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Migratory Bird & Wetlands NewsLink is a bi-monthly news service. Submissions are encouraged and any international news is welcome. Let me know of colleagues that might like to receive this e-mail and I will gladly include them. [Plain text format is available as well.]

–   Note from the Editor
–   News from Friends
–   Wetlands News – in the News – from Around the Globe
–   Migratory Bird News
–   Wetland Web Resources & Publications
–   Migratory Bird Resources, Web Resources & Publications
–   Migratory Bird & Wetlands Training & Scholarship Opportunities
–   International Calendar of Events (The year 2003 & beyond)

Last week on National Public Radio’s Living on Earth, Steve Curwood covered a story about the fertile Mesopotamian marshes in Iraq and Iran entitled ”Restoring Iraq’s Garden of Eden.” The story tells of how in the early 1990’s Saddam Hussein’s government drained these wetlands, created hundreds of thousands of refuges, and decimated the ecosystem (“one of the world's greatest environmental disasters” according to the United Nations.) Now, a project called "Eden Again" plans to rehabilitate the dried out land. Steve Curwood’s interview with Azzam and Suzie Alwash covers this story. Go to: http://www.loe.org/index.php

Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy – News Page Launched on Web
http://www.wetlands.org/IWC/awc/waterbirdstrategy
This web page offers a forum for news, announcements and updates on waterbird activities in the Asia-Pacific region and the East Asian- Australasian Flyway.

News from the National Audubon Society (USA)
Scott Hecker Named to Launch Coastal Bird Conservation Effort

After 8 years of distinguished service, Mr. Delmar Blasco, will step down at the end of July 2003 To read Dr. Bridgewater’s profile and learn more about the transition go to: http://www.ramsar.org/w.n.ramsar_secgen1.htm

Ramsar and Panama Open a Regional Ramsar Centre for Training and Research on Wetlands in the Western Hemisphere

- The Government of Argentina has designated its 12th Wetland of International Importance

- France has 4 new sites
- The Republic of Honduras has designated its 5th Ramsar site

This revised website features improved searches, an updated and expanded tool database, a re-designed, dynamic interface, is blingual English/French and offers lots more. The web site: www.wetkit.net Pauline Lynch-Stewart provided this update.

First Announcement: International Workshop on Peatland Conservation & Sustainable Use, Lanzhou City 7 – 9 July, 2003, Gansu, China.

The purpose of this workshop is to bring together peat experts and managers working on or interested in peatlands in China to share experience and identify strategies for protection and sustainable use of peat resources. It will be followed by a six day technical visit to the Ruoergai Plateau, one of the world’s largest high altitude peatlands. Organized by the Gansu Forestry Department, Wetlands International-China Office and the Global Environmental Centre. Sponsors: Global Peatland Initiative and UNEP-GEF. Registration deadline is June 1. For further information e-mail: wicp@public3.bta.net.cn or wetgef@public.bta.net.cn

WETLAND NEWS – IN THE NEWS – FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
(by most recent date)

March 24, 2003, Environment News Service, by J.R. Pegg, Washington, DC – Bird species today face a wave of extinction not seen on Earth since the dinosaurs died out some 65 million years ago, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. Pressures from a human population of more than 6.2 billion have put about 12 percent of the world's 9,800 bird species at risk of extinction, the report finds, and species across the globe are showing increasing signs of distress. For the full article go to: http://www.ens-news.com/ens/mar2003/2003-03-24-10.asp

March 24, 2003, Environment News Service, Kyoto, Japan – Water demand is increasing three times as fast as the world's population growth rate, and poverty is the single most important factor related to meeting that demand, said officials at the 3rd World Water Forum. More than 100 new commitments towards bringing safe water and sanitation to the entire world were made by delegates to the Forum. For the full article go to: http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2003/2003-03-24-04.asp

March 22, 2003, Environment News Service, by Alexandru R. Savulescu, Kyoto, Japan – The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) will start work reconstructing Iraq “within days” of the war's ending, Klaus Toepfer, UNEP’s Executive Director, said at the 3rd World Water Forum. There is a standby unit at Bahrain ready to go into the country immediately after the conflict. For the full story go to: http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2003/2003-03-21-06.asp

March 17, 2003, Capitol Reports, by Gale Norton and Ann Veneman, Washington DC – Every year, the federal government and Americans across the country preserve, restore and enhance thousands of acres of wetlands through cooperative conservation efforts, partnerships and voluntary programs – but that is not the news that most Americans read about. For the full story go to: http://www.caprep.com/0303058.htm

