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
Coastal Wetlands Project Delivers High-Value Habitats
A large, newly-conserved property along Grays Harbor in Washington will protect nationally declining wetland types and support Pacific Flyway migratory birds.
Small NAWCAs Can Make a Big Difference
Three Pacific Northwest organizations were awarded 2019 Small North American Wetlands Conservation Act funds from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service this spring, benefiting birds and people along the Pacific Flyway.
Humboldt Bay continues to impress
Humboldt Bay Complex, a WHSRN site in California, got an upgrade recently when a 2018 study counted at least 500,000 shorebirds using the area. It is now designated as a site of hemispheric importance.
