2007-2008 Avian Research Grants Program
(American Federation of Aviculture, Inc.)
The Conservation and Research Committee has
selected the following four projects for the 2007-2008 Avian
Research Grants Program.
(1) Niau Kingfisher Conservation
AFA Contact: Myles Lamont,
myles@hancockwildlife.org
The Niau Kingfisher is a critically endangered endemic to Niau
island in the South Pacific. Recent surveys have concluded that
there could be as few as 30 individuals remaining in the wild,
making it one of the most endangered species of bird in the
world. It has, unfortunately, received very little publicity
and the projects through the Pacific Islands Conservation Research
Association (PICRA) (the current organization involved with
the kingfisher research) are in need of financial support to
continue their work with this species. A recent doctoral graduate,
Dr. Dylan Kesler, who has formerly extensively studied the Micronesian
Kingfisher, is in the midst of carrying out a more in depth
study of this species biology, and financial support is needed
to aid in this species recovery. (Organization website:
http://www.picra.net)
(2) Puerto Rican Parrot (PRP) Reintroduction
AFA Contact: Janice Boyd,
jboyd46@charter.net
In the past AFA has been fortunate to have Aviary Manager Jafet
Velez speak at our Conventions about the USFWS / Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program and his
work in the PRP captive breeding aviary. Captive breeding has
raised the number of these highly endangered birds to about
200, and now there is a sufficient number of individuals available
for a major effort to reintroduce the species to the rugged
karst region of Puerto Rico, the northern interior mountainous
part of the island which harbors the island's richest biodiversity.
The Puerto Rican parrot formerly lived here in large numbers
and it is an excellent choice for the establishment of a second
wild population of the birds. The first of at least 3 releases
took place in November 2006 and this grant will provide funding
to aid in subsequent releases. (Press release at
http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2006/r06-019.html)
(3) Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program (HEBCP)
AFA Contact: Margrethe Warden,
birdbrain@mindspring.com
Hawaii is not just paradise in the United States. The islands
are home to some of the most endangered birds in the world.
In 1993, the state of Hawaii, the United States Department of
the Interior and the Zoological Society of San Diego and private
landowners joined forces in a collaborative effort to save these
fragile species. Utilizing captive breeding strategies, this
program has successfully hatched and fledged at least 750 critically
endangered birds. Financial support is necessary to continue
the fight to bring these American birds back from the brink
of extinction. (Project website
http://cres.sandiegozoo.org/projects/sp_hawaii_birds.html)
(4) Joint Conservation Grant with Loro Parque Fundación
AFA Contact: Janice Boyd,
jboyd46@charter.net
Our joint grant with Loro Parque Fundación allows AFA to team
up with one of the major organizational funders of parrot field
research projects, and with our grant to help support a project
that has been closely scrutinized by a team made up of some
of the best-known names in parrot conservation, including our
own Cooperative Breeding Program subcommittee member Dr. Susan
Clubb. Each year LPF advertises this joint grant for us during
their annual call for proposals and forwards to AFA several
projects with avicultural content that meet their criteria for
funding. AFA then reads the proposals and determines which one
of these we select for funding. LPF matches our grant of $2,500,
giving the selected project a total of $5,000. We try to have
a researcher associated with the selected project be a speaker
at one of our later Conventions. (LPF website
http://www.loroparque-fundacion.org/)
Fundraising for this year's Avian Research Grants Program runs
through summer 2007. The total amount raised will be announced
at the 2007 Convention, and funds will be disbursed in fall
2007 for project execution in 2008.
Help AFA help avian research. Please make a generous donation today: http://www.afabirds.org/2007AvianResearchGrants.shtml
