Birds Canada

Sea Ducks Constitute a Marine Bird Vital Sign Indicator of Ecosystem Health in the Salish Sea, Which Is of Global Importance to Many Populations of Marine Birds That Use Different Parts of Theecosystem Through the Course of Each Annual Cycle. It Is Imperative to Work Across Management Jurisdictions to Effectively Conserve or Recover Key Areas of Habitat for These Birds. However, the Jurisdictional Complexity Presents a Major Challenge to Taking an Ecosystem Scale Approach to the Problem, Not Least Because Many Information Sources (i.e., Biological Datasets) End at the International Border. We Aim to Overcome This Barrier by Harmonizing Information in a Way That Assists the Agencies Responsible for Implementing Conservation Prescriptions, Especially in Terms of Key Habitats. in Doing So, Our Project Will Elevate Sea Duck Needs Into Conservation Planning Processes, Through Convening a Network of Scientists and Managers From Both Canadian and U.s. Jurisdictions of the Salish Sea.to Achieve Our Objective, We Will Implement a Three-phase Plan to Leverage a Range of Existing Resources Focused Around Two Sea Duck Habitat Suitability Modeling Initiatives, One in British Columbia and One in Washington. in Phase 1, We Will Engage a Group of Experienced Analysts Working on Sea Ducks and the Habitats That Sea Ducks Use, to Identify and Assess Compatibility of Relevant Bird and Environmental Datasets, and Assess Long-term Spatial and Temporal Correlations Between Bald Eagles and Priority Sea Duck Species. While This Is Taking Place, We Will Reach Out to the Responsible Management Agencies to Understand How We Can Integrate Sea Duck Habitat Values Into Six Linked Planning Processes That Present Opportunities to Improve Conservation of Sea Duck Habitats. in Phase 2, We Will Convene Both Analysts and Conservation Managers at an In-person Workshop to Finalize the Choice of Data Layers and Recommend a Unified Approach to Modelling Sea Duck Habitat at the Scale of the Salish Sea Ecosystem. in Phase 3, We Will Complete Detailed Preparation of the Data Layers for Inclusion in the Sea Duck Model(s), Make Them Available in a Geodatabase Accompanied by a Technical Report Describing the Data Integration Framework for the Model(s), and Deliver a Webinar to the Management Agencies Focused on How Project and Model Outputs Can Best Inform Conservation Planning.birds Canada Will Facilitate the Project, Taking Responsibility for Engaging and Coordinating the Network of Analysts and Agency Leads, Organizing the Workshop and Follow-up Work. Our Analysts Will Prepare the Datasets and Support Collaborators at the University of Washington, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Audubon Washington, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Ducks Unlimited Canada. Birds Canada Will Take Responsibility for Engaging Conservation Planning Process Leads in Canada and Washington Co-investigators Will Take Responsibility for Engaging Management Agency Leads on the U.s. Side.