Support the Revised Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act

[Rosyfinch]

Populations of both the  Black Rosy-Finch and the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch are declining or rare. They face unusual threats to their survival and are species of national conservation concern on the Audubon Watch List. Because of their limited range and possible recent drop in population, and the difficulty in accessing their habitat and nesting sites, there have been  few systematic studies of these species. Audubon states: "Thus, much information is speculative; a better understanding of the effects of human disturbance would be helpful. The species requirements during the non-breeding season particularly need further study as little is known about how much of different habitat types and natural food sources are needed to sustain healthy populations. Birds may only rarely need certain critical habitats or resources during winters of extreme snow cover, but lack of these areas may increase mortality in such years."

"The Black Rosy-Finch [with an estimated population of 20,000] breeds in the high mountains of the northern Great Basin. This encompasses the area from northeastern Nevada to southwestern Montana. It is not a long-distance migrant, but moves to lower elevations away from the breeding area as snow cover increases. In some winters these flights reach southward to Colorado, New Mexico, and rarely Arizona and California. Although population appears to be stable, it is uncommon over its very small breeding range. Preliminary analyses of Christmas Bird Count data seem to indicate a decline since the 1970's... "

According to New Mexico Partners in Flight (PIF), the "Brown-capped Rosy-Finch [with an estimated population of 45,000] is largely endemic to Colorado, with a small breeding population in northern New Mexico. It breeds in remote high-elevation habitats but is vulnerable due to its highly restricted range and population size, and possible future shrinkage of above-timberline habitat with permanent or late-melting snowfields."

New Mexico Partners in Flight classifies the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch as a Biodiversity Conservation Concern, Level 2 species for New Mexico."At the the continental level it receives maximum PIF vulnerability scores of 5 for its very small distributional range and population size. It is a national PIF Watch List species."

This gives us all the more reason to support increased funding for the migratory bird conservation and research. The Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee has passed a bill to reauthorize the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act at higher funding levels.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has passed S. 690, which reauthorizes the existing Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act(NMBCA) at significantly higher levels to meet the growing needs of our migrant birds, many of which are in rapid decline. Senate Environment and Public Works Ranking Member, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), a frequent critic of providing more government funding for conservation programs raised an objection to the higher authorization levels in the bill. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Michael Crapo (R-ID), now moves to debate in the full Senate. Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) has introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives....

NMBCA supports partnership programs to conserve 341 species of migratory birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean, where approximately five billion birds of over 500 species, including some of the most endangered birds in North America, spend their winters. Projects include habitat restoration, research and monitoring, law enforcement, and outreach and education. Between 2002 and 2008, the program supported 260 projects coordinated by partners in 48 U.S. states/territories and 36 countries. Projects involving land conservation have affected approximately three million acres of bird habitat.

This bill would increase funding for the program from $6 million to $20 million. Projects receiving federal money must raise $3 in private money for every federal dollar they receive. In the past, many qualifying projects have gone unfunded because the federal matching grants program had run out of funds.

If you have not done so already, please consider contacting your representatives and ask that they support this worthy program.

Link here to the American Bird Conservancy Web site, which automatically generates individualized letters to your appropriate  US Representative and Senators, voicing your support for reauthorization of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA).

Go to "Act for Songbirds" and click the "Take Action" buttons for the House and Senate. Just enter your 9-digit Zip Code to produce personalized e-mails to your Representatives.