Manomet Center awarded major NFWF grant to foster shorebird co...( WASHINGTON DECEMBER 19 2007 - The Na...)

WASHINGTON, DECEMBER 19, 2007 - The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) recently approved a $743,000 grant to the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences to sustain the development and implementation of conservation programs that address the decline of shorebird populations throughout the Western Hemisphere.

The conservation activities will be conducted by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), a coalition of conservation organizations with 68 shorebird protection sites in nine nations of the Western Hemisphere. This network of sites is essential to the ambitious Shorebird Recovery Project, led by the Executive Office of WHSRN at Manomet. The NFWF funds will be matched two to one by Manomet and other non-governmental organizations, for a total investment of more than $2.2 million for conservation projects.

"This is our largest award yet to WHSRN, and reflects our confidence in their ability to build the international coalitions necessary to conserve shorebirds across the Hemisphere," notes Dr. Daniel Petit, Director of the NFWF Bird Conservation Initiative. "This grant also launches a new era in bird conservation investments for NFWF, one in which we are focused on producing tangible outcomes in terms of population increases for imperiled species. Working with partners such as WHSRN, we are establishing aggressive goals to stem the declines in Red Knots, American Oystercatchers and other species."

"WHSRN is a coalition of partners - hundreds of groups voluntarily joining to conserve shorebird species and their habitats at a breathtaking scale - founded by visionary leaders in 1985. This award continues and greatly expands our on-the-ground conservation for key species and critical places," said WHSRN's Executive Office Director, Dr. Charles Duncan. "In addition it will allow us and our partners across the hemisphere to build a stronger scientific understanding of shorebird population declines and a 'conser
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