The Wrack Line - December 2016 edition

Newsletter of the Florida Shorebird Alliance DECEMBER 2016 Happy Holidays!! In this issue Events & reminders FSA news FSD updates Ebb tidings Events & reminders Events: December 3: Ocean Reef Festival in Satellite Beach's Pelican Beach Park (1525 HWY A1A, Satellite Beach). Free and open to the public. More info @ http://oceanreefbeachfestival.com/. December 4 (8 - 10 AM): Winter Shorebird Stewardship Training @ The Mound House (451 Connecticut St, Ft. Myers Beach). Contact: LeeShorebirdSteward@gmail.com. December 7: Volusia Shorebird Partnership meeting @ Beach Safety Headquarters (3rd floor; 515 S. Atlantic Ave, Daytona Beach). Contact: jwinters@volusia.org.      December 14 - January 5: Audubon's 117th Christmas Bird Count. Join a count near you. January 18 - February 1: The 2017 International Piping Plover Winter Census. Details to be announced in January Wrack Line. January 25 - 30: Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival @ Eastern Florida State College, Titusville Campus. More info @ http://www.spacecoastbirdingandwildlifefestival.org/. February 5 - 11: Florida's annual Winter Shorebird Survey (a.k.a. the First Friday in February Survey). Details to be announced in the January Wrack Line. Visit our Field Notes for new announcements, updates, and opportunities… Back to top FSA news FWC approves unprecedented effort to protect vulnerable Florida wildlife Some of Florida’s most vulnerable wildlife are about to benefit from an unprecedented conservation effort designed to help ensure their survival. At its November meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a proposal to designate 13 new Critical Wildlife Areas and improve five existing CWAs. “These new and improved Critical Wildlife Areas will serve as wildlife conservation hubs­--places that function as nurseries and feeding stations for signature Florida species,” said FWC Chairman Brian Yablonski. “These small areas will have a huge impact on our vulnerable bird and wildlife populations, such as reddish egrets, roseate spoonbills and oystercatchers.” CWAs are designed to protect concentrations of vulnerable shore and wading birds and other wildlife from human disturbance during critical life stages such as breeding, feeding or migration. This year, the FWC undertook a statewide effort to identify areas where significant wildlife concentrations are subject to human-caused disturbance and where CWAs could be established to provide needed conservation, particularly for threatened species. Usually created one at a time and often years apart, this is the first time the agency has created multiple CWAs in nearly 30 years, and are among the first new CWAs in a generation. “We applaud today’s move by Chairman Brian Yablonski and the Commission on establishing and expanding Critical Wildlife Areas in Florida,” said Julie Wraithmell, Audubon Florida Deputy Director. “Audubon Florida remains committed to encouraging people to take care of and protect the places that make Florida special.” The FWC conducted a statewide effort to obtain public input on proposals to establish new or improve existing CWAs. More than 400 people attended 14 workshops held throughout the state. The workshops were designed to explain how CWAs work and why they are needed, address questions from attendees, and gather public feedback about each proposal. The FWC used the feedback from the public and stakeholders to improve the initial CWA proposals. “Much of our support is based on the trust we have built with the FWC,” said Brett Fitzgerald, executive director of the Snook and Gamefish Foundation. “We trust the FWC to do things which benefit the resource and the people.” Including the 13 newly designated CWAs, there are now 33 CWAs in Florida. To learn more about Florida's CWAs, visit http://MyFWC.com/CWA. - Reprinted from FWC press release (November 16, 2016) Terns nesting on St. George Causeway CWA. Photo taken by Megan Lamb. FWC approves historic plan to conserve imperiled species The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is moving forward with a groundbreaking attempt to achieve conservation success with dozens of imperiled species throughout the state. At its November meeting in St. Petersburg, the FWC approved the Imperiled Species Management Plan, a capstone on five years of work developing the plan, and over a decade of revising the listing process. In the plan, the details of conserving each of Florida’s 57 imperiled species are coupled with the broader approach of restoring habitats and addressing other large-scale issues essential to the long-term survival of multiple fish and wildlife species. It includes one-page summaries for each species, including a map of its range in Florida and online links to Species Action Plans. The 49 Species Action Plans contain specific conservation goals, objectives and actions for all 57 imperiled species. It also has Integrated Conservation Strategies that benefit multiple species and their habitats, and focus implementation of the plan on areas and issues As to the listing status of all the plan’s 57 species, 14 will remain state Threatened; 23 will change from Species of Special Concern to state Threatened; 5 will remain Species of Special Concern; and 15 will be removed from the imperiled species list. Those imperiled shorebirds and seabirds included in the plan will have the following listings: Snowy plover and least tern will remain state Threatened; American oystercatcher and black skimmer will change from Species of Special Concern to state Threatened; and the brown pelican will be removed from the imperiled species list, but will still be conserved. Rule changes associated with implementing the plan are anticipated to take effect in January 2017, except for those species not changing status, their conservation measures and permitting guidelines are effective now. Learn more about the plan at MyFWC.com/Imperiled.  -Reprinted from FWC press release (November 16, 2016), except for paragraph four. Christmas Bird Count begins December 14th The 117th Christmas Bird Count will begin on Wednesday, December 14th through Thursday, January 5th. During the Christmas Bird Count, tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission - often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season. Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action. From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition - and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation. To join a count near you and learn more about the Christmas Bird Count, visit http://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count -Reprinted from Audubon.org website FSD updates 2016 Breeding Season Summary In the 2016 breeding season, our monitoring partners have entered nearly 10,000 records in the Florida Shorebird Database (FSD). Thanks to everyone who contributed data this season! We will finish the Quality Control review this month, archive the 2016 data, and produce a data summary report for the 2016 breeding season (see previous years' monitoring reports). Stay tuned for that report and new training classes in the spring. Keep a look out for the 2015 annual report, which is due to be out soon with a link to the report section of the FSA website. Meanwhile, for those of you who have experience identifying wintering shorebirds, please consider participating in FWC's winter surveys. Our non-breeding shorebird protocol allows us to determine where, when, and how wintering birds use habitats at the local level, and helps us identify where we should focus management and conservation efforts. When this protocol is applied statewide, it will be used to determine populations of wintering species in Florida. To participate this winter, please contact Janell.Brush@myfwc.com.   2016 summary statistics: 1,033 shorebird nests (plovers, oystercatchers, killdeer, stilts, willets) 208 seabird colonies (terns, skimmers, gulls, pelicans) 2,681 "Roving chick" sightings 411 rooftops checked (165 with birds!) (unproofed data - 2016 report will have final numbers) Thanks again, and have a happy holiday season! Back to top Ebb tidings End notes from the editor, partner photos, etc. While you are out enjoying Florida's beaches this winter, please keep an eye out for our snow birds, like the Piping Plover and Red Knot, which are both federally listed. Our wintering shorebirds need just as much protection and appreciation as our summer and year-round residents. Get involved with a local shorebird stewardship group, or join one of the many upcoming surveys. Happy holidays to all of our wonderful partners! (Photo of a Piping Plover and Red Knot at Lt. Talbot Island SP by Patrick Leary) Back to top Love it? Love it knot? Share your thoughts with us: Email shorebird@MyFWC.com or join our Facebook group The Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) is a partnership of agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals committed to shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida. FSA partners coordinate their independent work and collaborate to address research, management, education, outreach, and public policy needs.

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