Strategic Plan for the North American Breeding Bird Survey

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Circular 1307

Strategic Plan for the North American Breeding Bird Survey: 2006-2010

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1. Magnolia Warbler2. Hooded Oriole3. Red-breasted Nuthatch


Prepared in cooperation with Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service and Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity

Circular 1307

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Department of the InteriorDIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary

U.S. Geological SurveyMark D. Myers, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007

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Suggested citation:U.S. Geological Survey, 2007, Strategic Plan for the North American Breeding Bird Survey: 2006-2010: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1307, 19 p.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Author1LastName, Author1FirstName Q.Title of book/ Author Listp. cm. –(U.S. Geological Survey professional paper ; 0000)Includes bibliographic references.1. Subject heading. 2. Subject heading. 3. Subject heading. I. Main entries. II.Main entries. III. Main entries.TN24.M9 M55 2002553’.09786’6—dc21

2001051109ISBN 0-607-97815-9 (Set)ISBN 0-607-97815-7 (Volume 1)ISBN 0-607-97815-5 (Volume 2)

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Contents

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................ivAcknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................ivExecutive Summary .......................................................................................................................................vWhat is the North American Breeding Bird Survey? ...............................................................................1Who participates in the BBS? .....................................................................................................................1History of the BBS..........................................................................................................................................1What is the purpose of the North American Breeding Bird Survey? ....................................................2How are BBS data used?..............................................................................................................................3What are the organizational context and role of the program? .............................................................4Strategic Goals of the North American Breeding Bird Survey ..............................................................5References Cited............................................................................................................................................8

Figures 1. BBS participants come from all walks of life. However, 54 percent are natural

resource professionals ................................................................................................................1 2. Total number of BBS routes sampled annually, 1966 – 2005 .................................................5

Tables 1. Strategic Plan goals, strategies, objectives, actions, outcomes, and measures

for achieving the mission of the North American Breeding Bird Survey program ..........10 2. Timeline for accomplishing action items ................................................................................16

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A publication of the North American Breeding Bird Survey program under the auspices of the U.S. Geological Survey, Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service, and Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity.

ForewordIn November 2005, a group of experts and stakeholders in the North American Breeding

Bird Survey (BBS) met to assist in the development of a 5-year strategic plan for the program. The primary charge of workshop participants was to revisit and revise the tasks remaining from the 2000 review, to identify emerging issues, and to set priorities for making progress on those tasks over the next 5 years. The larger context for this workshop was to develop a work plan for the BBS that helps meet the broader strategic goals of the project organizers, the U.S. Geologi-cal Survey and the Canadian Wildlife Service, including the establishment of a Mexican BBS program in collaboration with the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodi-versity. Although placed in the context of a 5-year timeframe, it is recognized that full imple-mentation of the plan may take decades. As such, the strategic plan should be revisited every 5 years to evaluate progress and reprioritize goals, objectives, and strategies as necessary.

AcknowledgmentsThe value of this Plan lies in the input it incorporates from a wide variety of experts and

stakeholders. Participants in the initial face-to-face discussions, organized by Keith Pardieck and David Ziolkowski, Jr., and facilitated by Karen Buehler (K.L. Buehler and Associates, Inc., Alexandria, Va.) and Tom Will, included the following:

Name OrganizationHumberto Berlanga National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity

(Mexico) / North American Bird Conservation InitiativeConnie Downes Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife ServicePaul V. Dresler USGS Status and Trends ProgramErica H. Dunn Environment Canada / Partners in FlightCharles M. Francis Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service Michael Green USFWS Migratory Bird Office (Region 1)Marshall A. Howe USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research CenterEduardo E. Iñigo-Elias Cornell Laboratory of OrnithologyNeal D. Niemuth USFWS Habitat and Population Evaluation TeamKeith L. Pardieck USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research CenterJ. Andy Royle USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research CenterJohn R. Sauer USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research CenterTodd Schneider Georgia Department of Natural ResourcesTed R. Simons North Carolina State Univ./USGS Coop. Research UnitWayne E. Thogmartin USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Science CenterTom C. Will USFWS Migratory Bird Office (Region 3) / Partners in FlightSartor O. Williams, III New Mexico Department of Game and FishDavid J. Ziolkowski, Jr. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

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Unable to attend the initial discussions, Peter Blancher and Brian Collins provided written comments for consideration. Input from additional experts was sought on early drafts of this Plan, and the final version benefited from contributions made by Jim Nichols, Ken Pollock, and Terry Rich.

Special thanks go to Tom Will for serving as the workshop facilitator on the second day, and to Erica Dunn for composing the initial draft Plan. Keith Pardieck compiled and edited subsequent iterations, and advanced the draft Plan through its final stages. Dave Ziolkowski, Jr.. compiled photos and figures, and prepared captions.

We also acknowledge Dale Simmons and Denis Sun of USGS Publishing Service Center 3, who provided final copy editing and layout design services for this publication.

The USGS Status and Trends of Biological Resources Program, Biological Resources Discipline, funded publication of this Plan.

Executive SummaryThe mission of the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is to provide scientifi-

cally credible measures of the status and trends of North American bird populations at conti-nental and regional scales to inform biologically sound conservation and management actions. Determining population trends, relative abundance, and distributions of North American avifauna is critical for identifying conservation priorities, determining appropriate conservation actions, and evaluating those actions. The BBS program, jointly coordinated by the U.S. Geo-logical Survey and Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service, provides the U.S. and Canadian Federal governments, state and provincial agencies, other conservation practitioners, and the general public with science-based avian population trend estimates and other informa-tion for regional and national species’ population assessments.

Despite the demonstrated value of the BBS for furthering avian conservation across North America, its importance is often underappreciated, and it is underfunded compared with many other government-supported programs that report on status of the environment. Today, BBS resources, adjusted for inflation, are below the amount allocated in the 1970s and are still only sufficient to support two biologists. Yet the number of routes, participants, data, and data requests has quadrupled. Data and information management and delivery requirements and security concerns, non-existent in 1966, impose further demands on BBS resources. In addition, the Mexican expansion of the BBS offers new hope for a truly continental approach to avian conservation, but also brings additional challenges. Meeting the goals of this plan will take

The Rusty Blackbird is an ecologically unique species with more than 80 percent of its breeding population in the northern boreal forest. Poorly sampled and widely believed to be declining, this species illustrates the need for expanded monitoring effort in the region. Photo by Gerhard Hofmann.

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cooperation among myriad stakeholders; yet, even with collaboration, most objectives of this plan will be unattainable if BBS program support is not increased.

The BBS developed this strategic plan to help set priorities and identify resources required for the program to continue to meet the evolving needs of the conservation community for information on bird population change. By setting clear goals, strategies, and measures of success, this plan provides a cohesive framework and vision for maintenance and develop-ment of the BBS. The plan identifies two major goals for the BBS, with a number of strategies and objectives to achieve these goals. Over the next 5 years, progress made in addressing each long-term goal and its associated 5-year strategies and objectives will gage the plan’s success. Specific actions, projected outcomes, and measures of success related to accomplishing these are outlined in Table 1, with a timeline in Table 2.

The two main goals for the program, with a summary of the strategies to achieve them, are:

Goal 1: Collect scientifically credible measures of the status and trends of North American bird populations at continental and regional scales.

The North American Breeding Bird Survey will continue to support North American natu-ral resource conservation through the collection of scientifically credible measures of the status and trends of continental bird populations. While doing this, the BBS will work to improve the science behind the program to better meet its mission and the changing needs of the avian conservation community. In partnership with collaborators, the BBS will address detec-tion probability bias and habitat bias, improve analytical methods, and more fully assess and account for observer quality. Moreover, the BBS will improve the quality and breadth of avian population data through strategic increases in route density and the establishment of a Mexican BBS program.

Goal 2: Ensure BBS data and analytical results are widely available and easily acces-sible for use by the avian conservation and management communities.

At the heart of the BBS lies a four-million-record database containing more than 40 years of data on more than 600 bird species. These data are of no value if not well maintained, appropriately analyzed, and widely and easily accessible. The USGS has greatly improved data management and accessibility in recent years. Trend estimates were first made available via the Internet in the mid-1990s, followed closely by the raw data with baseline metadata and standard operating procedures. Nevertheless, numerous enhancements to data management and the usability of BBS results will greatly improve the ability of the BBS to serve avian conserva-tion goals. The BBS needs to ensure that BBS data and results presented on the web site use the best data-management practices and statistical methods, with adequate documentation for users to understand them and any differences between different trend estimates. Moreover, the BBS needs to increase communication with BBS partners and stakeholders to ensure that it continues to meet the avian population status and trends needs of the conservation community and to encourage the development of new products. Working with collaborators, the BBS will develop tools for integrating environmental parameters like habitat change into the analyses, and for integrating BBS data with other avian survey results. In addition, the BBS will continue to improve data and database management through the incorporation of additional data and data fields, such as georeferenced stop locations and more complete metadata for the raw data and results, thus enhancing the uses that can be made of the data.


What is the North American Breeding Bird Survey?

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is an international avian survey, conducted annually during the breeding season along thousands of roadside survey routes in the United States and Canada. Each route is 24.5 miles (39.2 km) long with counting locations placed at half-mile (800-m) intervals, for a total of 50 stops. At each stop, an observer skilled in avian identification conducts a 3-minute point count, recording every bird seen within a quarter-mile (400-m) radius and every bird heard. Operational for more than 40 years, the BBS has proven to be an inexpensive means of assessing range-wide population trends of a large number of species (Robbins and others, 1986).

Today the BBS provides the foundation for non-game, landbird conservation in North America with more than 2,200 skilled participants sampling 3,000 routes annually across the continental U.S. and southern Canada. Each year long-term population trends are calculated for more than 400 of the greater than 650 bird species recorded on BBS routes. These trends inform researchers and wildlife managers of significant changes in bird population levels and are utilized, along with other indicators, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cana-dian Wildlife Service, state wildlife agencies, and Partners in Flight to establish national and regional avian conservation priorities. Trends, along with both raw and summarized data, are made available on the Internet (http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/).

Who participates in the BBS?More than 8,000 individuals have participated in the

BBS over the last 4 decades, 75 percent of U.S. participants on a volunteer basis (87 percent of Canadian participants). Although the majority of participants are natural resource professionals, they come from all walks of life, including homemakers, students, business people, teachers, doctors, law-yers, scientists, and retirees, to name but a few (Fig. 1). The common threads that bind them to the BBS are their interest in birds, their desire to assist in avian conservation through better scientific knowledge, and their excellent avian identification skills.

