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Association of State
Wetland Managers


International Affairs, Office of U.S Fish & Wildlife Service

U.S. National Ramsar Committee

NWRA and Swarovski Optik of North America are holding a digital photography contest that has just started. Results are to be announced March 14, 2006 - the 103rd anniversary of the first National Wildlife Refuge. Images for the contest can be of birds, mammals, insects, fish, other animals, plants, people, or simply shots of refuge scenery. Deadline: December 2005. For further details click here.

Wetland Management and Integrated River Basin Management - Online Course
UNESCO-IHE (Institute for Water Education) and the Partnership of Water Education and Research (POWER) offer this course which begins September 1 and lasts for 4 months. Click here for more information.

Wetlands International - Asia Pacific
Taej Mundkur brings to our attention "Wetlands International Annual Review 2004" now available on the website. Pages 14-15 briefly highlight some of the work implemented under the Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy in 2004. Click here [1.4 MB in PDF format]

Wetland News from India

The Salim Ali centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore, India completed a nation-wide conservation planning process for inland wetlands with the support of UNDP and the Government of India's Ministry of Environment and Forests. For a book and/or atlas contact salimali@vsnl.com. An executive summary of the book in pdf format is available on request from wetlands@sancharnet.in

Ramsar News:

The Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda will join Ramsar in October to become Ramsar's 146th Contracting Party.

New Ramsar Sites:
Austria - has named two mire complexes "Bayerische Wildalm and Wildalmfilz" and "Moor- und Seenlandschaft Keutschach-Schiefling."
Canada - Columbia Wetlands, British Colombia.
Government of Morocco - has designated 20 new Ramsar sites
Nepal - Beeshazari and associated lakes system

For more Ramsar news click here

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
Migratory Mystery of a Secretive Sparrow Comes to Light

July 2005, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, by Michael Lipske - Through analysis of the hydrogen and carbon isotopes in the male sparrow's cap feathers, Greenberg and Marra were able to "trick the birds into revealing where they winter... Click here

WWF International
What Cost a Species?

29 July 2005, London, England - Shell’s second quarter results show an income of $5.2 billion, but ignore the social and environmental cost of their exploration, in particular around the island of Sakhalin and the impact on the critically endangered Western Gray Whales that could be driven towards extinction by the project. Click here

Russia: Bird Flu Kills Fowl in Siberia

29 July 2005, The Associated Press, by Jim Heintz, Moscow - Hundreds of fowl in Siberia have died of the same strain of bird flu that has infected humans throughout Asia, the Russian government said Friday. No human infections have been reported from the Siberian outbreak, Russia's Agriculture Ministry said in the brief statement identifying the virus as avian flu type H5N1.
Click here

Birds Devastate Crops in Nigeria

29 July 2005, BBC News, UK Edition - A plague of hungry quela quela birds has devastated up to 70% of farmers' crops in northern Nigeria. A BBC correspondent in Yobe state said farmers were in their fields beating drums to scare the birds away. The birds fly in densely packed flocks and are one of the world's most abundant species. State and local officials say more than 8,000 hectares of crops - mainly millet - has been destroyed, with tens of thousands of peasant farmers affected. "The birds are migratory; most of them came from Niger where they could not find food to eat... Click here


Dead Birds Washing Ashore from Maryland to Florida

29 July 2005, WorldNow, WBOC, by Justin Cavey - More than 500 dead sea birds have washed ashore between Maryland and Florida in the past few weeks and the cause of death is still unknown. Wildlife officials say the birds could be dying from malnutrition. They say changing currents in the ocean make it difficult for some birds to find food. Officials say global warning may also be playing a small role in the situation. They say many types of seabirds like the flow of cold water because it supplies their food and as the water gets warmer. Click here

Stamps Celebrate Seabird Return (United Kingdom)

27 July 2005, BirdLife International - One of the world's most important seabird colonies of Ascension Frigatebirds now has a brighter future thanks to an exciting and innovative project “Ascension Seabird Restoration Project” which, by June 2005, has encouraged 348 pairs of five species of seabird to return and nest on Ascension Island., remotely located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. At the time of its colonisation by Europeans in 1815, it was thought to host 20 million individual seabirds. Following a 98% crash in numbers, the seabird population on this tropical UK Overseas Territory now numbers around 400,000 individuals, mostly confined to offshore stacks and inaccessible cliffs. Click here

Piping Plovers Find a Toehold on Maine Beaches (USA)