March 16, 2003, BBC News World Edition, by Tim Hirsch, Kyoto – The 3rd World Water Forum brought together about 10,000 delegates from 150 countries to debate solutions to the crisis facing more than one billion people without access to clean water. For the full story go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2854151.stm

March 18 2003, World Conservation Union (IUCN) – Published by: IUCN, IWMI, Ramsar Convention Bureau and WRI, this is the most comprehensive database of the world's river basins now available on CD. The CD presents maps on twenty global issues as well as key maps, data and indicators of 154 of the world's basins. It also provides an analysis of the state of the world's river basins, including the environmental goods and services they provide. For a copy of the CD or to download it go to: http://www.iucn.org/themes/wani/eatlas/ [ see license agreement.]

March 3, 2003 BBC News on-line , by Helen Sharp – The Marsh Arabs or Madan, have seen their centuries-old way of life virtually destroyed under Saddam Hussein's regime. For the full article go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2807821.stm

February 27, 2003, National Audubon Society, Washington, DC – The States of New Jersey and Delaware announced significant emergency restrictions on the take of horseshoe crabs this spring to protect horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds. Delaware and New Jersey should be congratulated for taking tough steps in fisheries management and conservation action. For the full article go to: http://www.audubon.org/news/release/0203-february2003.html

An Initiative for Institutional Coordination and Cooperation on Andean Wetland Inventories

A cooperative initiative to promote and carry out inventories on Andean wetlands is being launched in Colombia. Currently Fundación Humedales and a number of other NGO and academic institutions have joined efforts to build a conceptual framework for the cooperative development of wetland inventories in the highlands of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, and the upper Cauca river valley – covering critical endangered wetland habitats of the country. The Ramsar web site offers more details: http://www.ramsar.org/w.n.colombia_humedandes1.htm

To celebrate the 100^th birthday of America’s National Wildlife Refuge System, a caravan of seven vehicles is traveling to coastal and interior refuges in California, Oregon and Washington on a quest to follow the Pacific Flyway, a bird migration corridor along the West Coast, to highlight the interconnectedness of the refuges as a system of lands protected for wildlife. Just as human travelers need periodic stops for food and rest, so too do the birds migrating between northern nesting grounds and southern wintering areas. National wildlife refuges provide those stopping areas for migratory birds. The Caravan left Seal Beach, California, on Saturday, March 22, 2003, and returns on April 6, 2003, to the Seal Beach NWR, where a festive event will welcome the Caravan home. For the full article go to: http://news.fws.gov/newsreleases/

March 23, 2003, New York Times, by Karen DeMasters – The disappearance of hundreds of pairs of shore birds from marshlands on Seven Mile Island in Cape May County remains unsolved, much to the dismay of environmental groups and tourists. No one knows why the birds left two years ago or where they went. The full article is in the New York Times archives and must be purchased. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0E15FB3C540C708EDDAA0894DB404482

Groups File Suit to Halt Mass Bird Deaths at Gulf Coast Communication Towers in USA

February 13, 2002, E-Wire Washington D.C. – Three conservation organizations filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The groups, Forest Conservation Council (Santa Fe, NM), American Bird Conservancy, and Friends of the Earth seek to enjoin the FCC from issuing any new licenses for the building of communication towers in the Gulf Coast region until their impact on migratory birds has been fully assessed and mitigated. A comprehensive report published by American Bird Conservancy documents 230 species killed at towers, nearly 40% of all U.S. bird species, 52 of which are listed as being of conservation concern. [For the full report go to: www.abcbirds.org/policy/towerkillweb.pdf ] For this article go to: http://www.ewire-news.com/index.cfm?temp=detail&id=514F861E-EFEF-4410-A84A98B57A7EF190

Migration & Winter Ranges of Birds in Greenland. An Analysis of Ringing Recoveries

Journal of the Danish Ornithological Society / BirdLife Denmark [Dansk Ornitologisk Forenings Tidsskrift] Where do Greenland's birds spend the winter? And which foreign bird populations visit Greenland? These and many other questions are answered in this 168 page special issue by Peter Lyngs. Available from: The Danish Ornithological Society. For further information e-mail dof@dof.dk