Figure 1. BBS participants come from all walks of life. However, 54 percent are natural resource professionals. (Source: 1997 USFWS BBS Participant Survey Results (http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/bbsnews/Poll98/))

History of the BBSIn the early 1960s, widespread pesticide use, while

potentially effective at controlling many harmful insects, was strongly suspected to be having harmful effects on bird popu-lations. Unfortunately, no long-term regional or continental population data were available for most bird species, making it difficult to demonstrate changes in bird populations. In a bold initiative to remedy this information gap, Chandler S. Robbins and colleagues in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Field-tested in Maryland and Delaware in 1965, the BBS was officially launched in 1966, utilizing 600 roadside routes to obtain range-wide population data on breeding birds in the eastern U.S. and Canada, with Tony Erskine taking the lead for the Canadian Wildlife Service. By 1968, the BBS sampled more than 1,200 routes and encompassed the contiguous United States and the southern half of all Canadian provinces. The BBS has steadily grown since then to include more than 4,100 routes.

In excess of 300 scientific and conservation-based articles utilizing BBS data and trends have been published. Chandler Robbins, Danny Bystrak, and Paul Geissler firmly established the utility of the BBS for tracking large-scale avian popula-tion changes through their 1986 watershed publication, “The Breeding Bird Survey: Its First Fifteen Years, 1965 – 1979” (Robbins and others, 1986). In it they provided baseline popu-lation trend estimates for 230 North American bird species, documented the effects of extreme weather events on birds, and tracked the expansion of exotic and introduced species. In

NaturalResource

Professionals54%

Other47%

1% Gov. - other

9% University

4% Educ.-other

9% Nat. Res.-other

12% State

13% Fed

5% Retired

1989, BBS data were instrumental in documenting large-scale population declines of neotropical migrant woodland bird species in eastern North America (Robbins and others, 1989), galvanizing research and conservation efforts to identify and reverse the causes of those declines. More recently, BBS data focused conservation attention on the plight of declining grass-land bird populations (Peterjohn and Sauer, 1996; Peterjohn and Sauer, 1999; Pardieck and Sauer, 2000). Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, Partners in Flight, and the North American Bird Conservation Initiative rely upon the BBS, along with other indicators, to assess avian conservation priorities.

To ensure the continued relevance of the BBS to the goals of the sponsoring agencies, the USGS Patuxent Wild-life Research Center convened a Peer Review Panel in April 1999 to review scientific and operational aspects of the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The Panel noted the excep-tional cost-effectiveness with which BBS fulfills a large num-ber of important agency goals. They also recognized several aspects of the Program that should be addressed if the BBS is to maintain and increase its value for conservation purposes. These included technical issues related to BBS data collection, issues relating to BBS Office operations and management, and suggestions for new program directions (O’Connor and others, 2000). Of the 32 Panel recommendations, 8 have been completed, 12 have not been initiated, and 12 are ongoing, including BBS expansion into Mexico.

Efforts to make the BBS a truly North American program began in earnest in the early 1990s with a 3-year pilot project

to investigate the feasibility of establishing a Mexican BBS program. Study results indicated that expansion of the BBS into northern Mexico was technically feasible, but institutional and ornithological support within Mexico was insufficient at the time to maintain a long-term commitment. A decade later, the Mexican avian conservation community has grown sub-stantially, as has their need for better avian population trend information. To this end, the Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity has partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Canadian Wildlife Service to establish a Mexican BBS by 2010.

What is the purpose of the North American Breeding Bird Survey?

The purpose of the BBS is captured in its mission state-ment:

The North American Breeding Bird Survey provides scientifically credible measures of the status and trends of North American bird populations at con-tinental and regional scales to inform biologically sound conservation and management actions.

A key feature of the BBS that distinguishes it from most other avian monitoring programs is the breadth of its geo-graphical coverage. It is unique in providing annual informa-tion on distribution, abundance, and trends across most of

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Native to the western U.S., the expansion of the House Finch from a small introduced population in the northeast is illustrated here using data from four time periods. Such maps provide a dramatic example of how BBS data can be used to chart distributional changes in both native and exotic bird species.

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for development of models that associate bird counts with environmental features such as habitat, landscape features, and weather;

to test predictions from models of bird population change and the factors that might influence change;

for scientific studies investigating underlying variation in bird populations.

Provide avian count data for estimating species’ popula-tion sizes:

to inform selection of population goals;

to assess population status relative to population goals.

How are BBS data used?Results of the BBS are used in numerous ways “to inform

biologically sound conservation and management actions,” and new means of doing so continue to be developed. Some of the ways BBS accomplishes this, with examples of each, include the following:

Helps identify priorities for conservation, manage-ment, and additional research. The Partners in Flight North American Landbird Conservation Plan (Rich and others, 2004) drew heavily on BBS results to identify species and ecosystems of high conservation concern and stewardship responsibility.

Assesses response of bird populations to collective conservation and management activities across their

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The Eastern Meadowlark population trend summary from 1966 to 2005 illustrates the steady population decline witnessed for this species. Grassland birds as a whole have experienced steeper, more consistent declines than any other avian group during this period. Photo by Gary Rosenberg. Graph source: Sauer and others, 2005.

How are BBS data used? �

the breeding ranges of hundreds of species simultaneously. Because population change may differ among regions, no other survey is as useful as the BBS for documenting the status of relatively common and widespread species at a near-continental scale.

The primary functions of the BBS, in order of impor-tance, are to:

Measure avian population change to help identify species’ priorities for conservation, including:

estimation of interval-specific change (population trend) for time periods of management and scientific interest;

estimation of annual indices that also capture annual variation in bird numbers;

estimation of spatial patterns of population change.

These estimates will be made:

for individual species and for defined groups of species (environmental indicators, community guilds);

within Bird Conservation Regions or larger areas;

at a resolution and accuracy useful for large-scale con-servation planning (e.g., the Partners in Flight target: 80-percent power to detect a 50-percent decline over 20 years using a 2-tailed test and significance of 0.10 (Dunn and others, 2005)).

Provide avian count data for model-based conservation planning:

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ranges. BBS data are increasingly being used to esti-mate population size, set population objectives, and keep track of annual changes in populations to deter-mine whether targets are being met.

Provides context for local- to regional-scale abundance and trends, so they can be appropriately interpreted. Population changes in natural reserves (such as national parks) or in areas of habitat management (such as riparian restoration projects or forestry tracts) must be interpreted in the context of broad-scale population changes that take place independently of local action.

Contributes data to a wide variety of research and con-servation applications. BBS counts can be combined with habitat and other data to develop spatially explicit models that provide insight into causative factors and broad-scale patterns in distribution and abundance, which in turn provide guidance for conservation action.

Provides basic biological data on the distribution and abundance of North American birds that are used for educational purposes. Relative abundance estimates; species richness estimates; and species lists for routes, states, regions, and countries derived from BBS data are used to demonstrate biological principles in the

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classroom and provide regionally explicit information on bird distributions to the general public. Such data can also be used to inform policy makers of the impor-tance of various ecosystems and regions for mainte-nance of avian biodiversity.

What are the organizational context and role of the program?

The BBS is run jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of the program on Status and Trends of Bio-logical Resources, and by Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS). It helps to address specific USGS goals of measuring biological health, and responds to the needs of scientists, land and resource managers, policy mak-ers, and the public. BBS contributes to the CWS mandate to conserve wildlife and the ecosystems of which they are a part. While the BBS is not yet established in Mexico, the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) is committed to the development of a Mexican BBS program to address avian population information needs in that country and complete the continental picture.

Strategic Goals of the North American Breeding Bird Survey

The two primary goals of the BBS program are inter-related and of approximately equal importance.

Strategies within each goal are listed in approximate order of priority.

Objectives listed are all high priority within their respective Strategy.

Action items to achieve specific objectives are listed in Table 1, and are labelled as H(igh), M(edium), or L(ow) prior-ity. Low-priority items may be addressed early on if they are easy to do without deflecting attention from higher priority actions. Priorities are the same for all participating countries except where otherwise noted. Table 2 indicates the timeline for accomplishing each action.

These goals flow directly from the BBS mission state-ment and provide the framework for guiding future work on the Breeding Bird Survey:

Goal 1: Collect scientifically credible mea-sures of the status and trends of North American bird populations at continental and regional scales.


It should be understood that many of the objectives and actions outlined below for meeting these goals address new

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work or support that is needed to further strengthen the BBS. Additional resources are therefore required, beyond those currently allocated to the ongoing program, to achieve these goals.

Goal 1: Collect scientifically credible mea-sures of the status and trends of North American bird populations at continental and regional scales.

Strategy 1A: Build sufficient financial and in-kind support for the BBS to ensure continued operation of the BBS program, while enhancing the scientific credibility, improving geographic coverage, and increasing use and availability of the data.

Despite the demonstrated value of the BBS for further-ing avian conservation across North America, the importance of BBS is often underappreciated, and underfunded compared with many other government-supported programs that report on status of the environment. Beginning in the early 1970s when the BBS consisted of little more than 1,000 routes, the U.S. staff consisted of two biologists to coordinate the effort and to receive, manage, analyze, and make available the infor-mation collected. Today, BBS resources within the U.S. office, adjusted for inflation, are below the amount allocated in the 1970s and still are sufficient to support only two biologists. Yet the number of routes, participants, data, and data requests has quadrupled (Fig. 2). Data and information management and delivery requirements and security concerns, non-existent

Strategic Goals Of The North American Breeding Bird Survey 5

Figure 2. Total number of BBS routes sampled annually, 1966 – 2005. (Includes route totals from Mexican pilot project conducted 1993 – 1995.)

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in 1966, impose additional demands for BBS resources. Cur-rent resource levels are barely sufficient to maintain the survey at current levels; additional resources are needed to implement most of the actions identified in this plan.

Objective 1A1: Increase awareness of policy mak-ers and management agencies of the existence and value of the BBS program, and use this awareness to increase support for the program.

Objective 1A2: Ensure an adequate volunteer participant base through increasing support to state/provincial/territorial coordinators and continued development and implementation of ideas for reten-tion and recruitment of participants.

Objective 1A3: Ensure database and electronic infrastructure (e.g., web connectivity) are adequately supported to meet ever-changing technological advances and security concerns to enable timely and accurate data collection and distribution.

Strategy 1B: Strengthen the scientific credibility of BBS results at continental and regional scales.

Although BBS data are currently widely used for many different purposes, there are concerns about possible bias due to variation in detection probabilities, uneven habitat cover-

age, and observer quality. The proportion of birds detected is known to vary among species, habitats, time of day, date in season, observer, amount of traffic, and many other factors. Systematic variation in detection probabilities over time or space could bias estimates of population attributes. A major limitation of the BBS is that routes are laid out on roads. Roads may not sample certain types of habitat, and trends in both habitat and birds may be different along roads than else-where. Routes with increasingly heavy traffic are abandoned, potentially introducing another habitat bias. BBS participants are skilled observers, often with years of field experience. Nonetheless, skill levels are not equal and there is no docu-mentation of skill levels. Documenting skill levels could increase confidence in the survey, and reducing variation in skill levels could increase precision of estimates.

