If you have interest and believe you are qualified to take on the role = described below, please respond directly to the ISS coordinator at = Manomet.
Paul Budde ________________________________________ From: mou-net-ow...@cbs.umn.edu [mailto:mou-net-ow...@cbs.umn.edu] On = Behalf Of Archer Larned Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 10:37 AM To: mou-net-ow...@cbs.umn.edu Subject: International Shorebird Surveys through the web HELPING SHOREBIRD CONSERVATION - International Shorebird Surveys through = the Web. To Whom It May Concern: Populations of many kinds of shorebirds worldwide are declining, some at = alarming rates predicted to end with endangerment within 15 years.=A0 = Unfortunately, our ability to detect these population changes is poor = because we do not have adequate count information to work with, this in = spite of long-term projects such as our International Shorebird Surveys = that have been collecting counts since 1974. Although other efforts are being made to estimate population sizes (and = change) based on Arctic surveys, these have been very expensive, are = unlikely to be economically sustainable, and evidently are less precise = and less useful for tracking population change than originally = envisioned.=A0 Quite simply, we need to find a better way that has = potential for providing urgently needed data.=A0 The conundrum is that = most kinds of North American shorebirds breed at remote, Arctic = locations where it is difficult and expensive to collect population = monitoring information.=A0 Also, most species spend winter non-breeding = seasons at widely dispersed, remote, and poorly known (ornithologically = speaking) regions in South America.=20 Conceptually, collection of count information during migration seasons = is the most practical strategy for monitoring populations from an = economic standpoint.=A0 On the other hand, because shorebirds are also = widely dispersed during migration, and may not use 'predictable' = localities year to year, a geographically broad and extensive 'counting = network' is needed to monitor for population change. This scale of work = does not seem sustainable through professional networks due to high = costs, but perhaps could be sustained through a volunteer network. With changing communications (i.e. the internet), Manomet and the = International Shorebird Survey believe there is an opportunity to = improve on the ISS project by collecting information that is posted = through bird chat lines.=A0 We would like to manage a 3-year test of = this idea, while meanwhile maintaining the traditional ISS for = comparison. What will be needed? * Volunteer Coordinators, * Broad geographic coverage during appropriate spans of dates,=20 * Monitoring of sites used by large numbers of shorebirds as well as = other sites used by lesser numbers of birds, and * Good descriptions of locations where counts are made. With this letter we are looking for volunteers to act as primary = 'Coordinators' between the ISS project and their local birder = chatline(s). We will ask volunteer Coordinators to:=20 o (a)promote posting of complete shorebird counts on the chatline that = they monitor,=20 o (b) to coordinate collection of=A0 posted counts, and o (c) to review counts and deliver acceptable ones to the ISS. Would you be willing to help?=A0 Please contact the ISS Coordinator at = Manomet=20 i...@manomet.org Thanks for considering our request for help. Brian Harrington Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences=20 PO Box 1770, 81 Stage Pt Rd Manomet, MA 02345 =A0 bh...@manomet.org=a0=a0=20 tel 508/224-6521, fax 224-9220 web site www.manomet.org research updates www.shorebirdworld.org