26 July 2005, Environment News Service, by Cat Lazaroff - Every year, from early April until the end of August, Paula Mamone patrols the beaches near her home in Wells looking for the well-hidden nests of piping plovers. These tiny, sand-colored birds have found a foothold on Wells Beach and nearby Ogunquit Beach, and Mamone coordinates a small army of volunteers working with Maine Audubon to make sure that the endangered shorebirds will thrive. Click here

Make Malta Abide by European Bird Law, Groups Demand

22 July 2005, Environment News Service, Brussels, Belgium, - BirdLife International and BirdLife Malta made a formal complaint to the European Commission this week about the failure of the Maltese government to regulate bird hunting and trapping on the island nation. Malta became a member of the European Union in May of 2004 and is supposed to harmonize its laws with EU law. Every year thousands of migrating birds are shot illegally in Malta… Click here

Salt Ponds Being Returned to Wetlands (California, USA)

20 July 2005, Associated Press - One of the nation’s most ambitious environmental-restoration projects began turning industrial salt ponds on the edge of San Francisco Bay into marshes brimming with wildlife. The ponds were long used to produce salt: They were filled with the bay’s brackish water, and the water was allowed to evaporate, leaving behind salt that companies could sell for use in food, medicine and other products. The ponds will ultimately be converted into wetlands that will support wildlife. Endangered species such as the salt marsh harvest mouse and California clapper rail are also expected to move into the area. “This is one of the most dynamic, complicated restoration projects in the country and in the world,” according to Steve Thompson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service... Click here

UK to Buy Bird Flu Vaccine Stocks

20 July 2005, BBC News UK Edition - The UK government is to stockpile two million doses of vaccine to combat the H5N1 strain of bird flu currently circulating in Asia. The vaccines will be used to protect key medical and emergency workers across Britain against a possible global pandemic. The World Health Organization says a pandemic of bird flu is inevitable and could cause 50,000 deaths in the UK. Click here

Wetland Birds Hit Hard by Drought

19 July 2005, BBC News UK Edition - Wading birds in south-east England look set to be amongst the casualties of this year's drought, the RSPB has said. The numbers of lapwing, redshank and snipe have dropped by about 80% at five reserves around Kent and Sussex. The birds need boggy grassland or damp meadows in which to nest and find food. However, their numbers have tumbled over the last 25 years, particularly in lowland areas, because of climate change and low rainfall, the RSPB says. Click here

Thousands of Pelican Chicks Die at Refuge
North Dakota lake is same site as mysterious exodus last year

13 July 2005, Associated Press, Bismark, North Dakota - The Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the deaths of thousands of young white pelicans at a wildlife refuge in central North Dakota, a year after thousands of adult birds abruptly left the same location. At least 8,000 chicks may have died over the past two months, said Ken Torkelson, a spokesman for the Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Click here

Arctic Seabirds Transport Marine-Derived Contaminants

15 July 2005, Science, Vol 309, Issue 5733, 445 - Long-range atmospheric transport of pollutants is generally assumed to be the main vector for arctic contamination, because local pollution sources are rare. We show that arctic seabirds, which occupy high trophic levels in marine food webs, are the dominant vectors for the transport of marine-derived contaminants to coastal ponds. Click here

Volcanoes Curb Wetland Emissions

13 June 2005, BBC News, UK Edition - Volcanoes may have a stronger cooling effect on the Earth than previously thought, an Open University team says. In Geophysical Research Letters, the UK scientists say large eruptions can kick off a contest between different types of bacteria in peat bogs and wetlands. Click here

Warmer Oceans May be Killing West Coast Marine Life (USA)

13 July 2005, Seattle Times, Carina Stanton - Scientists suspect that rising ocean temperatures and dwindling plankton populations are behind a growing number of seabird deaths, reports of fewer salmon and other anomalies along the West Coast. Click here

Sea Life in Peril - Plankton Vanishing
Usual Seasonal Influx of Cold Water isn't Happening

12 July 2005, San Francisco Chronicle, by Glen Martin - Oceanic plankton have largely disappeared from the waters off Northern California, Oregon and Washington, mystifying scientists, stressing fisheries and causing widespread seabird mortality. The phenomenon could have long-term implications if it continues: a general decline in near-shore oceanic life, with far fewer fish, birds and marine mammals. No one is certain how long the condition will last. Click here

Toy Birds Fly Off the Shelves

11 July 2005, BirdLife International - Half a million soft toy birds have been sold in the UK since their launch in 2002, raising over £70,000 for bird conservation. The Royal Society of Protection for Birds, the BirdLife Chapter in the United Kingdom, launched a range of 12 soft toy birds back in 2002 and they have proven to be so popular that a further 18 have since been added to the range. The toys, which are made to the highest safety standards, emit an authentic recording of the bird’s song at the press of a button. Click here

