The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region, intends to make a sole source award of an cooperative agreement to Eckerd College.

Funding for this project is provided under the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 as amended, 16 U.S.C.

742a -754, and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation

credit: Wikimedia Commons

How's Your Community Doing?
Check Out it's
Community Vital Signs

Act, 16 U.S.C.

2901 291 1. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is mandated to protect migratory bird species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 1918, with additional protections for species listed as Endangered or Threatened under the Endangered Species Act 197 3. This notice is an announcement for issuing a single source financial assistance award to Eckerd College, St.

Petersburg, FL.

The intent of the award is to develop Best Management Practices BMPs for predation management of focal breeding shorebirds in North America.

Improved predation management has been identified as a top priority by the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative AFSI, an effort developed and coordinated by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service USFWS with over 50 partners.

The AFSI implementation plan for predation focuses management efforts on four coastal temperate-breeding shorebirds:
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus, Wilsonâ¿¿s Plover Charadrius wilsonia, Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus, and the federally-threatened Piping Plover Charadrius melodus.

This project will improve and expand predator management efforts using the following strategies identified in AFSI:
1. develop and promote BMPs; 2. implement predator management efforts at representative demonstration sites; and 3. assist with outreach and training activities through coordination with affiliated projects.

Implementation of these strategies will improve range-wide coordination and efficacy of predation management efforts along the U. S. Atlantic coast.