Objective 1B1: Implement projects to evaluate the magnitude of potential bias due to variation in detection probability associated with species detection variation, observer variation, and traffic noise and habitat issues, and determine whether any approaches for estimating detection probability can be routinely implemented in the BBS.

Objective 1B2: Evaluate the magnitude of potential bias associated with non-random coverage of habi-tats, considering differences in habitat availability and habitat change along BBS routes compared with

Scaled Quail RangeScaled Quail on BBS, 2000 - 2005

The distribution of the Scaled Quail, a popular game bird of the southwestern U.S., extends into poorly monitored regions of northern Mexico. Comprehensive population assessments for this and other cross-border species are hampered by the lack of corresponding data from these regions. Photo by Gary Rosenberg. Map source: revised from Schemnitz, 199�.


the broader landscape as well as differences in bird distribution and detectability in relation to roadsides, and develop analytic or operational strategies for addressing any resultant bias.

Objective 1B3: Develop assessment and training tools to assess current skill levels of observers, and to enhance skill levels, particularly for new recruits, thus reducing variation in observer effects.

Strategy 1C: Improve geographic coverage of the BBS.

BBS routes were initially set up evenly across the survey area. However, routes have been added in regions with high volunteer density, and existing routes are not always covered. Much of northern Canada is not sampled at all, so data for many species come from only a small proportion of a species range. As a result, trend information for those species cannot be considered reliable, as it only represents a small portion of their range. No routes are currently run in Mexico, but Dunn and others (2005) estimated that a BBS-style program could provide adequate population trend estimates for more than 80 bird species found in northern Mexico.

Objective 1C1: Increase BBS route coverage in areas within the current BBS area that are currently undersampled, through strategic recruitment or real-location of existing volunteers.

Objective 1C2: Work with Mexican authorities to expand the BBS into Mexico by the year 2010.

Objective 1C3: Develop innovative approaches to survey poorly sampled areas in such a way that data can be integrated with the larger database for analytic purposes. Options to be considered include short routes, off-road routes, use of microphone recordings to calibrate observer effects, etc.


Strategy 2A: Ensure that BBS data and results presented on the web site use the best data-man-agement practices and statistical methods, with

adequate documentation for users to understand them.

Results from the BBS can be used to inform conservation and management actions only if the data, results from analyses of those data, and interpretations of those results are all widely and easily available to users. Data must be available in ways that are easily understood by users, and analyzed in statisti-cally defensible ways. Currently, population trend estimates are provided on both USGS and CWS web sites, but using different statistical methods, with somewhat different results. Furthermore, new statistical approaches (e.g., hierarchical models) have been published, and presented as improvements, but not yet implemented in an operational context. Such diver-sity of approaches, while a healthy component of scientific research, can confuse users and undermine credibility of the survey if not adequately documented and explained. Data-management needs are also evolving as the survey expands, as additional data are collected (such as detectability measures or habitat data), and with increased demand for interoperability with other programs.

Objective 2A1: Continue to improve and add value to the results and information presented on the BBS web site by ensuring that the most appropri-ate analysis methods are used, that these methods provide the information required by users, and that the approaches are adequately documented.

Objective 2A2: Continue to improve database management to cope with increased data collection, and to ensure that best available data-management practices are met.

Strategy 2B: Increase communication with BBS partners and stakeholders to ensure BBS con-tinues to meet the avian population status and trends needs of the conservation community and to encourage the development of new products.

The successful execution of this Plan and the continued relevance of the BBS for avian conservation depend upon open communication between BBS partners and stakeholders.

Objective 2B1: Increase communications with key users of BBS data.

Objective 2B2: Promote development of products by partners that synthesize and interpret BBS results.

Strategic Goals Of The North American Breeding Bird Survey �

References Cited

Dresler, P.V., James, D.L., Geissler, P.H., Bartish, T.M., and Coyle, J., 2004, Strategic plan for the U.S. Geological Survey Status and Trends of Biological Resources Program: 2004-2009: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1277, 23 p.

Dunn, E.H., Altman, B.L., Bart, J., Beardmore, C.J., Berlanga, H., Blancher, P.J., Butcher, G.S., Demarest. D.W., Dettmers, R., Hunter, W.C., Iñigo-Elias, E.E., Panjabi, A.O., Pashley, D.N., Ralph, C.J., Rich, T.D., Rosenberg, K.V., Rustay, C.M., Ruth, J.M., and Will, T.C., 2005, High priority needs for range-wide monitoring of North American landbirds: Partners in Flight Technical Series, No. 2, September 2005, on the World Wide Web at URL http://www.partnersinflight.org/pubs/ts/02-MonitoringNeeds.pdf

Link, W.A., and Sauer, J.R., 2002, A hierarchical analysis of population change with application to Cerulean Warblers: Ecology, v. 83, p. 2832-2840.

O’Connor, R.J., Dunn, E., Johnson, D.H., Jones, S.L., Petit, D., Pollock, K., Smith, C.R., and Welling, E., 2000, A programmatic review of the North American Breeding Bird Survey: Report of a peer review panel to the U.S. Geologi-cal Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Md., February 2000, on the World Wide Web at URL http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/bbsreview/

Peterjohn, B.G., and Sauer, J.R., 1996, The 1994 and 1995 summary of the North American Breeding Bird Survey: Bird Populations, v. 3, p. 48-66.

Peterjohn, B.G., and Sauer, J.R., 1999, Population status of North American grassland birds from the North American Breeding Bird Survey, in Vickery, P.D., and Herkert, J.R., eds., Ecology and conservation of grassland birds in the Western Hemisphere: Lawrence, Kansas, Allen Press, Inc., Studies in Avian Biology, v. 19, p. 27-44.

Pardieck, K.L., and Sauer, J.R., 2000, The 1995-1999 sum-mary of the North American Breeding Bird Survey: Bird Populations, v. 5, p. 30-48.

Rich, T.D., Beardmore, C.J., Berlanga, H., Blancher, P.J., Bradstreet, M.S.W., Butcher, G.S., Demarest, D.W., Dunn, E.H., Hunter, W.C., Iñigo-Elias, E.E., Kennedy, J.A., Mar-tell, A.M., Panjabi, A.O., Pashley, D.N., Rosenberg, K.V., Rustay, C.M., Wendt, J.S., and Will, T.C., 2004, Partners in Flight North American Landbird Conservation Plan: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y., March 2005, on the World Wide Web at URL http://www.partnersinflight.org/cont_plan/

Robbins, C.S., Bystrak, D., and Geissler, P.H., 1986, The Breeding Bird Survey: Its first fifteen years, 1965-1979: Washington, D.C., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Resource Pub. 157, 196 p.

Robbins, C.S., Sauer, J.R., Greenberg, R.S., and Droege, S., 1989, Population declines in North American birds that migrate to the neotropics: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 86, p. 7658-7662.

Sauer, J.R., Hines, J.E., and Fallon, J., 2005, The North Ameri-can Breeding Bird Survey: Results and analysis 1966-2005: Laurel, Md., U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, version 6.2.2006.

Schemnitz, S.D., 1994, Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata), in Poole, A., and Gill, F., eds., The birds of North America, No. 106: Ithaca, N.Y., Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Wash-ington, D.C., The American Ornithologists’ Union, on the World Wide Web at URL http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/


Heading 1 9

Tables 1-2

Tabl

e 1.

St

rate

gic

Plan

goa

ls, s

trate

gies

, obj

ectiv

es, a

ctio

ns, o

utco

mes

, and

mea

sure

s fo

r ach

ievi

ng th

e m

issi

on o

f the

Nor

th A

mer

ican

Br

eedi

ng B

ird S

urve

y pr

ogra

m.—

Cont

inue

d

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

Goa

l 1: C

olle

ct s

cien

tific

ally

cre

dibl

e m

easu

res

of th

e st

atus

and

tren

ds o

f Nor

th A

mer

ican

bi

rd p

opul

atio

ns a

t con

tinen

tal a

nd re

gion

al s

cale

s.St

rate

gy 1

A: B

uild

suf

ficie

nt fi

nanc

ial a

nd in

-kin

d su

ppor

t for

the

BB

S to

ens

ure

cont

inue

d op

erat

ion

of th

e B

BS

prog

ram

, whi

le e

nhan

cing

th

e sc

ient

ific

cred

ibili

ty, i

mpr

ovin

g ge

ogra

phic

cov

erag

e, a

nd in

crea

sing

use

and

ava

ilabi

lity

of th

e da

ta.

Obj

ectiv

e 1A

1: In

crea

se a

war

enes

s of

pol

icy

mak

ers

and

man

agem

ent a

genc

ies

of th

e ex

iste

nce

and

valu

e of

the

BB

S pr

ogra

m,

and

use

this

aw

aren

ess

to in

crea

se s

uppo

rt fo

r the

pro

gram

.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

1A1a

(H).

Form

a w

orki

ng g

roup

to d

evel

op id

eas f

or in

crea

s-in

g su

ppor

t to

BB

S, a

nd to

ass

ist w

ith a

nd e

valu

ate

prog

ress

on

acc

ompl

ishi

ng th

e ob

ject

ive.

Idea

s may

incl

ude

seek

ing

incr

ease

d ba

se su

ppor

t and

cyc

lical

fund

s, or

form

ing

a B

BS

endo

wm

ent u

nder

a n

on-g

over

nmen

t org

aniz

atio

n.

• Ide

as id

entif

ied

to in

crea

se b

ase

fund

ing.

• Fun

ding

incr

ease

d to

acc

ompl

ish

othe

r obj

ectiv

es,

thro

ugh

appr

opria

te im

plem

enta

tion

of th

ese

idea

s.

• Wor

king

gro

up e

stab

lishe

d.• A

ppro

pria

te id

eas d

evel

oped

and

impl

emen

ted.

• Bas

e fu

ndin

g in

crea

sed

to a

ccom

plis

h ob

ject

ives

.

1A1b

(H).

Dev

elop

and

dis

tribu

te a

pub

licity

pac

ket,

ask

user

s lik

e Pa

rtner

s in

Flig

ht to

hig

hlig

ht th

e im

porta

nce

of B

BS

to

them

, sho

w c

onne

ctio

ns a

nd b

enef

its to

indu

stry

.

• Rai

sed

awar

enes

s am

ong

the

gene

ral p

ublic

and

pol

icy

mak

ers o

f the

impo

rtanc

e an

d ut

ility

of B

BS

incr

ease

s su

ppor

t for

pro

gram

.