Preliminary Results of a Four Province Survey for Dunlin and Other Waterbirds in the Lower Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) Basin

Two teams surveyed a number of lakes in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Anhui over a 3-week period in January 2003. The main target species was Dunlin, but all waterbirds were counted as well. For site-by-site (with dates/coordinates) and estimated coverage of each lake, contact Mark directly at: markbarter@optusnet.com.au Download "Shorebirds of the Yellow Sea" from: http://www.ea.gov.au/water/wetlands/mwp/yellow-sea/pubs/yellow-sea1.pdf (PDF file) http://www.wetlands.org/pubs&/SYSwebnote.htm (Word and PDF files) This monograph, published in August 2002 by Wetlands International (No. 9 in their Global Series) and the International Wader Study Group (as International Wader Studies 12), comprises 118 pages, contains eight tables and seven figures, and has English, Chinese and Korean language summaries.

A major gift to American Birding Association (ABA) by author and conservationist Phillip Hoose provides an opportunity to get much-needed equipment, books, and other education and field tools for bird education, conservation and research efforts throughout Cuba. For more information contact Betty Petersen, Birders' Exchange Program Director, e-mail: bex@aba.org, or visit: http://www.americanbirding.org/bex

Access to data on individual bird species can be found at: http://arctic.ss.msu.ru/birdspec/ In the future it will be linked to the main project website http://www.arcticbirds.ru Individuals with information on bird breeding conditions during summer season 2002 are encouraged to submit this data as soon as possible, as the next issue of the survey newsletter will come out in May. Contact: Mikhail Soloviev, Dept. of Vertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University. E-mail: soloviev@soil.msu.ru or Pavel Tomkovich, Zoological Museum, Moscow State University. E-mail: pst@zmmu.msu.ru

Between September 13 – 20, 2000, a waterbird census of Lake Orumieh and bordering marshes was carried out. The fieldwork was conducted by the Working Group International Waterbird and Wetland Research (WIWO) in the Netherlands in cooperation with the Department of Environment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The publication date for this report is 2003. For more information go to: http://www.wiwo-international.org/

2003 – 2008 National Wetland Strategy for Turkey
Turkey has rich and widespread wetland habitats and above it are two migratory routes of the west palearctic region. This is a publication of the Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Environment. Go to: http://www.ramsar.org/wurc_stratplan_turkey.htm

Shorebirdworld.org Website Launched
The division of Shorebird Research & Conservation at the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences has launched a new website to provide public access to field research reports and updates. The site is dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the natural history of shorebirds, the enormous conservation challenges they face throughout their migratory ranges and the cooperative, international research and conservation efforts underway to help ensure their survival. Go to: Shorebirdworld.org

Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers
By Arthur Morris , this book offers invaluable assistance to those who want to distinguish a yellowlegs from a willet, or a snipe from a dowitcher. It also offers sound advice on how best to observe these fascinating creatures, details on their natural history, and information on how mankind's actions have affected their populations. Published, February 2003 by Stackpole Books. It is 30% off at Amazon.Com.

Volunteer opportunities are outlined in an 80 page directory for $2.00 from the ABA. There is also a volunteer listings online: http://www.americanbirding.org/opps/ Most projects are based in the United States.

Advanced Training Program for Latin America Field Ornithologists Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO), Canada

LPBO is offering a 1-month course in advanced ornithological field techniques (landbird mist-netting, handling, extraction, banding, ageing and sexing, censusing techniques, migration monitoring, database management, and project design and administration) for three Latin American Ornithologists. This course is ideal for talented Latin American field biologists who already possess an excellent background in field ornithology and have a serious interest in advancing their knowledge, skills, and abilities. This course is not suitable for beginners. Conversational and written English is required. Institutions and agencies in Latin America (Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean) are encouraged to recommend potential candidates. For information and applications, contact Landbird Programs Coordinator: E-mail: lpbo@bsc-eoc.org or visit the web site: www.bsc-eoc.org Applications must be received by May 1^st 2003.

