scscb whmsi-final-cwc-workshop-report-17-march-2010

SCSCB/WHMSICaribbeanWaterbirdCensusProject Page1

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES/ WESTERN HEMISPHERE MIGRATORY SPECIES INITIATIVE PROJECT

Increasing Capacity for Caribbean Wetlands Conservation: A Training Workshop for Monitoring, Education and Conservation

FINAL REPORT ON

SCSCB Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Training Workshop

22 - 25 February 2010 Negril, Jamaica

Date:17March2010Preparedby:AnnHaynes‐SuttonPh.D&LisaG.SorensonPh.D.For:SocietyfortheConservationandStudyofCaribbeanBirdsEmail:[email protected],[email protected]:www.scscb.org


TABLEOFCONTENTS

Background ..........................................................................................................................................3

Projectgoalandobjectives ..................................................................................................................3

OutputsandindicatorsofsuccessforCWCproject..............................................................................3

CWCWorkshop ....................................................................................................................................4 Objectives .........................................................................................................................................................................................................4 Projectcoreteam .........................................................................................................................................................................................4 Projectpartners,fundingandsupport...............................................................................................................................................5 CapacityBuildingStrategy ......................................................................................................................................................................6 Workshopformatandagenda ...............................................................................................................................................................6 Trainingmaterials.......................................................................................................................................................................................7 Onlinelearningproductsandservices ...............................................................................................................................................8 Participants.....................................................................................................................................................................................................8 Assessmentoftheworkshopbyparticipants ..................................................................................................................................9 Lessonslearned .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Fundingfornextsteps............................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Deliverablesdevelopedunderproject ............................................................................................................................................. 11 Nextsteps ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Appendix1:Agendaforworkshop(22‐25February2010)...................................................................................................13 Appendix2:Internationalpresentersandfacilitators ..............................................................................................................17 Appendix3:Workshopevaluationreport .......................................................................................................................................19 Appendix4:CWCsmallgrantproposalguidelines .....................................................................................................................35 Appendix5:Listofworkshopmaterialsprovidedtoeachparticipant ............................................................................42 Appendix6:Workshopevaluationform...........................................................................................................................................43 Appendix7:Labelforfoldercoverforworkshopmaterials ..................................................................................................46 Appendix8:Certificateofparticipation............................................................................................................................................47 Appendix9:CWCworkshopsummaryreportandphotos .....................................................................................................48


BACKGROUND

Theproject“IncreasingcapacityforCaribbeanwetlandsconservation:Atrainingworkshopformonitoring,educationandconservation”wasfundedbyOAS/WHMSIandimplementedbetween

November2009andMarch2010bytheSocietyfortheConservationofCaribbeanBirds(SCSCB).

PROJECTGOALANDOBJECTIVES

Goal:TostrengthenconservationformigratoryspeciesintheCaribbeanthroughthedevelopmentofacadreofpersonstrainedinthedevelopment,promotionandimplementationofaregion‐widewaterbirdandhabitatmonitoringprogram.

Objectives:

• ToincreasecapacityforimplementationoftheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensus(CWC)thatwas

conceivedattheWHMSITrainingWorkshopinNassau,Bahamasin2009(Haynes‐SuttonandSorenson2009)andrelatedmonitoring,educationandmanagementactivities,basedonanagreedcapacity‐buildingstrategy.

• HostaregionalworkshoptotrainCaribbeantrainersintheapplicationoftheCWC

methodology,andtoeducatethemintheuseofSCSCB’seducationandoutreachmaterials.

• DesignmaterialstosupporttheimplementationoftheCWC.

• PromotetheimplementationoftheSPAWProtocolandtheRamsarConvention.

OUTPUTSANDINDICATORSOFSUCCESSFORCWCPROJECT

ProjectoutputsandindicatorsofsuccessarelistedinTable1below.

Table1:Summaryofprojectoutputsandindicatorsofsuccess

ACTIVITYHEADING OUTPUTS INDICATORSOFSUCCESS AdaptationofexistingCapacityBuildingStrategyforwetlandsmonitoringandmanagement

WetlandsCapacityBuildingStrategy

‐CapacityBuildingStrategydeveloped

Developmentofmaterials ‐CaribbeanWaterbirdCensusmanual&protocols‐Presentationsandothersupportingmaterials

‐Manualandprotocolsproduced‐21PowerPointpresentations/modulesdevelopedforworkshop‐SupportingmaterialsforSPAWandRamsardisseminated(includingCDs,brochures,stickers,andpresentations)

Disseminationofmaterialsonline

ResourcesonConserveOnline

‐CWCManual,presentationsandsupportingmaterialsposted

Workshop Workshopheld22‐25 ‐Totalno.ofparticipants=22(initialtargetwas


ACTIVITYHEADING OUTPUTS INDICATORSOFSUCCESS February2010inNegril,Jamaica

10)from16Caribbeancountries/islands‐Specialinterestgroupsrepresentedatworkshopincludingdecision‐makers,protectedareamanagers,scientists,educators,volunteersallofwhicharepotentialnationalcoordinators,sitecoordinatorsandsitemonitors‐Avarietyofmoduleswereprepared:21presentations/sessionswereincludedintheworkshop‐Evaluationreportshowedveryhighlevelsofsatisfactionwiththeworkshop‐Workshopreportproduced

Projectdevelopmentforfunding

Developprojectforfunding,i.e.USFWSNeotropicalMigratoryBirdConservationAct(NMBCA)Fund

ProjectproposalsubmittedtoNMBCANovember2009andshort‐listedforfunding

CWCWORKSHOP

OBJECTIVES

TheobjectivesoftheCWCworkshopwereto:

1)ProvidepersonsfromacrosstheCaribbeanwithequipment,materials,trainingandskillsinwaterbirdandwetlandmonitoringprotocols,sothattheycan:

• Designandimplementalong‐termwaterbirdmonitoringprogramintheirowncountry(or

improve/expandprogramsthatareinplace)

• ParticipateintheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensus

• Trainandmentorothers

• Formthebasisofaregionalmonitoringnetwork.

