Congratulations to the 2024 Partnership Grantees! Learn more about the seven inspiring projects that will move conservation forward with their work.
The grantees and projects this year are:
- Cultivating cultural burning practices in Willamette Valley oak-prairie landscapes, Long Tom Watershed Council
- Conservation Assessment for Dabob Bay Natural Area, Northwest Watershed Institute
- Kachemak Heritage Land Trust and First Alaskans Institute Collaborative Partnership and Conservation Project, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust
- Protecting Alaska’s Priority Coastal Wetlands to Sustain Resilient Coastal Communities, National Audubon Society
- Lokowaka Pond Wetland Restoration, ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative
- Wetland Warriors of the Pacific, Learning Endeavors
- Keawāwa Wetland Enhancement for the Endangered ʻAlae ʻula and ʻAeʻo, Livable Hawaii Kai Hui
Over the past four years, project topics have ranged widely – supporting land acquisition, strategic planning, conferences, outreach, wildlife rehabilitation, and wetland restoration – just to name a few! All projects have one thing in common - they are helping to catalyze conservation and support the conservation priorities of the Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture. Grantees have included Indigenous groups and Tribal Nations, Nonprofit organizations, land trusts & more.
This year, we are excited about some new collaborations, including a project with Learning Endeavors, who are developing an online course incorporating Hawaiian wetland ecology, bird conservation, community science, and cultural perspectives. And we continue to grow relationships, including with the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust in support of incorporating Indigenous stewardship practices into the land trust’s conservation toolbox. Full project summaries can be found on our Partnership Grants page.
Since 2020, the program has supported over 39 projects in the U.S. that benefit native and migratory birds and their habitats, inform and inspire communities to support bird conservation, directly conserve and improve habitats, or help increase and share science and knowledge. For example, a project from last year with Bird Note led to the production of three podcast episodes featuring key species in the Pacific Birds geography, such as the Lesser Yellowlegs.
Specifically, we support projects that advance conservation in priority Coastal and Forest habitats: from Coastal Wetlands in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska to Hawai’i’s Wetlands to Oak and Prairies across the Pacific Northwest.
Hear from some of our past awardees how the grant has impacted their organization:
"Many of the intertwined objectives of this project focused on the need to incorporate Indigenous land return, Indigenous land stewardship, and traditional ecological knowledge into the conservation work we accomplish in our partnerships, and we appreciate Pacific Birds’ recognition of this need and support of these kinds of partnerships."
- Suzie Fortner, Executive Director, Friends of the Dunes
“Lomakatsi is grateful for Pacific Birds’ sponsorship of the 2023 Inter-Tribal Ecosystem Restoration Peer-to-Peer Learning Summit, which provided stipends and covered travel expenses for tribal elders and tribal presenters—including youth. Their support helped make this historic event a success, bringing together 300 tribal, agency, NGO, academic, and industry leaders to elevate tribal partnerships in collaborative forest and watershed restoration across Oregon.”
- Belinda Brown, Tribal Partnerships Director, Kosealekte Band of the Ajumawi-Atsuge Nation (federally recognized as the Pit River Tribe).
“At Oregon Agricultural Trust we know that there are enormous opportunities for native habitat conservation on farms and ranches. This fact is woven into our purpose as an organization. The partnership between Oregon Agricultural Trust and Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture has helped OAT build new connections with landscapes and partners in new geographies. Because of the partnership, we have new familiarity with the farms and ranchlands that contain habitat for many of Oregon's species of greatest conservation need.”
- Ivor Kincaide, Farmland Protection Program Director, Oregon Agricultural Trust
Our next round of applications will be open in Spring 2025. Follow along on our social channels, and our Partnership Grants page for project updates and information about future funding cycles.