European Commission Offers Scholarship Opportunity to Latin American Students & Professionals

In 2002, The European Commission adopted the “Alban Program” a high level scholarship program for approximately 3900 Latin American students and professionals. The Scholarships are a means of support for Latin American citizens who conduct their postgraduate studies and training in European universities. For more information about this opportunity visit: http://www.programalban.org

16 – 18 April
Conference on Patagonian Wetlands / II Jornadas Patagónicas sobre Mallines y Humedales a realizarse en la ciudad de Río Gallegos, Provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina. La Unidad Académica Río Gallegos de la Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Para mas informacion: jornadas_humedales_unpa@yahoo.com.ar

13 – 16 April
National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, hosted by Restore America’s Estuaries, Baltimore, Maryland. To be held at The Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor Hotel. The program Saving Our Coastal Heritage will feature experts in aspects of restoration, representing all coastal regions of the United States, including the Great Lakes. For more information go to: http://www.estuaries.org/nationalconference.php

1 – 4 May
American Wetlands Conference, The Izaac Walton League, Minneapolis, Minnesota. This biennial conference will include three tracks: education and outreach, wetland science, and wetland conservation policy. The conference is targeted to volunteer and professional wetland stewards interested in learning more about wetlands and how to conserve them. For more information go to: www.iwla.org/sos/awm/conference

5 – 9 May
26th World Conference on the International Bird Strike Committee, Warsaw, Poland. This meeting will address collisions between aircrafts and birds. Conference forms can be downloaded from the International Bird Strike Committee website at: www.int-birdstrike.com For more information contact: International Bird Strike Committee, Chairman's Office: Royal Netherlands Airforce c/o Luit Buurma STL/AOO/SNEB, PO Box 20703 2500 ES, The Hague Netherlands, Tel:+ 31 70 3396346, Fax: + 31 70 3396347, Email: luitbuurma@worldmail.nl

20 – 24 May
Mangrove 2003: Connecting Research and Participative Management of Estuaries and Mangroves, Bahia Othon Palace, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. To learn more about this conference go to: http://www.mangrove2003.ufba.br/ The Conference Secretary: mangrove2003@ufba.br . Full papers: January 31, 2003

26 – 28 May
Iberoamerican Regional Workshop on Wetlands and Sustainable Development, to be held in Panama City, Panama. Contact Dr. Lucas Fernández for further details or for a brochure (in Spanish): lfernandez@geprop.cu

2 June – 1 July
International Course on Wetland Restoration hosted by the Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment (RIZA), part of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management in The Netherlands. For more information and the brochure go to: http://ramsar.org/watc_courses_2003.htm

8 – 13 June
Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) 24th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Hyatt Regency. The SWS meeting will focus on the interdisciplinary scientific needs and innovative approaches for the stewardship of wetland ecosystems. What approaches are needed to meet the challenges of management across diverse and changing geographical landscapes, socio-political boundaries, scientific disciplines, and varying time scales? The conference will encourage symposia that present interdisciplinary, integrated approaches and technologies for wetland science, assessment, conservation, rehabilitation, and management to sustain wetlands in diverse environments across different continental regions of the world. Fur further information contact Lisa C. Gandy: gandylc@swbell.net or call (501) 225-1552.

9 – 13 June
3rd Latin American Meeting on River Basin Management, Arequipa, Peru, (Spanish) Tercer Congreso Latinoamericano de Manejo de Cuencas Hidrográficas, Arequipa, Perú. Organizado por la Red Latinoamericana de Cooperación Técnica en Manejo de Cuencas Hidrográficas (REDLACH), en colaboración con la Oficina Regional de la FAO para América Latina y el Caribe y el Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales de Perú (INRENA). Para mas informacion: http://www.congresocuencas.org.pe/default.htm o e-mail: CongresoCuencas@inrena.gob.pe

21^st Congress of the International Commission on Large Dams, Montreal, Canada. This triennial meeting will convene approximately 2000 decision makers, experts, engineers, geologists and other professionals from the dam industry. For more information contact: Lise Pinsonneault; tel: +1-514-289-4628; fax: +1-514-289-4546; e-mail: pinsonneault.lise@hydro.qc.ca; Internet: http://www.cigb-icold.org

22 – 26 June
46th Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research and the 10th World Lakes Conference: Global Threats to Large Lakes: Managing in an Environment of Instability and Unpredictability. For more information go to: http://www.iaglr.org/conference/2003/sessions.php

29 June – 2 July
International Water Congress: Watershed Management for Water Supply Systems, New York, New York. To improve watershed management and the operation of public water supplies, where agriculture, forestry and related land uses exist on water supply surface watersheds or over ground water recharge zones. Go to: http://www.awra.org/meetings/NewYork2003/index.html

