Coastal Marsh Restoration: An Ecosystem approach for the Mid-Atlantic In 2024 we co-authored a document with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and partners within the US Fish and Wildlife Service to address and highlight shared goals for ecosystem restoration to benefit coastal marsh organisms including (but not limited to) our flagship species. [...]
Black Rail Adaptive Management Project The ACJV and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with support from East Carolina University, are engaged with partners in a multi-year collaborative project to develop an adaptive management framework to evaluate two approaches to habitat management for Black Rails. The first approach involves assessing the relative effects of fire and [...]
Recommendations for Monitoring Saltmarsh Sparrows on Salt Marsh Restoration Projects Saltmarsh Sparrow Restoration Monitoring Guidance This year the ACJV worked with the Saltmarsh Habitat and Avian Research Program, the USFWS Coastal and Migratory Bird Programs, and Ducks Unlimited to develop guidance for monitoring Saltmarsh Sparrows at restoration sites. This document includes suggestions [...]
Assessing Microtopography with Drones Understanding the microtopography of Black Rail habitat is critical to the design and creation of new habitat for the species; a difference in just a few centimeters of water can determine whether a Black Rail will use a certain area or avoid it completely. Field work to characterize microtopography and [...]
In the field with the Director. USFWS Coastal Marsh Visit with USFWS Director Martha Williams at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge The Director of USFWS, Martha Williams, made a visit to southern Maine in May! We had the pleasure of co-hosting her along with Rachel Carson NWR staff and our regional leadership. [...]
ACJV Project Dashboard It’s time to enter your coastal marsh projects into the ACJV Project Inventory. This inventory catalogs efforts across the Atlantic coast to conserve or restore habitat for Saltmarsh Sparrow, Black Rail and American Black Duck. The inventory provides a central hub of information for all on-the-ground conservation efforts since [...]
Fire can be a valuable tool to manage the distribution and composition of vegetation and reopen habitats for Black Rails. Susan McRae Black Rail Management Guidance Document Released The Black Rail Conservation Plan indicates the urgent need to focus habitat work in non-tidal locations where birds are relatively safe from regular flooding [...]
American Black Duck. Hal Trachtenberg Ducks Unlimited Secures Funds for Farm Bill Engineering Technician Ducks Unlimited (DU) was awarded an America the Beautiful Challenge Grant for $348,315 through NFWF to hire a Farm Bill engineering technician. This person will work with DU’s existing Farm Bill Biologist to implement NRCS wetland projects through [...]
Saltmarsh Sparrow survey efforts. Mo Correll Saltmarsh Sparrow Surveys Last summer, partners completed the second year of the 10-year resurvey effort for tidal marsh birds in coastal marshes from Maine to Virginia. Surveys occurred in all 10 states, where technicians revisited survey points originally visited in 2011 – 2014. This is part [...]
Black Rail Conservation Plan The ACJV published the Black Rail Conservation Plan in July 2020. This is the first ever comprehensive plan to conserve Black Rails. The plan lays out six priority strategies needed to achieve a sustainable population of 2,500 breeding pairs of Black Rails. Of particular note is that the plan focuses most [...]
