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American Bird Conservancy (ABC)
American Bird Conservancy is an international nonprofit dedicated to conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas.
Why
Since 1970, North America has lost three billion birds, or roughly one in four birds, which represents an alarming decline of many of our most cherished species, such as the Wood Thrush. While populations of some groups of birds, such as waterfowl, have increased due to successful conservation efforts, other groups, including forest and grassland birds, have not. Forest bird populations as a whole have declined by 1.2 billion birds since 1970. That means there are simply fewer individuals of many species remaining in our forests, which also means a tremendous decrease in the natural benefits of birds, such as control of forest pests and seed dispersal.
How
With 20 million acres of forestland in Michigan, it’s critical for us to be aware of how we are impacting the habitat that birds use across the state. Landowners and professional land managers can work together to create, enhance, or maintain your properties’ habitat features across the landscape.
Explore
More than a field guide, our comprehensive bird profiles provide life history, videos, sound, and photos, along with threats and conservation information. Search our library of over 400 birds of the Americas to get started!
Forestry for Michigan Birds
A Guide for Landowners
ABC has spearheaded a program titled Forestry for Michigan Birds, which is an initiative designed to help forest landowners and managers integrate healthy and sustainable forest management and planning while keeping in mind habitat needs for important forest bird species.
Forestry for Michigan Birds:
- provides educational resources
- hosts outreach events
- develops habitat management demonstration sites throughout Michigan
To learn more about the program, visit https://www.michiganaudubon.org/conservation/forestry-for-michigan-birds/
Discovering Golden-winged warbler habitat
Check out this great video
American Bird Conservancy Staff
Michael Paling | ABC Forester
Michael has worked for American Bird Conservancy since 2019 helping private and public landowners manage their forests for bird habitat. He has 10 years of experience working with private landowners and public agencies in Michigan and has been coordinating the Forestry for Michigan Birds since 2021. Paling graduated from Michigan Tech in 2016 with BS in Forestry.
Contact
Michael Paling | ABC Forester
Alger Conservation District
Frequently Asked Questions about American BIRD CONSERVANCY
To learn more about habitat management opportunities on your property, reach out to Michael Paling to request a free, on-site property visit at mpaling@abcbirds.org or 906-251-3065!
ABC employs a team of foresters and biologists throughout the Great Lakes Region to help private and public landowners understand how their land plays its part for bird habitat across the landscape. ABC’s Michigan Forester, Michael Paling, works with landowners by assessing the habitat conditions on their property, creating a plan of action to address issues, secure funding to complete the work, and complete management projects benefiting birds and wildlife habitat overall.
ABC works with several funding programs from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to help landowners offset some of the costs incurred during habitat management. The specific amount of funding changes each year, so it is best to talk with American Bird Conservancy staff to get a complete picture of the available funding.
Acreage minimums depend on your goals for habitat management. Technically, there is no minimum acreage to apply for any NRCS-related program. However, programs specific to improve the habitat for the Golden-Winged Warbler will focus on projects over 5 acres in size because this bird requires large tracts of suitable habitat for its breeding grounds.
Outside of the project site where we’re working on your property: None. Within the project site, if you have signed a management plan you have agreed to complete the activities detailed within it throughout your contracts term.
We accept applications at any time of the year, and we can begin planning the project, but the NRCS has an application sign-up deadline that changes each year. Until this application deadline, we won’t officially be able to process any NRCS application paperwork. Still, it’s essential to submit application forms as soon as you know you’re interested in the program because a lot of internal paperwork takes time to complete. We can always cancel the application later with no repercussions. As for starting the project, we can’t begin until the funding is officially obligated for you, which is typically 2 to 3 months after the sign-up deadline. We also do not allow any work to be completed during the bird breeding season between April and August, so the work typically occurs in the fall and winter.
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Alger Conservation District
101 Court Street, Munising, MI 49862