The NPS Park Flight Migratory Bird Program

The U.S. National Park System provides critical habitat for many species of migratory birds, from raptors and shorebirds to songbirds. Continental and local declines in these bird populations have led to a concern for their future. Because these species use parks on a seasonal basis, their protection cannot be assured without conservation efforts occurring in the habitats the birds use throughout the year. This requires cooperative, coordinated programs between the United States and other Western Hemisphere countries such as the Park Flight Migratory Bird Program, to protect breeding, migration, and wintering habitats, as well as a proactive migratory bird conservation program within the National Park Service (NPS).

The Park Flight Migratory Bird Program protects shared migratory bird species and their habitats in U.S., Canadian, Latin American, and Caribbean national parks and protected areas through developing bird conservation and education projects and creating opportunities for technical exchange and cooperation.  Housed in the Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate but working closely with the Office of International Affairs, Park Flight is a collaboration between the NPS, National Park Foundation, and many international, national, and local partners.

The goals of the Park Flight Migratory Bird Program are to: 1) promote positive attitudes toward migratory birds and their conservation; 2) increase technical expertise and knowledge about bird conservation issues; and 3) improve collaboration between protected areas and divisions, and encourage self-sustaining partnerships.  The assistance provided to U.S. and other Western Hemisphere national parks and protected areas focuses on two areas relating to migratory birds: 1) species assessment, protection, and management; and 2) park interpretation, environmental education, and outreach.

Park Flight has implemented bird conservation and education projects in a number of U.S. national park units, including Aztec Ruins NM, Bandelier NM, Capulin Volcano NM, Cuyahoga Valley NP, Fire Island NS, Fort Union NHS, Gates of the Arctic NPP, Golden Gate NRA, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Kings Canyon NP, New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route, North Cascades NP, Oregon Caves NM, Pecos NHP, Point Reyes NS, and Sequoia NP. Park Flight projects have also been implemented at important bird conservation sites in Mexico, Central America and South America.

In addition to initiating these bird conservation and education projects, Park Flight Program has implemented a program of technical assistance, including training workshops, personnel exchanges, and participation of Canadian, Latin American and Caribbean professionals in U.S. National Parks through the NPS Office of International Affairs International Volunteers in Parks (IVIP) program. 

Training workshops for Park Flight grantees from U.S. and Latin American national parks and protected areas have been held at the Grand Canyon Albright Training Center on environmental education techniques and in Honduras on bird monitoring programs.

Park Flight has provided technical assistance to 8 countries.  Staff at the Chocoyero El Brujo Wildlife Refuge in Nicaragua received assistance from an NPS landscape architect who designed a boardwalk and viewing platform at an important site for resident and migratory birds. NPS planners provided assistance to parks in El Salvador and Guatemala in the creation of bird watching trails. In Honduras, an NPS wildlife biologist assisted with the instruction of biologists and park guards in field techniques for bird monitoring and conservation.

Since 2001, 85 Park Flight International Volunteers in Parks (IVIPs) from 18 countries have assisted with bird monitoring and education projects in U.S. national parks, providing an exchange of knowledge and experience, including scientific, cultural, and language. Importantly, these international internships help build capacity for migratory bird conservation in countries with shared species. Park Flight IVIPs have also helped implement a National Science Foundation Latino outreach project with Environment for the Americas, to help parks identify and overcome barriers to engaging Latino communities.

The NPS is working to broaden involvement with other national and international bird conservation initiatives, such as the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, Partners in Flight, and International Migratory Bird Day to enhance collaboration with other agencies and partners on migratory bird conservation. The NPS also develops important migratory bird policy, such as the Memorandum of Understanding between the NPS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Promote the Conservation of Migratory Birds. For more information about NPS efforts to protect migratory birds and other migratory species, visit this link.

Carol Beidleman is the Park Flight Migratory Bird Program Coordinator and can be reached at carol_beidleman@nps.gov or 970-225-3581.