Elize Foundation Inc

FUNDS UNDER THIS AWARD ARE TO BE USED TO COMPENSATE FOR NATURAL RESOURCES INJURED AS A RESULT OF MERCURY RELEASED FROM THE FORMER DUPONT FACILITY IN WAYNESBORO, VA. RESTORATION IS UNDERTAKEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION (NRDAR) SETTLEMENT UNDER WHICH DUPONT PAID 42,069,916.78 TO COMPENSATE FOR NATURAL RESOURCE INJURIES IN THE SOUTH RIVER SOUTH FORK SHENANDOAH RIVER (SR SFSR) WATERSHED. AS PART OF THE SETTLEMENT, THE DUPONT NRDAR TRUSTEES, THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA AND THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE (SERVICE), IDENTIFIED PREFERRED PROJECT CATEGORIES, INCLUDING NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY SONGBIRD FULL LIFE CYCLE RESTORATION. RESTORATION IN THIS CATEGORY INCLUDES HABITAT PROTECTION THROUGHOUT THE FULL LIFE CYCLE OF MIGRATORY SONGBIRDS, INCLUDING PROTECTION OF WINTERING HABITAT. THIS PROJECT HAS THE GOAL OF PROTECTING VITAL WINTERING-GROUND AND STOPOVER FORESTS FOR MIGRATORY BIRDS BREEDING IN HABITAT NEAR THE SR SFSR.THIS PROJECT CONSISTS OF THE SIMPLE-FEE ACQUISITION OF ONE PROPERTY, A 1,153 (457 HECTARES) OF TROPICAL RAINFOREST LOCATED IN SOUTHERN BELIZE, WHICH HAS BEEN MANAGED BY BFREE SINCE 1995, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROTECTING AND RESTORING IMPORTANT MIGRATORY SONGBIRD WINTERING HABITAT THAT IS UTILIZED AND SHARED BY NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD SPECIES INJURED AT THE SR SFSR SITE. IN ADDITION TO THE PURCHASE, LONG TERM MONITORING OF NMB SPECIES WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE SITE AND INITIATION OF AN EDUCATION PROGRAM WITH VIRGINIA SCHOOLS (IN A SEPARATE PROJECT).IN THE FACE OF RECENT DECLINES IN SONGBIRD POPULATIONS, MANY RESEARCHERS HAVE COME TO REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE QUALITY OF WINTERINGGROUND HABITATS IN INFLUENCING NMB POPULATION DYNAMICS LARGESCALE DEFORESTATION, HABITAT DEGRADATION, AND HABITAT CONVERSION OCCURRING ACROSS THE NEOTROPICS THREATENS THE LONGTERM VIABILITY OF MANY NMB SPECIES. EFFECTIVE RESTORATION EFFORTS FOR NMBS INCLUDE COMPONENTS IN BREEDING AND WINTERING HABITATS. PROTECTING WINTERING HABITAT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT AS WINTER FOOD LIMITATIONS CAUSE MORTALITY ON WINTERING GROUNDS AS WELL AS INCREASE MORTALITY DURING MIGRATION AND REDUCE PRODUCTIVITY IN BREEDING AREAS. BECAUSE THESE SPECIES MIGRATE ALONG THE EASTERN FLYWAY AND MAKE BI-YEARLY JOURNEYS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, IMPACTS AT THE SR SFSR SITE RESULT IN REDUCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE FLYWAY, WHERE THEY FEED AND REST AND PROVIDE ENJOYMENT TO NUMEROUS BIRD WATCHERS ALONG THE WAY. THEREFORE, TO RESTORE THE NMBS IMPACTED AT THE SITE FOR THE BENEFIT OF BOTH THE AREA WHERE THE INJURY OCCURRED IN VIRGINIA AND THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN FLYWAY, WE PROPOSE TO PROTECT AND RESTORE AN IMPORTANT NMB WINTERING AREA IN SOUTHERN BELIZE. THE STATED MISSION OF BFREE IS TO CONSERVE THE BIODIVERSITY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF BELIZE. WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL PARTNERS, BFREE PROMOTES AND FACILITATES SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ONSITE AND IN NEIGHBORING PROTECTED AREAS WITH A FOCUS ON CAPACITY BUILDING FOR BELIZEAN S AND ADVOCACY FOR POLICIES CONSISTENT WITH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. AS THE ONLY FIELD STATION IN THIS BIOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT AREA, BFREE SEEKS TO ACHIEVE ITS MISSION BY SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, AND CONSERVATION, WHILE ALSO ENHANCING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, AND PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THROUGH THIS PROPERTY ACQUISITION, VITAL HABITAT FOR OVER 83 NMB SPECIES, INCLUDING 21 OR MORE FOUND AT THE SR SFSR SITE WOULD BE PROTECTED IN PERPETUITY. IF THE PROPERTY IS NOT PURCHASED WITH THE INTENTION OF MANAGEMENT FOR PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF ITS NATURAL RESOURCES, THE LOSS WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON NMB SPECIES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE SR SFSR SITE AND OVER-WINTER ON THE PROPERTY, THUS CONTRIBUTING TO A FURTHER NET LOSS OF BIRD LIVES. THE LOSS WOULD HAVE NEGATIVE CASCADING EFFECTS ON NMB SPECIES AND HABITAT IN THE IMMEDIATE AND SURROUNDING AREA.