New Flu Worry: Outbreak in Migratory Fowl

7 July 2005, Associated Press, by Malcom Ritter - An outbreak of bird flu among migratory waterfowl in China suggests the disease - which could trigger a dangerous flu among people - may be poised to spread to India, Australia, New Zealand and eventually Europe, scientists warn. If the migrating birds carry the H5N1 flu virus beyond its stronghold in Southeast Asia, it could devastate poultry farms and raise the risk of a deadly flu pandemic in people, experts said. Click here

Deadly Flu Strain Shows Up in Migratory Birds
Scientists' Discovery Gives Rise to Fears the Virus Could Spread Beyond East Asia

7 July 2005, Washington Post, by David Brown - The strain of bird flu responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of chickens and 54 people in east Asia over the past two years is now circulating in long-distance migratory birds, potentially opening a way for the deadly virus to reach India, Australia and Europe. Click here

Avian Flu Moves Among Wild Geese

7 July 2005, BBC News UK Edition - An outbreak of avian flu in wild geese in western China has raised fears that the virus responsible could soon spread beyond its Asian stronghold. Researchers say evidence of the H5N1 pathogen in the geese is a big concern because of the migratory animals' ability to fly huge distances. Click here

Global Warming May Threaten Ducks
South Dakota's Wetlands Could Evaporate with Climate Change

2 July 2005, Argus Leader, by Ben Shouse, Brookings, South Dakota (USA) - Hunters and environmentalists have forged a tentative alliance to conserve wildlife habitat in recent years, but new studies are nudging that alliance toward a more controversial issue: global warming. New research from South Dakota State University and a new conservation report suggest that warming could make duck habitat literally evaporate. That would force ducks eastward and out of the state's crucial pothole wetlands, which produce 95 percent of the ducks in the continental United States. "No water, no ducks, no hunting..." Click here

Easing Use of Wetlands Gets Bush's Backing (USA)

22 June 2005, St Petersburg Times, by Craig Pittman and Matthew Waite
Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill Tuesday that would make it easier for developers to destroy wetlands. The governor conceded the law has problems but said he hopes those can be fixed next year. One solution he suggested: "a new, streamlined statewide permitting system." Environmental activists say the state's permitting program already is as streamlined as it can get. Click here

Why Can't We Save the Bay? (Chesapeake Bay, USA)

June 2005, National Geographic - According to the author, Tom Horton, "Conservationists know what's wrong with the Bay and how to fix it. They also know why it won't happen soon." Horton has spent 30 years as an en vironmental reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and was one of the contributing authors in the National Geographic cover feature "Chesapeake Bay: Hanging in the Balance" 12 years ago. Click here for an excerpt.

Una herramienta para la conservación. This Spanish publication from Wetlands Internationalincludes the results of the Neotropical Waterbird Census from 2000 to 2004. During this period 355 wetland sites were surveyed in nine countries of South America. There is an Executive Summary in English. Click here for the 3.5mb PDF report.

During the past century approximately fifty percent of the world's wetlands have been destroyed, largely due to human activities. Increased human population has lead to shrinkage of wetland areas, and data show that as they shrink, their important functions decline. Reduced wetland area causes more flooding in Spring, less available water during drought, greater risk of water pollution, and less food production and reduced carbon storage. Cambridge University Press, Hardcover, 488 pages, 2005. £67.50, approx. $118/€99 Click here

Birds of Two Worlds
By Russell Greenberg and Peter Marra
This book brings together the world's experts on avian migration to discuss its ecology and evolution. The contributors move the discussion of migration to a global stage, looking at all avian migration systems and delving deeper into the evolutionary foundations of migratory behavior. Readers interested in the biology, behavior, ecology, and evolution of birds have waited a decade to see a worthy successor to the earlier classics. Click here

Job Opportunities

Full and Part-Time Bird Guides Positions Available in Costa Rica
Ornithologist guides needed for Costa Rica's premier birding lodge, Rancho Naturalista.