• Out

reac

h an

d pu

blic

ity p

rodu

cts d

evel

oped

and

dis

trib-

uted

to k

ey p

artn

ers i

nclu

ding

indu

stry

.

1A1c

(L).

Upd

ate

bibl

iogr

aphy

of s

cien

tific

and

con

serv

atio

n do

cum

ents

that

use

BB

S da

ta.

• Im

porta

nce

of B

BS

for s

cien

ce a

nd c

onse

rvat

ion

emph

asiz

ed.

• Pro

vide

s add

ition

al fu

el fo

r out

reac

h.

• Bib

liogr

aphy

com

plet

ed a

nd m

aint

aine

d.

Obj

ectiv

e 1A

2: E

nsur

e an

ade

quat

e vo

lunt

eer p

artic

ipan

t bas

e th

roug

h in

crea

sing

sup

port

to s

tate

/pro

vinc

ial/t

erri

tori

al

coor

dina

tors

and

con

tinue

d de

velo

pmen

t and

impl

emen

tatio

n of

idea

s fo

r ret

entio

n an

d re

crui

tmen

t of p

artic

ipan

ts.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

1A2a

(M).

Dev

elop

stro

nger

par

tner

ship

s with

stat

e an

d pr

ovin

-ci

al/te

rrito

rial c

onse

rvat

ion

agen

cies

and

enc

oura

ge in

cor-

pora

tion

of B

BS

into

offi

cial

dut

ies o

f the

ir st

aff b

y ru

nnin

g ro

utes

and

/or b

eing

regi

onal

coo

rdin

ator

s.

• Sta

te/p

rovi

ncia

l res

ourc

es a

vaila

ble

to a

ssis

t in

mee

ting

rout

e co

vera

ge g

oals

(e.g

., re

mot

e ro

ute

cove

rage

) and

tra

inin

g go

als.

• BB

S be

tter i

nteg

rate

d w

ith c

onse

rvat

ion

initi

ativ

es a

nd

with

loca

l mon

itorin

g pr

ogra

ms.

• 30%

of s

tate

s hav

e in

crea

sed

com

mitm

ent t

o B

BS.

• At l

east

two

prov

ince

s hav

e ad

ditio

nal s

taff

cont

ribut

-in

g to

BB

S.

1A2b

(H).

Form

wor

king

gro

up to

furth

er d

evel

op, p

riorit

ize,

an

d im

plem

ent p

artic

ipan

t out

reac

h an

d tra

inin

g st

rate

gies

su

ch a

s men

torin

g pr

ogra

ms,

BB

S tra

iner

mod

ules

, rec

ruit-

men

t fly

ers,

Pow

erPo

int p

rese

ntat

ions

, inc

orpo

ratio

n of

BB

S in

form

atio

n in

fiel

d gu

ides

, tex

t boo

ks a

nd te

achi

ng p

lans

, an

d pe

riodi

c pu

blic

atio

n of

BB

S re

late

d ar

ticle

s in

popu

lar

mag

azin

es.

• Gre

ater

par

ticip

atio

n in

BB

S pr

ogra

m.

• Lar

ger p

ool o

f tra

ined

par

ticip

ants

.• R

educ

ed v

aria

tion

amon

g pa

rtici

pant

s due

to tr

aini

ng.

• New

out

reac

h an

d re

crui

tmen

t mat

eria

ls a

re d

evel

oped

.• A

t lea

st o

ne n

ew tr

aini

ng p

rogr

am in

itiat

ed.

• Rat

e of

recr

uitm

ent o

f new

obs

erve

rs in

crea

ses.

1A2c

(H).

Hol

d co

ordi

nato

r mee

tings

at l

east

eve

ry 3

yea

rs, w

ith

regi

onal

mee

tings

mor

e of

ten

as o

ppor

tuni

ties a

llow.

• Im

prov

ed c

omm

unic

atio

n be

twee

n na

tiona

l offi

ces a

nd

regi

onal

coo

rdin

ator

s.• G

reat

er p

artic

ipat

ion

and

outre

ach

by re

gion

al c

oord

i-na

tors

.

• Coo

rdin

ator

s mee

t eve

ry 2

-3 y

ears

.


Tabl

e 1.

St

rate

gic

Plan

goa

ls, s

trate

gies

, obj

ectiv

es, a

ctio

ns, o

utco

mes

, and

mea

sure

s fo

r ach

ievi

ng th

e m

issi

on o

f the

Nor

th A

mer

ican

Br

eedi

ng B

ird S

urve

y pr

ogra

m.—

Cont

inue

d

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

1A2d

(H).

Prov

ide

coor

dina

tors

with

impr

oved

recr

uitm

ent a

nd

man

agem

ent r

esou

rces

such

as W

eb-b

ased

han

dboo

k, re

vise

d an

d en

hanc

ed m

aps,

and

elec

troni

c ou

treac

h m

ater

ials

(e.g

., fa

ct sh

eet,

Pow

erPo

int,

etc.

).

• Reg

iona

l coo

rdin

ator

s hav

e m

ore

tool

s for

recr

uitin

g pa

rtici

pant

s.• S

atis

fact

ion

amon

g pr

ogra

m c

oord

inat

ors a

nd p

artic

i-pa

nts i

mpr

oved

.

• Web

-bas

ed h

andb

ook

avai

labl

e.• P

ropo

rtion

of r

oute

s with

impr

oved

map

s.• A

t lea

st tw

o ne

w o

utre

ach

prod

ucts

dev

elop

ed.

1A2e

(M).

Eval

uate

BB

S st

affin

g ne

eds.

Add

supp

ort s

taff

as

need

ed.

• Pro

fess

iona

l BB

S st

aff a

ble

to e

ngag

e m

ore

fully

in

deve

lopm

ent o

f out

reac

h, tr

aini

ng, a

nd sc

ient

ific

prod

ucts

.

• Sta

ffing

nee

ds e

valu

ated

and

reco

mm

enda

tions

dev

el-

oped

.• S

taff

hire

d to

mee

t rec

omm

ende

d le

vels

.1A

2f (L

). D

evel

op in

cent

ive

stra

tegi

es to

enc

oura

ge p

artic

ipa-

tion

(e.g

., en

cour

age

empl

oyer

s of s

kille

d bi

rder

s to

supp

ort

thos

e em

ploy

ees’

parti

cipa

tion,

offe

r aw

ards

for n

otab

le B

BS

achi

evem

ents

, hig

hlig

ht a

par

ticip

ant o

n W

eb e

ach

year

, etc

.)

• Par

ticip

ant r

eten

tion

incr

ease

d th

roug

h gr

eate

r pro

gram

sa

tisfa

ctio

n.• A

t lea

st tw

o ne

w re

tent

ion

stra

tegi

es d

evel

oped

.• P

artic

ipan

t ret

entio

n ra

te in

crea

sed.

Obj

ectiv

e 1A

�: E

nsur

e da

taba

se a

nd e

lect

roni

c in

fras

truc

ture

are

ade

quat

ely

supp

orte

d to

mee

t eve

r-ch

angi

ng te

chno

logi

cal a

dvan

ces

an

d se

curi

ty c

once

rns

to e

nabl

e tim

ely

and

accu

rate

dat

a co

llect

ion

and

dist

ribu

tion.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

1A3a

(H).

Eval

uate

BB

S co

mpu

ter p

rogr

amm

ing

and

supp

ort

need

s. A

dd st

aff a

s req

uire

d to

mee

t cur

rent

mai

nten

ance

and

fu

ture

nee

ds.

• BB

S is

abl

e to

mee

t avi

an c

onse

rvat

ion

need

s in

a m

ore

timel

y an

d co

hesi

ve m

anne

r.• B

BS

biol

ogis

ts a

re fr

eed

to a

ddre

ss b

iolo

gica

l asp

ects

of

pro

gram

.• D

ata

are

proc

esse

d m

ore

quic

kly

and

effic

ient

ly.

• Sta

ff ar

e av

aila

ble

to e

nsur

e W

eb p

rogr

ams a

re u

pdat

ed

as n

eces

sary

and

syst

em is

app

ropr

iate

ly d

ocum

ente

d.

• Eva

luat

ion

com

plet

e.• C

ompu

ter s

taff

hire

d to

mee

t nee

ds.

• Web

inte

rfac

es a

re m

ore

user

-frie

ndly

and

wid

ely

used

.• D

ata

are

avai

labl

e in

a ti

mel

y m

anne

r eac

h ye

ar• D

atab

ase

docu

men

tatio

n is

com

plet

e

Stra

tegy

1B

: Str

engt

hen

the

scie

ntifi

c cr

edib

ility

of B

BS

resu

lts a

t con

tinen

tal a

nd re

gion

al s

cale

s.

Obj

ectiv

e 1B

1: Im

plem

ent p

roje

cts

to e

valu

ate

the

mag

nitu

de o

f pot

entia

l bia

s du

e to

var

iatio

n in

det

ectio

n pr

obab

ility

ass

ocia

ted

with

spe

cies

det

ectio

n va

riat

ion,

obs

erve

r var

iatio

n,

and

traf

fic n

oise

and

hab

itat i

ssue

s, a

nd d

eter

min

e w

heth

er a

ny a

ppro

ache

s fo

r est

imat

ing

dete

ctio

n pr

obab

ility

can

be

rout

inel

y im

plem

ente

d in

the

BB

S.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

1B1a

(H):

Esta

blis

h w

orki

ng g

roup

to id

entif

y an

d se

t prio

ri-tie

s for

inco

rpor

atio

n in

to th

e B

BS

prot

ocol

met

hods

for

exam

inin

g sy

stem

atic

bia

s red

uctio

n pr

otoc

ols i

mpl

emen

ted

on e

xper

imen

tal b

asis

. Res

ults

of e

xper

imen

ts sh

ould

lead

to

spec

ific

scie

ntifi

cally

def

ensi

ble

reco

mm

enda

tions

for

inco

rpor

atin

g m

easu

res o

f det

ectio

n pr

obab

ility

into

the

BB

S,

and

if fe

asib

le, a

pro

cess

and

tim

etab

le fo

r im

plem

enta

tion

over

5 y

ears

.

• Stu

dies

con

duct

ed.

• Rec

omm

enda

tions

for i

ncor

pora

ting

dete

ctab

ility

est

i-m

atio

n pr

otoc

ols a

re d

evel

oped

, if a

ppro

pria

te.

• Con

fiden

ce in

BB

S in

crea

sed

thro

ugh

incr

ease

d un

der-

stan

ding

of f

acto

rs in

fluen

cing

dat

a.