CONSERVING NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRDS IN BELIZE

U.S. FOR BELIZE FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION INC (BFREE) OWNS AND MANAGES A 1,153 ACRE RESERVE IN THE TOLEDO DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN BELIZE (BFREE RESERVE). ACTIVITIES FUNDED THROUGH THIS GRANT INCLUDE: (1) DEVELOPMENT OF A BIRD MONITORING PLAN FOR THE BFREE RESERVE AND (2) DEVELOPMENT AN EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAM FOCUSED ON THE MIGRATORY BIRD CONNECTION BETWEEN VIRGINIA AND BELIZE. THE BIRD MONITORING PLAN WILL OUTLINE SUGGESTED METHODOLOGIES FOR MONITORING BIRDS AT THE BFREE RESERVE THAT ARE BOTH SCIENTIFICALLY ROBUST AND COST-EFFECTIVE. THE ACQUISITION OF THE BFREE RESERVE WAS FUNDED IN PART THROUGH THE DUPONT WAYNESBORO NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION (NRDAR) SETTLEMENT, AND THE MONITORING EFFORT WILL HELP DOCUMENT THE MIGRATORY BIRD POPULATIONS USING THE SITE. THIS PLAN WILL BE CO-DEVELOPED BY BFREE AND THE INSTITUTE FOR BIRD POPULATIONS (IBP). THE PLAN WILL RELY ON TIME-TESTED, WIDELY USED METHODS WHICH WILL BE FULLY IMPLEMENTED WITH EXISTING BFREE STAFF AND CONTRACTORS, ASSISTED BY A SHORT INITIAL TRAINING. THE DELIVERABLE WILL BE A COMPLETED FIVE-YEAR BIRD MONITORING PLAN FOR THE BFREE RESERVE AS WELL AS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN. BFREE WILL ALSO DEVELOP A PLAN TO ESTABLISH SISTER SCHOOLS IN THE SOUTH RIVER SOUTH FORK SHENANDOAH RIVER AREA, TARGETING WAYNESBORO AND AUGUSTA COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS IN THE TOLEDO DISTRICT OF BELIZE WHICH WILL BE SELECTED BASED ON THEIR PROXIMITY TO THE PROPERTY AND EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH BFREE. THE PLAN AND RESULTING TWO-YEAR PROGRAM WILL FOSTER GREATER AWARENESS ABOUT THE VALUE OF NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD SPECIES AND HABITAT AND SUSTAINABLE FARMING PRACTICES SUCH AS CACAO-BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS THAT BENEFIT BOTH PEOPLE AND BIRDS. THE DELIVERABLE WILL BE A TWO-YEAR EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH PLAN TO BE FACILITATED BY BFREE.