Two full-time positions begin December 2005 (or early January 2006) and conclude in April 2006. Ornithologist Bird Guides lead visiting guests, showing them the birds and interpreting their behavior and ecology from an ornithological perspective; includes leading day trips to other birding sites; limited hosting duties. Qualifications: Preference will be given to applicants with both ornithological and birding backgrounds; must be able to learn the local birds quickly, including identification by sight and sound, behaviors, and habitat distribution; Good people skills desirable; must be able to hike steep trails and guide for 12-hour days if needed. Spanish is helpful but not needed. For more information contact Kathleen: ranchonat@racsa.co.cr

Hydrology Positions - and more
International Water Management Institute
Colombo, Sri Lanka. 15 jobs are posted and applications will be accepted until 31 August 2005 or until the positions are filled. Click here

13 – 19 August
The 123rd American Ornithologists' Union Meeting
Santa Barbara, California, USA. Hosted by the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Click here

17 - 18 August
II International Symposium on Marbled Godwits
Snelling-Twin Cities, Minnesota. Co-convened by Adrian Farmer (United States Geological Survey), Robert Russell (USFWS), Carol L. Lively (USFWS-Prairie Pothole Joint Venture), and Guillermo Fernández (Manomet-WHSRN)


September

New
3 - 8 September
ABA Institute for Field Ornithology, West Coast Shorebirds Workshop
Burlingame, California. USA. Click here

4 – 8 September
International Symposium on Wetland Pollutant Dynamics and Control
Ghent, Belgium. Click here

6 September
River Basin Management 2005: 3rd International Conference on River Basin Management
Including all aspects of Hydrology, Ecology, Environmental Management, Flood Plains and Wetlands. Bologna, Italy. Click here

New
7 - 10 September
La XI Reunión Argentina de Ornitología
el Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, en Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr. Luis Bala of the Centro Nacional Patagónico and The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) are co-organizing with a symposium entitled “Conservation of Shorebirds: Current Projects and Future Needs,” on Friday, September 9th. Click here

12 – 18 September
Society for Ecological Restoration International Annual Meeting
A session will be held entitled "Agricultural Wetland Habitats: Assessment, mapping, revitalizing, naturalizing" Zaragosa, Spain. Topics may include cranberry, rice, forested and other wetland areas; formerly drained/tiled/flooded sites; and related regulatory, cultural and societal issues. Click here

19 September - 7 October
Interactive Training on River Basin Restoration [Based on the European Water Framework Directive and Natura 2000] Lelystad, The Netherlands. For a fact sheet in PDF format Click here

22 – 25 September
W3M conference for wetlands: monitoring, modeling, management
Wierzba, Poland. Click here

October

3 – 7 October
Peatland Ecology Research Group (PERG) Restoration Workshop
Québec, Canada, open to all those interested in studying the "Canadian way" of peatland restoration. Click here for the PERG website

6 - 9 October
3rd International Waterfowl Symposium on Anseriformes of Northern Eurasia
Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Click here for online registration and information.


12 - 16 October
Annual Waterbird Society Meeting
Jekyll Island, Georgia, at the Holiday Inn. Abstract deadline is August 15th. Registration deadline is September 15th. Anticipated symposia topics include: wood storks, shorebirds, Atlantic seabirds, and marshbirds. Three workshops are scheduled: Status of the U.S. breeding population of Wood Storks; Status of Marshbirds; and an update on the SE Regional Waterbird Plan. Click here

18 October
The Upper Bay of Panama will celebrate its recognition as a Site of Hemispheric Importance (as part of WHSRN, the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.) The date was chosen to coincide with the astronomical high tide, bringing the hundreds of thousands of shorebirds expected to be present into close viewing range. For more information, contact Rosabel Miró, President, Panama Audubon Society, rosabelmiro@mac.com.

October 18-19
Wetland and Riparian Area Legal Workshop: Identifying "Waters of the United States" After SWANCC
(Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County), Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North. Organised by The Association of State Wetland Managers Institute. Click here

23 - 27 October
3rd Meeting of the Parties of the African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA)
Dakar, Senegal, Click here

New
24 - 26 October
Western Wetland Conference, ""Collaboration Across Boundaries"
Denver, Colorado, Denver Marriott West. Click here


25 – 27 October
2nd Regional Workshop on Dredging, Beach Nourishment, and Bird Conservation
Eastern Long Island, New York, USA, Radisson Hotel Macarthur Airport. Sponsored by the American Bird Conservancy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A principal focus will be on three coastal bird groups: waterbirds, shorebirds, and Piping Plovers. For more information contact Casey Lott at American Bird Conservancy: clott@abcbirds.org

November

5 - 9 November

Wetlands International Goose Specialist Group 9th Annual Meeting
Sopron, Hungary. Contact: Prof. Dr. Sándor Farago: farago@emk.nyme.hu Click here