• Wor

king

gro

up e

stab

lishe

d.• R

eque

st fo

r pro

posa

ls is

sued

.• A

t lea

st o

ne su

ch st

udy

initi

ated

by

the

2008

BB

S se

ason

.• D

etec

tabi

lity

mea

sure

s hav

e be

en a

sses

sed,

and

if a

p-pr

opria

te, a

re ro

utin

ely

inco

rpor

ated

in th

e B

BS.

Table 1 11

Tabl

e 1.

St

rate

gic

Plan

goa

ls, s

trate

gies

, obj

ectiv

es, a

ctio

ns, o

utco

mes

, and

mea

sure

s fo

r ach

ievi

ng th

e m

issi

on o

f the

Nor

th A

mer

ican

Br

eedi

ng B

ird S

urve

y pr

ogra

m.—

Cont

inue

d

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

Obj

ectiv

e 1B

2: E

valu

ate

the

mag

nitu

de o

f pot

entia

l bia

s as

soci

ated

with

non

-ran

dom

cov

erag

e of

hab

itats

, con

side

ring

diff

eren

ces

in h

abita

t av

aila

bilit

y an

d ha

bita

t cha

nge

alon

g B

BS

rout

es c

ompa

red

with

the

broa

der l

ands

cape

as

wel

l as

diffe

renc

es in

bir

d di

stri

butio

n

and

dete

ctab

ility

in re

latio

n to

road

side

s, a

nd d

evel

op a

naly

tic o

r ope

ratio

nal s

trat

egie

s fo

r add

ress

ing

any

resu

ltant

bia

s.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

1B2a

(H):

Com

plet

e co

llect

ion,

ent

ry, a

nd v

alid

atio

n of

coo

r-di

nate

s for

all

BB

S st

ops,

to e

nabl

e be

tter i

nves

tigat

ions

of

habi

tat a

nd la

ndsc

ape

effe

cts o

n bi

rd c

ount

s.

• Pre

cise

loca

tions

are

ava

ilabl

e fo

r res

earc

hers

to c

las-

sify

hab

itats

alo

ng B

BS

rout

es.

• Per

iodi

c as

sess

men

t of h

abita

t cha

nge

at B

BS

stop

s en

able

d.• O

ther

hab

itat s

peci

fic st

udie

s ena

bled

.

• 90%

of s

top

loca

tions

geo

refe

renc

ed u

sing

GIS

/GPS

.

1B2b

(H):

Con

duct

a st

udy

at th

e la

rges

t pos

sibl

e sc

ale

(con

tin-

gent

on

avai

labi

lity

of re

mot

e se

nsin

g da

ta) o

f the

deg

ree

to

whi

ch B

BS

rout

es sa

mpl

e ha

bita

ts a

nd a

ltitu

des r

epre

sent

a-tiv

ely.

Stu

dy sh

ould

resu

lt in

reco

mm

enda

tions

for a

ddre

ssin

g an

y po

tent

ial b

ias a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith u

nrep

rese

ntat

ive

sam

plin

g.

• Mag

nitu

de o

f pot

entia

l bia

s ass

ocia

ted

with

une

ven

habi

tat s

ampl

ing

is u

nder

stoo

d.• S

trate

gies

dev

elop

ed to

redu

ce a

ny p

oten

tial b

ias,

e.g.

, th

roug

h al

tere

d an

alys

is m

etho

ds o

r sam

plin

g de

sign

.

• Stu

dy c

ondu

cted

and

repo

rt pr

epar

ed.

• Pro

cedu

res d

evel

oped

and

impl

emen

ted

to a

ddre

ss

habi

tat b

ias,

if ne

cess

ary.

1B2c

(H):

Con

duct

stud

y us

ing

rem

otel

y se

nsed

dat

a to

de

term

ine

whe

ther

rate

s of c

hang

e in

hab

itats

diff

er a

long

ro

adsi

des v

ersu

s aw

ay fr

om ro

ads.

• Rec

omm

enda

tions

dev

elop

ed fo

r sta

ndar

d an

alyt

ic o

r op

erat

iona

l pro

cedu

res t

o ad

dres

s any

resu

ltant

bia

s, if

nece

ssar

y.

• Stu

dy c

ondu

cted

and

repo

rt pr

epar

ed.

• Hab

itat a

djus

tmen

ts in

corp

orat

ed in

to B

BS

anal

ytic

or

oper

atio

nal p

roce

dure

s, if

appr

opria

te.

1B2d

(M):

Des

ign

and

set p

riorit

ies f

or a

dditi

onal

stud

ies t

o ad

-dr

ess i

ssue

s of h

abita

t bia

s. St

udie

s mig

ht fo

cus o

n pa

rticu

lar

grou

ps o

f spe

cies

.

• Wor

king

gro

up c

onsi

stin

g of

USG

S, C

WS,

and

oth

er

scie

ntis

ts p

rovi

des g

uida

nce

and

supp

ort i

n ad

dres

sing

ha

bita

t bia

s iss

ues e

stab

lishe

d.• P

riorit

ies f

or a

dditi

onal

stud

ies i

dent

ified

.

• Wor

king

gro

up e

stab

lishe

d by

200

7.• A

t lea

st o

ne h

abita

t bia

s stu

dy in

itiat

ed.

Obj

ectiv

e 1B

�: D

evel

op a

sses

smen

t and

trai

ning

tool

s to

ass

ess

curr

ent s

kill

leve

ls o

f obs

erve

rs, a

nd to

enh

ance

ski

ll le

vels

, pa

rtic

ular

ly fo

r new

recr

uits

, thu

s re

duci

ng v

aria

tion

in o

bser

ver e

ffect

s.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

1B3a

(H).

Dev

elop

trai

ning

, ass

essm

ent,

and

self-

test

ing

tool

s fo

r cur

rent

and

pot

entia

l vol

unte

ers.

• Obs

erve

r qua

lity

mai

ntai

ned

and/

or a

sses

sed

thro

ugh

train

ing

and

test

ing.

• Tra

inin

g an

d/or

self-

asse

ssm

ent t

ool d

evel

oped

.• R

ecom

men

datio

ns fo

r obs

erve

r ass

essm

ent d

evel

oped

.1B

3b (M

). D

evel

op re

com

men

datio

ns fo

r per

iodi

c ob

serv

er

hear

ing

test

s (in

form

al v

s. fo

rmal

test

s, m

anda

tory

vs.

volu

n-ta

ry),

set a

ccep

tabl

e st

anda

rds,

deve

lop

and

mai

ntai

n re

sults

da

taba

se.

• Obs

erve

r qua

lity

mai

ntai

ned

at h

igh

leve

ls a

nd h

earin

g-re

late

d ob

serv

er b

ias r

educ

ed.

• Sta

ndar

ds se

t for

acc

epta

ble

hear

ing

and

reco

mm

enda

-tio

ns fo

r hea

ring

test

s dev

elop

ed.

• Ope

ratio

nal p

roce

dure

s in

plac

e fo

r obs

erve

rs to

take

he

arin

g te

sts.

Stra

tegy

1C:

Impr

ove

geog

raph

ic c

over

age

of th

e B

BS.

Obj

ectiv

e 1C

1: In

crea

se B

BS

rout

e co

vera

ge in

are

as w

ithin

the

curr

ent B

BS

area

that

are

cur

rent

ly u

nder

sam

pled

, th

roug

h st

rate

gic

recr

uitm

ent o

r rea

lloca

tion

of e

xist

ing

volu

ntee

rs.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

1C1a

(H):

Dev

elop

and

impl

emen

t met

hods

for o

ptim

al d

istri

bu-

tion

and

dens

ity o

f rou

tes t

o im

prov

e co

vera

ge o

f all

spec

ies

with

mod

erat

e to

larg

e ra

nge

size

and

abu

ndan

ce, a

nd d

evel

op

guid

elin

es fo

r BB

S co

ordi

nato

rs o

n th

e be

st st

rate

gy fo

r di

strib

utin

g vo

lunt

eers

.

• BB

S co

ordi

nato

rs h

ave

clea

r gui

delin

es o

n w

hen

and

how

to d

irect

recr

uitm

ent e

fforts

.• P

reci

sion

of B

BS

trend

s im

prov

ed th

roug

h op

timal

al

loca

tion

of ro

utes

.

• Opt

imal

rout

e al

loca

tion

guid

elin

es d

evel

oped

.


Tabl

e 1.

St

rate

gic

Plan

goa

ls, s

trate

gies

, obj

ectiv

es, a

ctio

ns, o

utco

mes

, and

mea

sure

s fo

r ach

ievi

ng th

e m

issi

on o

f the

Nor

th A

mer

ican

Br

eedi

ng B

ird S

urve

y pr

ogra

m.—

Cont

inue

d

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

1C1b

(H):

Impl

emen

t stra

tegi

c in

crea

ses i

n ro

ute

cove

rage

to

faci

litat

e in

crea

se in

num

ber o

f spe

cies

that

mee

t pre

ci-

sion

targ

ets a

t con

tinen

tal a

nd re

gion

al sc

ales

. (W

ill re

quire

co

mpl

etio

n of

act

ion

1C1a

.)

• Hig

h-qu

ality

pop

ulat

ion

trend

info

rmat

ion

avai

labl

e fo

r mor

e bi

rd sp

ecie

s to

enab

le b

ette

r con

serv

atio

n pl

anni

ng.

• Pro

porti

on o

f rec

omm

ende

d ne

w ro

utes

that

are

act

u-al

ly c

over

ed.

Obj

ectiv

e 1C

2: W

ork

with

Mex

ican

aut

hori

ties

to e

xpan

d th

e B

BS

into

Mex

ico

by th

e ye

ar 2

010.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

1C2a

(H):

Con

duct

wor

ksho

p at

the

Nor

th A

mer

ican

Orn

itho-

logi

cal C

onfe

renc

e in

Ver

acru

z, M

exic

o, in

Oct

ober

200

6 to

dis

cuss

impl

emen

tatio

n ap

proa

ches

, ide

ntify

rese

arch

ne

eds,

and

deve

lop

wor

king

gro

up to

dev

elop

and

impl

emen

t st

rate

gy.

• Wor

king

gro

up id

entif

ied

to e

stab

lish

stra

tegy

and

tim

elin

e fo

r ini

tiatio

n of

Mex

ican

BB

S pr

ogra

m.

• Par

tner

s ide

ntifi

ed to

ass

ist w

ith im

plem

enta

tion

and

train

ing.

• Res

earc

h ne

eds i

dent

ified

(e.g

., St

rate

gy 1

C3)

.

• CO

NA

BIO

, USG

S, a

nd C

WS

hold

join

t wor

ksho

p at

N

AO

C.

