Our mission is to plan for and facilitate bird habitat conservation, research, and outreach in an effort to ensure sustainable populations of priority bird species in the Edwards Plateau and Oaks and Prairies Bird Conservation Regions in Oklahoma and Texas.
Species of Concern
At least 450 avian species have been documented within the Oaks and Prairies and the Edwards Plateau. Species of Conservation Concern range from Eastern Meadowlark Northern Bobwhite, Painted Bunting, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. Within this changing landscape, numerous avian species have undergone precipitous declines. Northern Bobwhite populations in the Oaks and Prairies region have plummeted 4 to 8-fold in the last 25 years, while hunter harvest has dropped 4 to 9-fold during the same time period. Half of the breeding bird species in grassland habitats in Oklahoma are experiencing long-term declines. Breeding birds in shrub habitats show similar population trends. Texas, and one third of these species in Texas are experiencing long-term declines. Breeding birds in shrub habitats show similar population trends.
Strategic Habitat Conservation
The Joint Venture approach to avian conservation, Strategic Habitat Conservation, involves a number of tools including: designing conservation strategies (Plan), helping to implement those strategies (Do), and conducting follow-up monitoring and research (Learn). The end result is a Strategic Habitat Conservation framework that links and strengthens these conservation tools as a repeating cycle of planning, doing, and learning.
