Grants to Grow Food for Migrating Birds

Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act

• Passed by the U.S. Congress in 2000, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act includes a competitive matching grants program. The program provides funding for selected projects undertaken through public-private partnerships in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. They are long-term projects that focus on the protection and management of migratory bird populations, and on the maintenance, management, protection and restoration of habitats for migratory birds with a view to growing healthy populations. Project proposals go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Bird Habitat Conservation for review. The program accepts applications from individuals, corporations, partnerships, trusts, associations and other private entities.

The Ozaukee-Washington County Land Trust

• The Lake Michigan Flyway is a major migratory bird corridor connecting Canada and the Arctic Ocean to South America. Located along the flyway and on the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, is the Forest Beach Migratory Preserve. The Ozaukee-Washington County Land Trust purchased this 116-acre former golf course to restore native plants and wetlands as a feeding habitat and place of refuge for native and migratory birds. The black-billed cuckoo, eastern meadowlark, solitary sandpiper and golden-winged warbler are among the species of birds that travel along the flyway. The restoration plan includes a range of habitats to suit a diversity of more than 80 rare or declining bird species. Among the feeding enhancements included in the preserve master plan are oak savanna and grassland habitats, deciduous upland forests including red oak, white oak, sugar maple and black cherry trees, to give dense cover and to feed forest birds. Scattered oaks, hickories and hackberries set among warm-season grasses and seed-producing forbs cater particularly to seed-eating birds, and native conifers provide food and cover for migrant winter finches.

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act

• The North American Wetlands Conservation Act Small Grants Program offers competitive matching grants. These grants apply to public-private partnerships for projects that provide long-term protection, restoration and/or enhancement of wetlands and upland habitats for wetlands-associated migratory birds. Originally intended as a lead-in to the Standard Grant, the Small Grant offers sufficient funding to complete projects on a smaller scale. The level of community involvement is an important consideration for this grant program. The application process encourages letters of support from the partners. As of 2011, the maximum grant value was $75,000 for a period of one year, and is renewable for a second year.

  Small grants are among the sources of funding for California’s San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. The aim is to protect and restore all types of wetlands, riparian habitat and uplands for birds, fish and wildlife. In particular, habitat goals include protecting and restoring seasonal wetlands for migrating shorebirds and creeks and riparian corridors for resident and migratory songbirds.

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust

• The Morton Arboretum website includes comprehensive information and a chart of large deciduous trees on the subject of “Trees and Shrubs that Attract Birds,” a publication focused on the Midwest. Funding for the publication came through a grant from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust. The trust supports education and research in ornamental horticulture. The publication gives an overview of the ideal bird habitat that includes food, shelter, nesting areas and singing posts which birds require to defend their areas. The publication emphasizes that birds feed not only on plant fruits but also on buds, flowers and nectar, and to select plants that supply food for every season. In the fall, for example, migratory birds search for the fatty fruits of spicebush, magnolia, sassafras and flowering dogwood. For the winter, selections like nannyberry, sumac, hawthorn and crabapple are sources of food.