7 – 9 July
International Workshop on Peatland Conservation & Sustainable Use, Lanzhou City, Gansu, China. Organized by: Gansu Forestry Department. Wetlands International-China Office, Global Environmental Centre. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together peat experts and managers working on or interested in peatlands in China to share experience and identify strategies for protection and sustainable use of peat resources.. It will be followed by a six day technical visit to the Ruoergai Plateau, one of the world’s largest high altitude peatlands. Sponsors: Global Peatland Initiative and UNEP-GEF. Registration deadline: June 1. For further information e-mail: wicp@public3.bta.net.cn or wetgef@public.bta.net.cn

4 – 9 August
The 4th Conference of the Working Group on Aquatic Birds of the International Society of Limnology(SIL) Limnology and Waterbirds 2003 will be held in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. The preliminary announcement and the expression of interest return form are found at: http://www.links.umoncton.ca/lw/

11 – 14 August
World Water Week in Stockholm and Stockholm Water Symposium, Stockholm, Sweden. The 2003 Stockholm Water Symposium theme is Drainage Basin Security: Balancing Production, Trade and Water Use. Plenary sessions will include experts focusing on this theme from a variety of perspectives, and a high-level panel debate will address the role of agricultural subsidies that constrain the trade exchange of food products between the North and the South. For more information contact: David Trouba; tel: +46-8-522-139-89; fax: +46-8-522-139-61; e-mail: dave.trouba@siwi.org; Web site: http://www.siwi.org/waterweek2003

19 August – 1 October
The 10th Annual International Course on Wetland Management, hosted by the Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment (RIZA), part of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management in The Netherlands. http://ramsar.org/watc_courses_2003.htm

August 30 – September 6
Integrated Water Resources Management, an 8-day professional development course, hosted by the Hydrogeology Center (CHYN) of the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland and co-sponsored by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) of Sri Lanka, UNESCO's HELP programme, and the World Bank Institute (WBI) in the USA. Up to 20 participants from developing countries may receive funding assistance. Further information can be obtained from the University of Neuchâtel e-mail: service.formcont@unine.ch , and the course's Web site is at: http://www.unine.ch/foco/html/IWRM-L1-JUN2003.html

Meeting of the Waterbird Society, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. If you would like to sponsor a symposium please contact Betty Anne Schreiber at: SchreiberE@aol.com Further details will soon be found at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/birdnet/ Questions about the meeting should be addressed to: Silvia del Lama: dsdl@paoer.ufscar.br

2 – 6 October
International Wader Study Group Conference in Cadiz. Details will be on the WSG web-site in due course: www.waderstudygroup.org

5 – 11 October
The VIIth Neotropical Ornithological Congress will be held in Chile's Puyehue National Park. The scientific program will include plenary lectures, concurrent symposia sessions, oral papers, poster sessions, and round-table discussions. In addition, special evening sessions with talks and films are planned. English and Spanish will be the working languages of the congress. For more information, visit the web site of the Neotropical Ornithological Society: http://www.neotropicalornithology.org/ or go directly to: www.nocchile.cl English: http://www.neotropicalornithology.org/files/NOCannouncement%20English.pdf ; Spanish: http://www.nocchile.cl/.

20 – 24 October
National Symposium: Wetlands 2003 Landscape Scale Wetland Assessment and Management, the Sheraton Nashua in Nashua, New Hampshire.
The call for papers is posted at the ASWM website at: http://aswm.org/calendar/2003am/. The deadline for the submission of Abstracts is May 9, 2003

5 – 8 November
3rd North American Duck Symposium, Sacramento, California. Go to:www.ducksymp3.com Abstract deadline: May 1, 2003

30^thMeeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee, Gland, Switzerland. For more information contact: Dwight Peck, Executive Assistant for Communications; tel: +41-22-999-0170; fax: +41-22-999-0169; E-mail: peck@ramsar.org; Web site: http://ramsar.org/meetings.htm

April

3 – 8 April [2004]
Global Waterbird Flyway Conference, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. A global review of the conservation, management and research of the world’s major flyways. This is a Wetlands International conference jointly hosted by The Netherlands (Ministry of Agriculture - Nature Management and Fisheries, Department for Nature Management) and The United Kingdom (DEFRA, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Scottish Heritage, English Nature.) For more information go to the web site: http://www.wetlands.org/GFC/Info.htm or contact: Dr. Gerard C. Boere, E-mail: boere@wetlands.agro.nl