7 – 11 November
2nd North American Sea Duck Conference
Annapolis, MD. Sponsored by the Sea Duck Joint Venture, and by various other federal and private organizations. Sponsored by the United States Geological Survey – Patuxent Wildlife Research Center at the Loews Annapolis Hotel. Click here

Updated
8 – 15 November
9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP9) , Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Kampala, Uganda, Click here

8 – 26 November
Community–based Integrated Watershed Management
Silang, Cavite, Philippines. Organised by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), this 3–week training course intends to offer a new approach in integrating technologies and participatory strategies within the natural landscape or "watershed" for sustainable resource use, conservation and protection. Click here

15 - 16 November
Integrated Restoration of Riverine Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, and Flood Plains in Watershed Contexts
University of Massachusetts Campus Center, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. Organised by the Association of State Wetland Managers. Click here

16 - 25 November
8th Meeting of Contracting Parties of Convention on Migratory Species
Nairobi, Kenya. Click here


New
24 - 27 November
Waterbird Society Meeting, "Avian Disease and Bird Migration"
Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China, Evergreen Plaza Hotel. Click here

28 November – 2 December
3rd International Conference on Deep Sea Corals
Virginia Key, an island off the coast of Miami, Florida, USA. Offered by the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS). Click here

December

11 – 13 December
Australasian Shorebird Conference 2005
Nelson, New Zealand. Hosted by the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, the Australasian Wader Study Group, and the New Zealand Wader Study Group. [The Conference follows the Australasian Ornithological Conference which will be held in Blenheim, New Zealand 6–10 December 2005.] Contact David Melville (david.melville@xtra.co.nz) for general conference issues and Phil Battley (philbattley@quicksilver.net.nz) about the program. Click here

2006

4-7 January
Environmental Change in Lakes, Lagoons & Wetlands of the Southern Mediterranean Region (ECOLLAW): 1st International Conference
Cairo, Egypt. Organised jointly between University College London (UK) and the National Authority for Remote Sensing & Space Sciences (NARSS), stemming from the EU-INCO funded project MELMARINA (Monitoring & Modelling Coastal Lagoons: Making Management Tools for Aquatic Resources in North Africa). Email: info.ecollaw2006@geog.ucl.ac.uk Click here

February

20 – 23 February
4th Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration Training Workshop
Hollywood, Florida, USA, Anne Kolb Nature Center. The workshop includes an introduction to mangrove forest ecology, management options and problems, and restoration design issues. Case studies of 5 successful mangrove restoration projects, and several unsuccessful projects, are discussed. This course is organized by the Coastal Resources Group, Inc., and will be taught in conjunction with the Mangrove Action Project (www.earthisland.org/map). More information can be provided by Robin Lewis: LESRRL3@aol.com or click here

New
March 2006

Wetlands for Water Quality - Online Course
UNESCO-IHE (Institute for Water Education) and the Partnership of Water Education and Research (POWER) Offer this online Course. It begins March 1 and lasts for 4 months. Click here for more information.

June 2006

20th Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, Conservation Without Borders
San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California, USA. Click here

August 2006

6 – 11 August
Ecological Society of America 91st Annual Meeting
Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Click here

13 – 19 August
24th International Ornithological Congress
The Deutsche Ornithologen–Gesellschaft (DO–G, German Ornithologist's Society) and Institute of Avian Reseach 'Vogelwarte Helgoland,' Wilhelmshaven
Hamburg, Germany.

September 2006

1 – 3 September
Seabird Populations Under Pressure
Aberdeen, Scotland. To be hosted by the (UK) Seabird Group. For further information contact: Mark Tasker: mark.tasker@jncc.gov.uk

October 2006

2 – 7 October 2006
4th North American Ornithological Conference (NAOC)
Veracruz, Mexico. Other associated meetings: American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, CIPAMEX (Sección Mexicana de Consejo Internacional para la Preservación de las Aves, A. C.) , Cooper Ornithological Society, Raptor Research Foundation, Society of Canadian Ornithologists / Société des Ornithologistes du Canada, The Waterbird Society, Wilson Ornithological Society. Click here

December 2006

9 – 13 December
3rd National Conference and Expo on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, "Forging the National Imperative for Restoration"
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, Hilton Riverside Hotel. Contact Conference Planning/Program coordinator, Steve Emmett-Mattox at sem@estuaries.org

2007

June 2007

Updated
4 - 9 June
VIII Neotropical Ornithological Congress
Maturín (Monagas), Venezuela & Unión Venezolana de Ornitología. Click here

The End
1 August 2005