• Mex

ican

coo

rdin

ator

s and

par

tner

s ide

ntifi

ed.

• Stra

tegy

and

impl

emen

tatio

n pl

an d

evel

oped

.

1C2b

(H fo

r Mex

ico)

: Tra

nsla

te B

BS

mat

eria

ls a

nd fo

rms i

nto

Span

ish.

• Allo

ws g

reat

er p

artic

ipat

ion

and

outre

ach

amon

g no

n-En

glis

h sp

eake

rs.

• Inc

reas

ed p

artic

ipat

ion

amon

g M

exic

an c

itize

ns.

• Ess

entia

l BB

S m

ater

ials

ava

ilabl

e in

Eng

lish

and

Sp

anis

h.

1C2c

(H fo

r Mex

ico)

: Dev

elop

stra

tegi

es sp

ecifi

c to

par

ticip

ant

train

ing

and

recr

uitm

ent i

n M

exic

o. F

or e

xam

ple,

recr

uit s

taff

from

pro

tect

ed a

reas

, enc

oura

ge d

evel

opm

ent o

f ind

igen

ous

bird

ing

orga

niza

tions

, dev

elop

trai

ning

mat

eria

ls, e

ngag

e ec

o-to

uris

ts a

nd g

uide

s in

train

ing/

men

torin

g of

loca

l peo

ple,

in

vest

igat

e us

e of

fina

ncia

l inc

entiv

es, e

tc.

• Suf

ficie

nt sk

illed

par

ticip

ants

are

ava

ilabl

e to

ach

ieve

co

vera

ge g

oals

in M

exic

o.• T

rain

ing

prog

ram

s im

plem

ente

d.• N

umbe

r of p

eopl

e w

ho c

ompl

ete

train

ing

prog

ram

s and

pa

rtici

pate

in M

exic

an B

BS.

Obj

ectiv

e 1C

�: D

evel

op in

nova

tive

appr

oach

es to

sur

vey

poor

ly s

ampl

ed a

reas

in s

uch

a w

ay th

at d

ata

can

be in

tegr

ated

w

ith th

e la

rger

dat

abas

e fo

r ana

lytic

pur

pose

s. O

ptio

ns to

be

cons

ider

ed in

clud

e sh

ort r

oute

s, o

ff-ro

ad ro

utes

, us

e of

mic

roph

one

reco

rdin

gs to

cal

ibra

te o

bser

ver e

ffect

s, e

tc.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

1C3a

(M; H

for C

anad

a an

d M

exic

o): A

naly

ze B

BS

data

from

a

subs

et o

f sto

ps (e

.g.,

first

20

or 3

0) to

exa

min

e ef

fect

of a

“s

hort

rout

e” d

esig

n on

pre

cisi

on a

nd m

agni

tude

of t

rend

s. D

eter

min

e w

heth

er u

se o

f sho

rt ro

utes

to fa

cilit

ate

expa

nsio

n of

BB

S in

to p

artic

ular

regi

ons c

ould

be

inco

rpor

ated

into

st

anda

rd c

ontin

enta

l ana

lyse

s.

• Det

erm

ine

feas

ibili

ty o

f usi

ng sh

ort r

oute

s to

enha

nce

cove

rage

in a

reas

whe

re re

gula

r rou

tes a

re lo

gist

ical

ly

not f

easi

ble,

such

as r

emot

e ar

eas w

ith li

mite

d ro

ad

cove

rage

.

• Spe

cific

reco

mm

enda

tions

rega

rdin

g th

e im

plem

enta

-tio

n of

shor

t rou

tes d

evel

oped

.

1C3b

(M; H

for C

anad

a an

d M

exic

o): E

valu

ate

anal

ytic

al

met

hods

that

can

inco

rpor

ate

rout

es ru

n by

diff

eren

t obs

erv-

ers e

ach

year

, con

side

ring

optio

ns su

ch a

s dou

ble

obse

rver

ap

proa

ches

, or m

icro

phon

e re

cord

ings

.

• Allo

w u

se o

f sea

sona

l sta

ff to

cov

er ro

utes

in re

mot

e ar

eas w

here

long

-term

vol

unte

ers a

re n

ot a

vaila

ble.

• Rec

omm

enda

tions

dev

elop

ed o

n ap

prop

riate

met

hods

to

surv

ey ro

utes

in a

reas

whe

re it

is n

ot p

ract

ical

to

mai

ntai

n ob

serv

er c

ontin

uity

.

Table 1 1�

Tabl

e 1.

St

rate

gic

Plan

goa

ls, s

trate

gies

, obj

ectiv

es, a

ctio

ns, o

utco

mes

, and

mea

sure

s fo

r ach

ievi

ng th

e m

issi

on o

f the

Nor

th A

mer

ican

Br

eedi

ng B

ird S

urve

y pr

ogra

m.—

Cont

inue

d

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

Goa

l 2: E

nsur

e B

BS

data

and

ana

lytic

al re

sults

are

wid

ely

avai

labl

e an

d ea

sily

acc

essi

ble

for u

se b

y th

e av

ian

cons

erva

tion

and

man

agem

ent c

omm

uniti

es.

Stra

tegy

2A

: Ens

ure

that

BB

S da

ta a

nd re

sults

pre

sent

ed o

n th

e w

eb s

ite u

se th

e be

st d

ata-

man

agem

ent p

ract

ices

and

sta

tistic

al m

etho

ds,

with

ade

quat

e do

cum

enta

tion

for u

sers

to u

nder

stan

d th

em.

Obj

ectiv

e 2A

1: C

ontin

ue to

impr

ove

and

add

valu

e to

the

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n pr

esen

ted

on th

e B

BS

web

site

, by

ensu

ring

th

at th

e m

ost a

ppro

pria

te a

naly

sis

met

hods

are

use

d, th

at th

ese

met

hods

pro

vide

the

info

rmat

ion

requ

ired

by

use

rs, a

nd th

at th

e ap

proa

ches

are

ade

quat

ely

docu

men

ted.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

Act

ion

2A1a

(H):

Com

plet

e an

alys

is u

sing

hie

rarc

hica

l mod

els

as p

er L

ink

and

Saue

r (20

02) t

o pr

oduc

e tre

nd e

stim

ates

and

an

nual

indi

ces b

y re

gion

, and

mak

e th

ese

resu

lts a

vaila

ble

as

part

of th

e st

anda

rd W

eb-b

ased

repo

rts.

• Mos

t cur

rent

and

cre

dibl

e an

alys

es a

vaila

ble

to u

sers

on

web

.• A

nnua

l ind

ices

ava

ilabl

e to

incr

ease

und

erst

andi

ng o

f no

n-lin

ear p

opul

atio

n ch

ange

• Hie

rarc

hica

l mod

els u

sed

to p

rovi

de tr

end

estim

ates

for

all s

peci

es b

y re

gion

on

web

.• A

nnua

l ind

ices

of b

ird p

opul

atio

n ab

unda

nce

prov

ided

.• A

naly

ses u

pdat

ed in

a ti

mel

y m

anne

r to

inco

rpor

ate

new

dat

a ea

ch y

ear.

2A1b

(H):

Dev

elop

a c

ompr

ehen

sive

use

rs’ g

uide

that

exp

lain

s w

hat B

BS

is, h

ow it

wor

ks, a

nd h

ow it

is a

naly

zed

(cla

rifyi

ng

diffe

renc

es a

mon

g ap

proa

ches

, inc

ludi

ng b

etw

een

U.S

. and

C

anad

a), i

nclu

ding

the

limita

tions

of t

he su

rvey

.

• Use

rs h

ave

bette

r und

erst

andi

ng o

f BB

S da

ta a

nd

anal

yses

, and

are

bet

ter a

ble

to in

corp

orat

e re

sults

into

m

anag

emen

t dec

isio

ns a

nd o

ther

use

s.• C

redi

bilit

y of

tren

ds in

crea

sed.

• Use

r gui

de d

evel

oped

thro

ugh

join

t effo

rt of

USG

S an

d C

WS

and

avai

labl

e on

BB

S w

eb si

te.

2A1c

(H):

Form

a st

atis

tical

wor

king

gro

up to

mee

t ann

ually

an

d di

scus

s and

revi

ew B

BS-

rela

ted

anal

ytic

al p

rogr

ess a

nd

plan

ana

lyse

s to

addr

ess u

sers

’ and

coo

rdin

ator

s’ ne

eds.

• Wor

king

gro

up e

nsur

es q

ualit

y an

d di

rect

ion

of a

naly

ti-ca

l pro

gres

s con

tinue

s to

mee

t BB

S ne

eds.

• New

and

impr

oved

stat

istic

al m

etho

ds a

re in

corp

orat

ed

into

BB

S an

alys

es.

• Sta

tistic

al w

orki

ng g

roup

est

ablis

hed.

• Ann

ual m

eetin

gs h

eld.

2A1d

(M):

Add

mor

e de

tail

on q

ualit

y of

tren

ds, e

ither

dis

play

ed

on th

e w

eb si

te o

r in

a do

wnl

oada

ble

file

with

det

ails

of t

he

reas

on fo

r ass

igni

ng e

ach

colo

r-cod

ed “

qual

ity d

ot.”

• Qua

lity

of tr

ends

cle

arly

doc

umen

ted

to h

elp

avoi

d m

isin

terp

reta

tion

of re

sults

.• I

mpr

oved

tren

d qu

ality

indi

cato

rs d

evel

oped

and

add

ed

to w

eb a

naly

ses.

2A1e

(L):

Inve

stig

ate A

rc/IM

S ty

pe to

ols t

hat c

ould

allo

w u

sers

to

sele

ct ro

utes

from

non

-sta

ndar

d re

gion

s for

dat

a do

wn-

load

ing

or fo

r ana

lysi

s onl

ine

(e.g

., C

orne

ll La

bora

tory

of

Orn

ithol

ogy

and

Bird

Ban

ding

Lab

orat

ory)

.

• Too

l allo

ws s

elec

tion

and

anal

yses

of c

usto

m d

ata

sets

to

add

ress

rese

arch

and

man

agem

ent q

uest

ions

.• M

ore

flexi

ble

and

robu

st d

ata

retri

eval

pos

sibl

e.

• Ava

ilabi

lity

of su

ch to

ols o

n B

BS

site

.

