Piedmont Virginia Bird Club: Grassland Bird Conserviation on Working Landscapes in Virginia

Grassland Bird Conservation on Working Landscapes in Virginia (At Ivy Creek Education Bldg 7pm)

Presenter: Justin Proctor, Virginia Working Landscapes

Presentation Description: Native grasslands have suffered the most intense impact by humans of any of North America’s terrestrial ecosystems, resulting in grassland birds experiencing steeper declines than any other guild of birds. In Virginia, most open land is now used for agriculture—a surrogate habitat that presents a unique opportunity for grassland bird conservation. Research has demonstrated that implementing a specific suite of best management practices on agricultural land can benefit grassland birds, restore ecosystem functionality, and protect farmer livelihoods. The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI) draws on locally-derived research, partner expertise, and a growing network of collaborating farmers to help landowners and producers overcome obstacles to adopting beneficial conservation practices onto their lands. The initiative uses a multi-faceted approach to maximize conservation output, including collaborating with regional practitioners to identify priority BMPs and landscapes, providing new and flexible funding opportunities, engaging farmers through a diverse outreach strategy, and increasing on-the-ground conservation capacity. 

BIO: Justin Proctor grew up on a hay and cattle farm in Western NY, and then went off to earn a B.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of Maine at Machias and a M.Sc. in Natural Resources from Cornell University. He has a diverse background working in the fields of science, education, and conservation, including interpretation with the National Park Service, underwater research with lobsters and shellfish in the Bay of Fundy, youth adventure tourism in St. Martin and Costa Rica, and teaching high school Environmental Science. Justin’s work with birds began with coordinating a hemisphere-wide study on Tachycineta swallows, followed by an extensive research and conservation project working with the endemic, endangered Golden Swallows of Hispaniola. He went on to work for the nonprofit, BirdsCaribbean, as the Managing Editor of their peer-reviewed publication—the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, as well as serve two terms as Vice-President on BirdsCaribbean’s Board of Directors. Currently, Justin is based out of Front Royal, VA, where he works for Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes as Coordinator of their Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative.

This meeting will be held in person at Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic River View Farm's education building. Members are free to bring books or other birding items to swap as long as they agree to take home any unclaimed items at the end of the meeting.