southern wings

About Southern Wings:
Southern Wings facilitates state fish and wildlife agency participation in the conservation of priority migratory birds across their annual lifecycle (breeding, migration, and nonbreeding sites). Birds are not aware of political borders, but their challenges transcend these boundaries and so must our planning and initiatives on their behalf.

Forty-one state fish and wildlife agencies have contributed almost $3.6 million to the conservation of 81 Species of Greatest Conservation Need migratory bird species on stop-over sites and wintering grounds to complement in-state investment in 24 different projects in 11 countries.

SOUTHERN WINGS:
• offers an easy, transparent, and flexible process for states to effectively conserve their migratory bird species of greatest conservation need when they are not in the U.S.;
• is a critical complement to in-state investment on migratory bird stop over and breeding habitats;
• leverages limited state funds;
• can provide non-federal match for State Wildlife Grants and Pittman-Robertson funds;
• identifies strategic, biologically relevant projects with high quality partners that provide the most bang for your conservation buck;
• helps keep species off the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by addressing annual life cycle conservation needs; and
• provides an effective and efficient way to engage in successful conservation partnerships and the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA), the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and other funding sources.

AFWA and the Southern Wings:
Southern Wings, a partnership of state fish and wildlife agencies, was created in 2009 by AFWA's Bird Conservation Committee and approved by the AFWA Business meeting to provide a mechanism for state wildlife agencies to partner in conservation projects for shared priority species with partners in Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. In 2012, AFWA endorsed the 10-Year Vision and encouraged states to strive to maximize their voluntary funding for annual life cycle conservation in support of the 10-year Vision to achieve the $2 million annual goal for the conservation of shared priority species via an AFWA resolution. Southern Wings is coordinated by AFWA but lead by the state fish and wildlife agencies.

AFWA Staff:
Deb Hahn
dhahn@fishwildlife.org
202-838-3458