Obj

ectiv

e 2A

2: C

ontin

ue to

impr

ove

data

base

man

agem

ent,

to c

ope

with

incr

ease

d da

ta c

olle

ctio

n, a

nd to

ens

ure

that

bes

t ava

ilabl

e da

ta m

anag

emen

t pra

ctic

es a

re m

et.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

2A2a

(H):

Ensu

re a

ll as

pect

s of B

BS

prog

ram

hav

e ap

prop

riate

an

d cu

rren

t met

adat

a. T

his i

nclu

des,

but i

s not

lim

ited

to, r

aw

data

file

s, ro

ute

desc

riptio

ns, i

nclu

ding

cha

nges

, tax

onom

y ch

ange

s, an

d an

alyt

ical

pro

duct

s suc

h as

tren

d es

timat

es,

trend

map

s, re

lativ

e ab

unda

nce

map

s, an

d an

nual

indi

ces.

• Met

adat

a pr

ovid

e B

BS

data

use

rs w

ith in

form

atio

n ne

eded

to u

tiliz

e da

ta e

ffici

ently

.• C

ompl

eted

met

adat

a fo

r all

BB

S da

ta a

re a

vaila

ble

on

NB

II a

nd B

BS

web

site

s by

2008

.• M

etad

ata

upda

ted

annu

ally

.

1� Strategic Plan for the North American Breeding Bird Survey: 2006-2010

Tabl

e 1.

St

rate

gic

Plan

goa

ls, s

trate

gies

, obj

ectiv

es, a

ctio

ns, o

utco

mes

, and

mea

sure

s fo

r ach

ievi

ng th

e m

issi

on o

f the

Nor

th A

mer

ican

Br

eedi

ng B

ird S

urve

y pr

ogra

m.—

Cont

inue

d

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

2A2b

(H):

Ensu

re in

tegr

ity o

f sto

p lo

catio

n da

taba

se th

roug

h ap

prop

riate

qua

lity-

cont

rol a

nd d

ata-

mai

nten

ance

pro

cedu

res

incl

udin

g de

velo

pmen

t of i

nter

activ

e to

ol to

map

, rev

iew.

and

ed

it ro

ute

stop

loca

tions

onl

ine

(e.g

., G

oogl

e m

aps,

NB

II,

Min

neso

ta M

ap S

erve

r, eB

ird).

• Inc

reas

ed a

ccur

acy

and

relia

bilit

y of

rout

e an

d st

op

loca

tion

info

rmat

ion.

• Dat

a in

tegr

ity a

nd m

aint

enan

ce p

roto

cols

dev

elop

ed b

y 20

07.

• Int

erac

tive

rout

e m

appi

ng a

nd e

ditin

g to

ol d

evel

oped

by

200

8.

2A2c

(M):

Com

plet

e a

stan

d-al

one

data

-ent

ry p

rogr

am fo

r use

rs

in o

rder

to in

crea

se a

mou

nt o

f dat

a su

bmitt

ed e

lect

roni

cally

. (A

lso

see

1A3c

.)

• Inc

reas

ed p

ropo

rtion

of B

BS

parti

cipa

nts s

ubm

it da

ta

elec

troni

cally

, thu

s red

ucin

g da

ta-e

ntry

bur

den

to B

BS

staf

f.

• Sta

nd-a

lone

pro

gram

com

plet

ed, t

este

d, a

nd d

istri

bute

d to

all

parti

cipa

nts.

2A2d

(M; H

for C

anad

a an

d M

exic

o): D

evel

op F

renc

h an

d Sp

anis

h la

ngua

ge d

ata

entry

, ret

rieva

l, an

d m

anag

emen

t web

ap

plic

atio

ns.

• Per

mits

full

parti

cipa

tion

of S

pani

sh- (

Mex

ico)

and

Fr

ench

- (C

anad

a) sp

eaki

ng p

artic

ipan

ts.

• Num

ber o

f web

app

licat

ions

ava

ilabl

e in

Fre

nch

and

Span

ish.

2A2e

(L):

Scan

his

toric

pap

er fi

eld

shee

ts a

nd c

omm

ent f

orm

s. Pr

ovid

e el

ectro

nic

imag

e ac

cess

.• E

nhan

ced

secu

rity

of h

isto

ric d

ata.

• Res

earc

hers

and

pub

lic h

ave

acce

ss to

his

toric

stop

da

ta.

• Pro

vide

s ave

nue

for t

hird

par

ties t

o di

gitiz

e st

op d

ata

and

prov

ide

to B

BS

offic

e.

• Pro

porti

on o

f his

toric

fiel

d sh

eets

that

hav

e be

en e

lec-

troni

cally

scan

ned.

• At l

east

one

web

tool

dev

elop

ed to

mak

e im

ages

ava

il-ab

le, t

akin

g in

to a

ccou

nt p

rivac

y is

sues

.

Stra

tegy

2B

: Inc

reas

e co

mm

unic

atio

n w

ith B

BS

part

ners

and

sta

keho

lder

s to

ens

ure

BB

S co

ntin

ues

to m

eet t

he a

vian

pop

ulat

ion

stat

us

and

tren

ds n

eeds

of t

he c

onse

rvat

ion

com

mun

ity a

nd to

enc

oura

ge th

e de

velo

pmen

t of n

ew p

rodu

cts.

Obj

ectiv

e 2B

1: In

crea

se c

omm

unic

atio

ns w

ith k

ey u

sers

of B

BS

data

.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

2B1a

(H):

Dev

elop

adv

isor

y gr

oup,

inco

rpor

atin

g re

sear

cher

s an

d m

anag

ers,

to p

rovi

de g

uida

nce

and

eval

uatio

n of

pro

gres

s on

this

pla

n.

• Inc

reas

ed c

omm

unic

atio

n be

twee

n pa

rtner

s and

BB

S of

fices

.• A

chie

ving

goa

ls o

f stra

tegi

c pl

an re

mai

ns a

prio

rity,

an

d ac

tions

are

und

erta

ken

mos

t effi

cien

tly to

ach

ieve

th

ose

goal

s.

• Adv

isor

y gr

oup

esta

blis

hed

by 2

007.

• Gro

up re

view

s pro

gres

s ann

ually

and

subm

its w

ritte

n pr

ogre

ss re

port

enum

erat

ing

acco

mpl

ishm

ents

and

pr

ovid

ing

guid

ance

for f

utur

e su

cces

ses.

Obj

ectiv

e 2B

2: P

rom

ote

deve

lopm

ent o

f pro

duct

s by

par

tner

s th

at s

ynth

esiz

e an

d in

terp

ret B

BS

resu

lts.

Act

ion

Out

com

eM

easu

res

2B2a

(M):

Enco

urag

e de

velo

pmen

t of p

rodu

cts t

hat i

nteg

rate

B

BS

data

with

oth

er so

urce

s of d

ata

to g

ive

impr

oved

mea

-su

res o

f the

stat

us o

f bird

pop

ulat

ions

in N

orth

Am

eric

a.

• BB

S re

sults

bet

ter i

nteg

rate

d w

ith o

ther

mon

itorin

g re

sults

in N

orth

Am

eric

a.• A

t lea

st o

ne n

ew in

tegr

ated

pro

duct

dev

elop

ed.

Table 1 15

Tabl

e 2.

Ti

mel

ine

for a

ccom

plis

hing

act

ion

item

s. (S

ee T

able

1 fo

r com

plet

e de

scrip

tion

of e

ach

actio

n.)—

Cont

inue

d.

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

Goa

l 1: C

olle

ct s

cien

tific

ally

cre

dibl

e m

easu

res

of th

e st

atus

and

tren

ds o

f Nor

th A

mer

ican

bir

d po

pula

tions

at c

ontin

enta

l and

regi

onal

sc

ales

.St

rate

gy 1

A: B

uild

suf

ficie

nt fi

nanc

ial a

nd in

-kin

d su

ppor

t for

the

BB

S to

ens

ure

cont

inue

d op

erat

ion

of th

e B

BS

prog

ram

, whi

le e

nhan

cing

the

scie

ntifi

c cr

edib

ility

, im

prov

ing

geog

raph

ic c

over

age,

and

incr

easi

ng u

se a

nd a

vaila

bilit

y of

the

data

.

Obj

ectiv

e 1A

1: In

crea

se a

war

enes

s of

pol

icy

mak

ers

and

man

agem

ent a

genc

ies

of th

e ex

iste

nce

and

valu

e of

the

BB

S pr

ogra

m, a

nd u

se th

is a

war

enes

s to

incr

ease

sup

port

for t

he

prog

ram

.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

1A1a

(H).

Form

wor

king

gro

up to

furth

er d

evel

op id

eas,

assi

st w

ith

and

eval

uate

pla

n pr

ogre

ss.

1A1b

(H).

Dev

elop

and

dis

tribu

te a

pub

licity

pac

ket.

1A1c

(L).

Upd

ate

bibl

iogr

aphy

.

Obj

ectiv

e 1A

2: E

nsur

e an

ade

quat

e vo

lunt

eer p

artic

ipan

t bas

e th

roug

h in

crea

sing

sup

port

to s

tate

/pro

vinc

ial/t

erri

tori

al c

oord

inat

ors

and

cont

inue

d de

velo

pmen

t and

impl

emen

tatio

n of

idea

s fo

r ret

entio

n an

d re

crui

tmen

t of p

artic

ipan

ts.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

1A2a

(M).

Dev

elop

stro

nger

par

tner

ship

s with

stat

e co

nser

vatio

n ag

enci

es.

1A2b

(H).

Form

out

reac

h an

d tra

inin

g w

orki

ng g

roup

.

1A2c

(H).

Hol

d m

ore

freq

uent

coo

rdin

ator

mee

tings

.

1A2d

(H).

Prov

ide

coor

dina

tors

with

impr

oved

recr

uitm

ent a

nd

man

agem

ent r

esou

rces

.

1A2e

(M).

Eval

uate

BB

S st

affin

g ne

eds.

1A2f

(L).

Dev

elop

ince

ntiv

e st

rate

gies

to e

ncou

rage

ong

oing

par

-tic

ipat

ion.

Obj

ectiv

e 1A

�: E

nsur

e da

taba

se a

nd e

lect

roni

c in

fras

truc

ture

are

ade

quat

ely

supp

orte

d to

mee

t eve

r-ch

angi

ng te

chno

logi

cal a

dvan

ces

and

secu

rity

con

cern

s to

ena

ble

timel

y an

d ac

cura

te d

ata

colle

ctio

n an

d di

stri

butio

n.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

1A3a

(H).

Eval

uate

BB

S co

mpu

ter p

rogr

amm

ing

and

supp

ort

need

s.


Tabl

e 2.

Ti

mel

ine

for a

ccom

plis

hing

act

ion

item

s. (S

ee T

able

1 fo

r com

plet

e de

scrip

tion

of e

ach

actio

n.)—

Cont

inue

d.

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

Stra

tegy

1B

: Str

engt

hen

the

scie

ntifi

c cr

edib

ility

of B

BS

resu

lts a

t con

tinen

tal a

nd re

gion

al s

cale

s.

