News

An important schedule change has been proposed for the North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) Grant Program. The North American Wetland Conservation Council has indicated support for a change in the annual proposal submission cycle, starting next year.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is now available for the Joint Venture Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)! This competitive funding process will fund proposals that focus on habitat protection, restoration, or enhancement, for the conservation of native Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations, particularly of migratory birds. 

Ducks Unlimited is pleased to announce that this is the first year that they will be offering the David R. Luukkonen Waterfowl and Wetland Graduate Student Fellowship.  Dave was a long-time partner and contributor to the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture.

The Midwest Migratory Bird Program is pleased to announce the Notice of Funding Opportunity to support priority bird species monitoring, research, and conservation.

American Bird Conservancy and the Forest Stewards Guild are pleased to announce two position openings, both working to coordinate northern forest bird habitat conservation.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity is now available for the Joint Venture portion of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). This competitive funding process will fund proposals that focus on habitat protection, restoration, or enhancement, for the conservation of native Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations, particularly of migratory birds.  Applications due by September 20, 2022.

A new menu of climate adaptation strategies and approaches details a range of actions to help Great Lakes coastal ecosystems cope with climate change. The menu can be used by natural resources professionals to support management decisions for a variety of coastal ecosystems across the Great Lakes states.

Reminder!  Get your applications into GrantSolutions by May 31st, 2022! [...]

The US Fish and Wildlife Service Avian Radar Project is excited to share their new website and Story Map that showcases their Great Lakes Airspace Map Decision Support Tool!

We are pleased to announce the availability of funds through the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture and Midwest Migratory Birds Program.  The grant program title “Science Needs for Bird Habitat Conservation in the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture ,” also known as the Improving Science Foundation for Bird Conservation Grant, is now available through the Funding Opportunity Number F22AS00315.

Please help us congratulate our Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture Science staff, Mohammed Al-Saffar and Greg Soulliere! Greg and Mohammed recently co-authored a chapter in a book, Wildlife management and landscapes: principles and applications

The Notice of Funding Opportunity is now available for the Joint Venture portion of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). This competitive funding process will fund proposals that focus on habitat protection, restoration, or enhancement, for the conservation of native Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations, particularly of migratory birds.

We are pleased to announce the availability of funds for two programs.  First, is the Joint Ventures – Improving the Science Foundation for Bird Conservation, and the Migratory Bird Conservation in the Midwest grant opportunity.

This position will coordinate and implement grassland conservation initiatives in southwest Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, a region that is crucial within the Upper Midwest for the conservation of prairie, oak savanna, idle grass, pasture, trout streams, and associated plant and animal species, including grassland birds, monarchs, and pollinators.

A committee of the Joint Venture Science Team recently completed a 2-year effort revising the JV Landbird Habitat Conservation Strategy. This Strategy establishes regional objectives for landbird population and habitat conservation while using current data and new tools for integrating social considerations into bird habitat decisions.  

The Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture Management Board held the biannual business meeting on September 30. A highlight of the meeting was the vote to accept two new organizations to the management Board: Nestle Purina, represented by Jack Scott, and Ruffed Grouse Society, represented by Brent Rudolph.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is now available for the Joint Venture portion of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).

The recently completed Wisconsin Waterfowl Habitat Conservation Strategy is now available. This tool was developed collaboratively by numerous Wisconsin partners with support from our JV Science Staff to guide and inform decisions for waterfowl habitat conservation.

The dedicated work of many conservation partners from the UMGL Joint Venture region has paid off. It is time to celebrate the recovery of the Kirtland’s warbler, a Joint Venture Focal Species, which has been recently “delisted” and no longer needs protection from the Endangered Species Act.

We would like to give recognition to Ducks Unlimited, a substantial Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture partner, for successfully securing North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) funding for two proposals within our JV!

The Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture is proud to help underwrite the 2019 Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Symposium, which will be held at Maumee Bay in Oregon, Ohio, September 19-20.

Conservation delivery, landbird planning, and Nebraska’s natural resources were the main themes of our most recent Joint Venture Management Board meeting, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, August 13th-14th.

We will be having our annual summer Management Board meeting August 13th-14th, 2019, in Lincoln Nebraska. We will attend meetings at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Nebraska Outdoor Education Center, and are planning an exciting field trip looking at saline wetlands and tallgrass Prairie Corridor work in the area.

I'm excited to switch hats and work with everyone to advance bird conservation in our joint venture. Strong partnerships, good communication, and focus on mission have been hallmarks of our JV, and building on those strengths will keep us working together to make meaningful impacts on bird habitat and society in our ten states.

We are excited to officially announce the selection of Doug Gorby as the new Coordinator for the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture! His official start date will be Tuesday, May 28th, and his office will be located at the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s East Lansing Field Office.

The Joint Venture Landbird Committee met May 1-3 on the shores of western Lake Erie. The focus of the meeting was revision of the 2007 JV Landbird Habitat Conservation Strategy.

We are pleased to announce the availability of funds for the Joint Ventures – Improving the Science Foundation for Bird Conservation program, also known as the JV Flex Fund grant. The goal of this grant program is to assist partners in implementing effective science-based bird conservation projects in the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture (UMGL JV) region.

The UMGL JV is pleased to showcase the newly revised Waterfowl Habitat Conservation Strategy, and the Waterbird habitat Conservation Strategy.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity is now available for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This competitive funding process will fund proposals that focus on habitat protection, restoration, or enhancement, for the conservation of native Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations, particularly of migratory birds.

This model-based tool will support the JV partner organizations’ efforts to both improve waterfowl habitat and to provide outdoor recreation opportunities across the landscape in the most cost-effective way possible.