With the completion of this project, Northeast regional monitoring procedures are now available for birds of grasslands, tidal marshes and mountain forests - habitats that span the northeastern landscape, contain a high percentage of vulnerable species, and encompass the region’s major management issues.   These coordinated bird monitoring programs can effectively measure threats and management effects at the regional level to target birds and habitats identified by State Wildlife Action Plans as those in greatest need of conservation. 

Northeastern wildlife and wildlife habitats are at risk from a variety of anthropogenic threats.  Monitoring these threats and the effectiveness of conservation actions is the key to optimizing allocation of limited resources.  Birds stand out among other wildlife taxa as particularly useful indicators, as they are widespread, observable, and sensitive to environmental change.  Techniques for monitoring birds are also relatively advanced, with new field and statistical methods promising to add value to decades of past surveys.

Products of this work include peer-reviewed survey design, protocol and standard operating procedures for each indicator group (grassland, tidal marsh and mountain forest birds) along with a regional database for each indicator group.  Support for this project accelerated implementation of "A Framework for Coordinated Bird Monitoring in the Northeast", "The Northeast Bird Monitoring Handbook" and initiated essential components of "The Northeast Monitoring and Performance Reporting Framework".

Please note that the mountain bird survey data was gathered as part of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies high-elevation bird monitoring program, Mountain Birdwatch and users of the data should consult the Mountain Birdwatch data policy.