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. Estauries 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.
When biologically rich estuary habitats are lost or degraded, the impacts are widely felt. Many Pacific Northwest estuaries have been lost or significantly altered by urbanization, industrialization and other human caused changes. This has put the health of fish and wildlife species at risk and makes the estuaries less sustainable over the long term.
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
Thousands of large and small estuaries along the northern Pacific Flyway create an ecological network critical to migratory birds–the Copper River Delta, Puget Sound, the Columbia River Estuary and Humboldt Bay among them. The Fraser River Delta, a crossroads for birds from three continents, is a major link in this flyway network. It is a priority area for Pacific Birds, due its importance to birds and the existing threats to the estuary’s habitats.
To learn more, contact Kathleen Moore, Pacific Birds Conservation Planner or Brad Bales, Pacific Birds U.S. Coordinator.
Latest Priority News
A Quarter Century of National Coastal Wetlands Grants in Washington
Working closely with partners, the Washington State Department of Ecology has secured at least 67 National Coastal Wetlands Grants since the early 1990s. Partnerships work when it comes to coastal habitat conservation!
National Estuaries Week
The 2019 National Estuaries Week, a celebration of estuaries and bays, is coming up September 14-21. It is not too late to get involved.
West Coast Estuaries – Past, Present and Future
A new, open access paper reports on estuary habitat loss in Washington, Oregon and California. Out of 444 estuaries considered, 55 received more in-depth analysis, based on extensive mapping done by the Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership.
