The Pacific Americas Flyway spans the eastern Pacific from Alaska to the southern tip of South America. All along the way, estuaries and associated freshwater wetlands are used by millions of migrating birds to breed, rest, refuel and overwinter. Estuaries also provide essential habitat for juvenile fish and marine mammals, and of course people highly value them for hunting, fishing, birding and other recreational activities.
Thousands of large and small estuaries along the northern Pacific Flyway create an ecological network critical to migratory birds–the Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta, the Copper River Delta, Puget Sound, the Columbia River Estuary and Humboldt Bay among them. When these biologically rich estuary habitats are lost or degraded, the impacts are widely felt. Many Pacific Northwest estuaries have been significantly altered by urbanization, industrialization and other human caused changes, putting the health of fish and wildlife species at risk.
Our long-term goal for this priority is ambitious—to conserve and sustain the northern Pacific Flyway’s estuaries. We will also work to generate public support for estuary conservation flyway-wide and advocate for policies that will benefit all fish and wildlife species.
Pacific Birds is working with partners to:
Identify
the estuaries that birds need the most.
Recommend
the most effective strategies for conservation in light of current and future stressors.
Unite
stakeholders around common conservation goals and strategies.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Fraser River Delta
The Fraser River Delta, a crossroads for birds from three continents, is a major link in the Pacific Flyway network. It is a priority conservation area for Pacific Birds, due its importance to birds and the threats to the estuary’s habitats.
To learn more about the Fraser River Delta, contact Kathleen Moore, Pacific Birds Conservation Planner in British Columbia.
Recent News about Coastal Wetlands and Estuaries
NAWCA Awards Will Benefit Wetland Species
Congratulations to the most recent North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant awardees! Pacific Birds partners were awarded six grants in 2021 to conserve wetlands and associated uplands habitats.
Kenai Peninsula Project Will Protect Habitat in a Globally Important IBA
The Conservation Fund has spearheaded an acquisition project in a globally important Important Bird Area, intending to transfer the property to the Alaska State Park System when the purchase is complete.
Mapping Scoters in the Salish Sea
Scoters are not easy birds to count, at least using traditional waterfowl survey methods. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife initiated a separate survey method and recently published an interactive web map to share the data.
