dollars each year for the U.S. economy, both as the objects of America’s fastest growing pastime, and in their role as pollinators and controllers of pests, keeping the farming industry healthy and helping place food on our tables. Birds are also critical indicators of environmental health, their sensitivity to change alerting us to dangers that may later affect other wildlife and ourselves. Ultimately, though, the value 46 million Americans place on birds is intrinsic. We love them because they are beautiful and fascinating creatures. Recognizing the true value of birds will help any Administration effectively prioritize their protection for future generations.

Those priorities and their solutions must be science driven. All too often in recent years, politics has taken precedence at the expense of the facts, negatively impacting species from the Spotted Owl to the Greater Sage-Grouse. The next President must allow science to drive conservation policy.

With these points in mind, American Bird Conservancy calls on both Presidential candidates to formally state their conservation goals and how they intend to achieve them so we can make an informed decision on November 4.