As Conservation Chair, I want to kick off a column highlighting some of our conservation efforts. In December 2023, I took on the role of Conservation Chair and developed a Conservation Committee. Collectively, the members of the Conservation Committee have decades of experience working on environmental regulations and with state, federal, and local governments, as well as with actively conserving birds and their habitats.

At times there seems as though there is a never ending stream of active projects that could have negative impacts on birds (e.g., continued development in Natomas, Army Corps proposal to clear vegetation along the American River, and DWR’s Delta Conveyance “Tunnel” Project). It can be very difficult to change the course of a project once an environmental document is made public. However, one of the best ways to influence change is through a coalition. To that end, I represent Sacramento Audubon on the board of the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS). In addition to ECOS staff, 17 nonprofit community-based organizations sit on the board. Over its’ 50 year history, ECOS has demonstrated great success in bringing partners together to achieve positive change to environmental documents, even if the only way was with a lawsuit. While that approach tends to be reactive, one of our goals is to work with our partners to engage land managers and decision makers when projects are in the development stage and work with them in a proactive manner to reduce potential impacts. 

Along those lines, Sacramento Audubon has been asked to be on a Working Group to conserve Mountain Plovers. The Working Group is envisioned to have members from all the states in which the species breeds and winters and will be led by the Rocky Mountain Bird Conservancy at the direction of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. As part of that effort, we will be writing a paper on the status of the species in the Central Valley, developing a winter survey protocol, and lead the implementation of the survey which will begin this winter.  

Finally, education is a part of conservation. In July, I had the opportunity to spend the morning with 45 K-6 campers at Camp Adobe, engaging the kids with hands on activities and seeing their awe and wonder as they examined the colors of the speculum on a Mallard wing or gasped in amazement at the size of a hummingbird egg!

Cliff with campers at Camp Adobe