Burrowing Owl Petition

With other conservation groups, SCVAS petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission to protect five imperiled populations of the western Burrowing Owl under the California Endangered Species Act. The petition seeks endangered status for Burrowing Owls in southwestern California, central-western California and the San Francisco Bay Area, and threatened status for Burrowing Owls in the Central Valley and southern desert range.

Only 21 Burrowing Owl pairs nested successfully (meaning, fledged at least one chick) in the South Bay Area in 2023. Almost all of the breeding birds came from conservation programs that were sponsored by the Valley Habitat Agency — the Juvenile Burrowing Owl Overwintering Program and the Captive Breeding Program. Habitat management programs, including artificial burrows, removal of invasive plant species and plantings of California Native species helped create viable habitat and provide food and shelter to the owls.

At this time, the Burrowing Owls of the Bay Area are dependent on human intervention to avoid extirpation. SCVAS staff and volunteers continue to advocate for the owls and to implement habitat enhancements, but it is also time that our state recognizes that the owls are in fact endangered, and provide them with a more protective status!

Found a bird collision victim? Please repost dead or injured birds to dbird.org

Save Newark’s wetlands, sign a petition

One of the most important efforts to protect the future of San Francisco Bay is underway in Newark now, as conservation and climate resilience organizations advocate for the permanent protection of Newark’s baylands. At the center of the “Save Newark Wetlands” effort is a site called Newark Area 4 - over 500 acres of wetlands and uplands that scientists say are critical to preserve to support the long-term resilience of San Francisco Bay to climate change, and that have long been identified as a priority addition to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. However Newark Area 4 is under extreme development threat. If you have not yet done so, please consider signing This Petition to tell Newark: “Protect Newark Baylands, Say No to Mowry Village Project”.

Please Support the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act (H.R. 4389).

Each spring, more than half of our nation's bird species return from their wintering habitat in Latin America and the Caribbean, including many of our beloved songbirds and shorebirds species. In the past 50 yr, many of these migratory species, including some once considered common, have declined dramatically. To stop the devastating losses of migratory birds, we need to invest in protecting their habitats across the Western Hemisphere. The bipartisan Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act would do just that by expanding available funding for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant program. Please write to your congress-person today and urge them to support critically needed conservation funding for America's migratory birds. Write to your congress-person or call their office today! (How to find your representative)

Zoe Lofgren: (408) 271-8700

https://lofgren.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact

Anna Eshoo: (650) 323-2984 or (408) 245-2339

https://eshoo.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact/email-me

Ro Khanna: (408) 436-2720

https://khanna.house.gov/contact/write-to-ro

Jimmy Paneta: (408) 960-0333

https://panetta.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact

Kevin Mullin: (650) 342-0300

https://kevinmullin.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact

Here is what you may say or write:

As a constituent who values and enjoys migratory birds in my community and is concerned about their significant population declines, I urge you to support and cosponsor the bipartisan Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act (H.R. 4389) and help advance this critical legislation.

More than half of our nation's bird species migrate to Latin America and the Caribbean for wintering habitat, including beloved yet declining songbirds, shorebirds, and more. North America's bird populations have declined by 3 billion birds since 1970, and most of the losses are from migratory species. To succeed in recovering and conserving these birds, we need to expand dedicated funding for these species across their ranges.

Protecting birds is good for the economy. According to a just-released U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey, over 96 million people report bird watching, contributing to more than $250 billion spent in 2022 on wildlife watching.

H.R. 4389 would reauthorize and enhance the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act by expanding its authorized funding, accessibility, and capacity. This program advances critical bird conservation efforts throughout the Western Hemisphere by catalyzing partnerships and leveraging funding. It has supported more than 700 projects in 43 countries across the Americas, 40 U.S. states and territories, and provinces and territories in Canada.

Our migratory bird populations urgently need support, so I hope I can count on you to support this critical legislation.

Upcoming community workshop about the Don Edwards Environmental Education Center in Alviso.

The future of the Environmental Education Center at Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge will be discussed in a community workshop, Tuesday, March 26 · 6:30 - 8:30pm PDT in Alviso. Please consider attending and speaking to the need to maintain the communities connection to the shoreline even as flood protection measures come into place. You can sign up here.

Bay Area Protected Areas Database (BPAD) Update.

The 2023 Edition of the Bay Area Protected Areas Database (BPAD) is in process! Updating the BPAD will help in the region's efforts to conserve 50% of our lands by 2050. Please let Advocate@SCVAS.org know if you have an interest in volunteering to follow this process.