The ACJV Management Board has made a strong commitment toward moving the needle on conservation for coastal marsh birds and their habitat. To demonstrate this commitment, they have developed and approved the first ever ACJV funding instrument to support high-priority ACJV projects. This instrument allows JV staff to bring projects before the Board for funding consideration. Interested partners commit their support to approved projects and total project costs are then divided across participating partners. In this way, partners can collectively support JV efforts while minimizing their individual financial burden. Most importantly, it allows the JV to be nimble in pursuing and implementing projects by removing one significant barrier – lack of funding – that can delay projects by months or years.
Upon establishment of the funding instrument, the Board immediately approved their first ACJV flagship project – development of a Black Rail conservation action plan and habitat prioritization. JV staff are now moving forward to develop workshops and GIS spatial tools to inform the plan.