Obj

ectiv

e 1B

1: Im

plem

ent p

roje

cts

to e

valu

ate

the

mag

nitu

de o

f pot

entia

l bia

s du

e to

var

iatio

n in

det

ectio

n pr

obab

ility

ass

ocia

ted

with

spe

cies

det

ectio

n va

riat

ion,

obs

erve

r var

iatio

n,

and

traf

fic n

oise

and

hab

itat i

ssue

s, a

nd d

eter

min

e w

heth

er a

ny a

ppro

ache

s fo

r est

imat

ing

dete

ctio

n pr

obab

ility

can

be

rout

inel

y im

plem

ente

d in

the

BB

S.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

1B1a

(H):

Esta

blis

h de

tect

ion

prob

abili

ty w

orki

ng g

roup

.

Obj

ectiv

e 1B

2: E

valu

ate

the

mag

nitu

de o

f pot

entia

l bia

s as

soci

ated

with

non

-ran

dom

cov

erag

e of

hab

itats

, con

side

ring

diff

eren

ces

in h

abita

t ava

ilabi

lity

and

habi

tat c

hang

e al

ong

BB

S ro

utes

com

pare

d w

ith th

e br

oade

r lan

dsca

pe a

s w

ell a

s di

ffere

nces

in b

ird

dist

ribu

tion

and

dete

ctab

ility

in re

latio

n to

road

side

s, a

nd d

evel

op a

naly

tic o

r ope

ratio

nal s

trat

egie

s fo

r add

ress

ing

any

resu

ltant

bia

s.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

1B2a

(H):

Com

plet

e da

taba

se o

f coo

rdin

ates

for a

ll B

BS

stop

s.

1B2b

(H):

Con

duct

a st

udy

of th

e de

gree

to w

hich

BB

S ro

utes

sa

mpl

e ha

bita

ts a

nd a

ltitu

des.

1B2c

(H):

Con

duct

stud

y to

det

erm

ine

whe

ther

rate

s of c

hang

e in

ha

bita

ts d

iffer

on-

road

s ver

sus o

ff-ro

ads.

1B2d

(M):

Des

ign

and

set p

riorit

ies f

or a

dditi

onal

stud

ies t

o ad

dres

s is

sues

of h

abita

t bia

s.

Obj

ectiv

e 1B

�: D

evel

op a

sses

smen

t and

trai

ning

tool

s to

ass

ess

curr

ent s

kill

leve

ls o

f obs

erve

rs, a

nd to

enh

ance

ski

ll le

vels

, par

ticul

arly

for n

ew re

crui

ts, t

hus

redu

cing

var

iatio

n in

ob

serv

er e

ffect

s.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

1B1

(M).

Dev

elop

trai

ning

, ass

essm

ent,

and

self-

test

ing

prog

ram

s fo

r pot

entia

l vol

unte

ers.

1B2

(M).

Dev

elop

reco

mm

enda

tions

for p

erio

dic

obse

rver

hea

ring

test

s, et

c.

Stra

tegy

1C:

Impr

ove

geog

raph

ic c

over

age

of th

e B

BS.

Obj

ectiv

e 1C

1: In

crea

se B

BS

rout

e co

vera

ge in

are

as w

ithin

the

curr

ent B

BS

area

that

are

cur

rent

ly u

nder

sam

pled

, thr

ough

str

ateg

ic re

crui

tmen

t or r

eallo

catio

n

of e

xist

ing

volu

ntee

rs.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

1C1a

(H):

Dev

elop

and

impl

emen

t met

hods

for o

ptim

al d

istri

butio

n an

d de

nsity

of r

oute

s.

1C1b

(H):

Incr

ease

rout

e co

vera

ge to

incr

ease

num

ber o

f spe

cies

th

at m

eet p

reci

sion

targ

ets.

Table 2 1�

Tabl

e 2.

Ti

mel

ine

for a

ccom

plis

hing

act

ion

item

s. (S

ee T

able

1 fo

r com

plet

e de

scrip

tion

of e

ach

actio

n.)—

Cont

inue

d.

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

Obj

ectiv

e 1C

2: W

ork

with

Mex

ican

aut

hori

ties

to e

xpan

d th

e B

BS

into

Mex

ico

by th

e ye

ar 2

010.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

1C2a

(H):

Con

duct

wor

ksho

p at

NA

OC

and

form

wor

king

gro

up to

de

velo

p an

d im

plem

ent s

trate

gy.

1C2b

(H fo

r Mex

ico)

: Tra

nsla

te B

BS

mat

eria

ls a

nd fo

rms i

nto

Span

ish.

1C2c

(H fo

r Mex

ico)

: Dev

elop

stra

tegi

es fo

r par

ticip

ant t

rain

ing

and

recr

uitm

ent i

n M

exic

o.

Obj

ectiv

e 1C

�: D

evel

op in

nova

tive

appr

oach

es to

sur

vey

poor

ly s

ampl

ed a

reas

in s

uch

a w

ay th

at d

ata

can

be in

tegr

ated

with

the

larg

er d

atab

ase

for a

naly

tic p

urpo

ses.

Opt

ions

to b

e co

nsid

ered

incl

ude

shor

t rou

tes,

off-

road

rout

es, u

se o

f mic

roph

one

reco

rdin

gs to

cal

ibra

te o

bser

ver e

ffect

s, e

tc.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

1C3a

(M; H

for C

anad

a an

d M

exic

o): E

xam

ine

effe

ct o

f a “

shor

t ro

ute”

des

ign

on tr

ends

.

1C3b

(M; H

for C

anad

a an

d M

exic

o): E

xam

ine

effe

ct o

n tre

nd

prec

isio

n of

cha

ngin

g ob

serv

ers.

Goa

l 2: E

nsur

e B

BS

data

and

ana

lytic

al re

sults

are

wid

ely

avai

labl

e an

d ea

sily

acc

essi

ble

for u

se b

y th

e av

ian

cons

erva

tion

and

man

agem

ent c

omm

uniti

es.

Stra

tegy

2A

: Ens

ure

that

BB

S da

ta a

nd re

sults

pre

sent

ed o

n th

e w

eb s

ite u

se th

e be

st d

ata-

man

agem

ent p

ract

ices

and

sta

tistic

al m

etho

ds, w

ith a

dequ

ate

docu

men

tatio

n

for u

sers

to u

nder

stan

d th

em.

Obj

ectiv

e 2A

1: C

ontin

ue to

impr

ove

and

add

valu

e to

the

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n pr

esen

ted

on th

e B

BS

web

site

, by

ensu

ring

that

the

mos

t app

ropr

iate

ana

lysi

s m

etho

ds a

re u

sed,

th

at th

ese

met

hods

pro

vide

the

info

rmat

ion

requ

ired

by

user

s, a

nd th

at th

e ap

proa

ches

are

ade

quat

ely

docu

men

ted.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

Act

ion

2A1a

(H):

Com

plet

e hi

erar

chic

al a

naly

sis a

nd p

rovi

de

resu

lts o

n In

tern

et, e

tc.

2A1b

(H):

Dev

elop

a c

ompr

ehen

sive

BB

S us

ers’

guid

e.

2A1c

(H):

Form

a st

atis

tical

wor

king

gro

up to

dis

cuss

and

revi

ew

BB

S an

alyt

ical

pro

gres

s.

2A1d

(M):

Add

mor

e de

tail

on q

ualit

y of

tren

ds.

2A1e

(L):

Inve

stig

ate A

rc/IM

S-ty

pe to

ols f

or se

lect

ing

rout

es fr

om

non-

stan

dard

regi

ons,

etc.


Tabl

e 2.

Ti

mel

ine

for a

ccom

plis

hing

act

ion

item

s. (S

ee T

able

1 fo

r com

plet

e de

scrip

tion

of e

ach

actio

n.)—

Cont

inue

d.

[(H

), hi

gh p

riorit

y; (M

), m

ediu

m p

riorit

y; (L

), lo

w p

riorit

y]

Obj

ectiv

e 2A

2: C

ontin

ue to

impr

ove

data

base

man

agem

ent,

to c

ope

with

incr

ease

d da

ta c

olle

ctio

n, a

nd to

ens

ure

that

bes

t ava

ilabl

e da

ta-m

anag

emen

t pra

ctic

es a

re m

et.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

2A2a

(H):

Ensu

re a

ll as

pect

s of B

BS

prog

ram

hav

e ap

prop

riate

and

cu

rren

t met

adat

a.

2A2b

(H):

Dev

elop

tool

s to

enha

nce

inte

grity

of s

top

loca

tion

data

base

.

2A2c

(M):

Com

plet

e a

stan

d-al

one

data

-ent

ry p

rogr

am.

2A2d

(M; H

for C

anad

a an

d M

exic

o): D

evel

op F

renc

h an

d Sp

anis

h la

ngua

ge w

eb a

pplic

atio

ns.

2A2e

(L):

Scan

his

toric

pap

er fi

eld

shee

ts a

nd c

omm

ent f

orm

s.

Stra

tegy

2B

: Inc

reas

e co

mm

unic

atio

n w

ith B

BS

part

ners

and

sta

keho

lder

s to

ens

ure

BB

S co

ntin

ues

to m

eet t

he a

vian

pop

ulat

ion

stat

us a

nd tr

ends

nee

ds o

f the

con

serv

atio

n co

mm

unity

and

to e

ncou

rage

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f new

pro

duct

s.

Obj

ectiv

e 2B

1: In

crea

se c

omm

unic

atio

ns w

ith k

ey u

sers

of B

BS

data

.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

2B1a

(H):

Dev

elop

adv

isor

y gr

oup

to p

rovi

de g

uida

nce

and

annu

al

eval

uatio

n of

pla

n pr

ogre

ss.

Obj

ectiv

e 2B

2: P

rom

ote

deve

lopm

ent o

f pro

duct

s by

par

tner

s th

at s

ynth

esiz

e an

d in

terp

ret B

BS

resu

lts.

Act

ion

2006

200�

2008

2009

2010

2B2a

(M):

Enco

urag

e de

velo

pmen

t of p

rodu

cts t

hat i

nteg

rate

BB

S da

ta w

ith o

ther

sour

ces o

f dat

a to

giv

e im

prov

ed m

easu

res o

f the

st

atus

of b

ird p

opul

atio

ns in

Nor

th A

mer

ica.

Table 2 19

For additional information on the North American Breeding Bird Survey, write to:Keith PardieckU.S. Geological SurveyPatuxent Wildlife Research CenterSuite 403812100 Beech Forest Rd.Laurel, MD 20708-4038

or visit the BBS Web site at:http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/

Strategic Plan for the North A

merican B

reeding Bird Survey: 2006-2010—

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