2)PromotetheimplementationoftheRamsarConventionandtheSPAWProtocol.

PROJECTCORETEAM

ThecoreteamincludedLisaSorenson(SCSCB),AnnSutton(SCSCB),JeffGerbracht(CornellLaboratoryofOrnithology),KenKriese(USFWS),andFrankRivera‐Milan(USFWS)–seeAppendix2.


PROJECTPARTNERS,FUNDINGANDSUPPORT

Theprojectattractedconsiderablecashandin‐kindsupportfromawidevarietyofpartners(Table2),mostofwhomarepartoftheCaribbeanMonitoringCoalitionestablishedin2009inthefirstphaseofSCSCB’smonitoringprogram(developmentofCaribbeanBirdwatchProgram:http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/caribbeanbirdwatch).

Table2:Listofprojectpartnersthatcontributedcashorin‐kindsupport.

NAMEOFORGANIZATION CONTACTPERSON

CASH/IN‐KIND NOTES

OrganizationofAmericanStates RichardHuber In‐kind Attendedworkshopandgaveapresentation

USForestService CarolLively Cash Financialsupporttobringadditionalpersonstoworkshop

RoyalSocietyfortheProtectionofBirds JamesMillet Cash

FinancialsupporttobringadditionalpersonsfromtheUKOverseasTerritoriestoworkshop

OpticsfortheTropics JoniEllis Cashandin‐kind

Providedbinocularsforparticipantsand2scopes&tripods,alsoassistedwithevaluationofapplicantstoattendtheworkshop

CornellLaboratoryofOrnithology JeffGerbracht In‐kind

Providedtechnicalsupportandadvice,contributedtowritingandreviewofCWCmanual,&helpedfacilitateworkshop

USFishandWildlifeService FrankRivera In‐kind

Providedtechnicalsupportandadvice,contributedtowritingandreviewofCWCmanual

USFishandWildlifeService KenKriese In‐kind

Providedtechnicalsupportandadviceandhelpedfacilitatetheworkshop

USFishandWildlifeService HerbRaffaele cash Providedfundingsupport

RamsarConvention SandraHails In‐kind ProvidedmaterialsincludingCDs,brochuresandstickers

UNEP‐CaribbeanEnvironmentProgram

AlessandraVanzella‐Khouri In‐kind ProvidedapresentationonSPAW

NegrilAreaEnvironmentalProtectionTrust MaxineHamilton In‐kind

Providedlogisticalsupportforworkshoporganization

BahamasNationalTrust LynnGape In‐kind

Providedapresentationonworkingwithvolunteers

NationalEnvironmentandPlanningAgency AinsleyHenry In‐kind

GaveapresentationonRamsarintheCaribbean

CaribbeanCoastalAreaManagementFoundation IngridParchment In‐kind Assistedwithprojectmanagement CaribbeanCoastalAreaManagementFoundation BrandonHay In‐kind Videotapedproceedings JackSpratRestaurant SallyHenzell In‐kind Providedlunchonfieldtrip


IrieSafariBoatTours LloydLinton In‐kind ProvidedboattriponBlackRiveraspartoffieldtrip

WaterbirdCounciloftheAmericas

JenniferWheeler,JimKushlan,KathyParsons,FranciCuthbert In‐kind Providedtechnicaladvice

WetlandsInternational

TaejMundkur,DanielBlanco,ArneLesterhuis In‐kind Providedtechnicaladvice

WildlifeCounts.com AaronSuring Cash ProvideddiscountonWildlifeCOUNTprogram

TheoriginaltargetwithOAS‐WHMSIfundingwastobring10personstotheworkshop.AdditionalfundswererequestedandreceivedfromRoyalSocietyfortheProtectionofBirds,USForestService,andOpticsfortheTropicsandothersthatenabledustobringanadditional12participantstotheworkshop

makingatotalof22participants.ThefundingprovidedbyOAS/WHMSIwasmorethanmatchedbycashandin‐kinddonationstotheprojectbythirdparties.

AdditionalpartnersengagedintheprojectandpartofourlargermonitoringcoalitionincludeBirdLifeInternational,KlamathBirdObservatory,TheNatureConservancy,andTheNationalAviary.

CAPACITYBUILDINGSTRATEGY

TheCapacityBuildingStrategywasdevelopedandreviewed.

WORKSHOPFORMATANDAGENDA

Theoutlineoftheworkshopwasasfollows(seeAppendix1fordetailedagenda):

Day1:Sunday21February–Arrivalofparticipantsandwelcomedinner

Day2:Monday22February–BackgroundinformationabouttheprojectandintroductiontotheCWC.Whymonitor,designingyourCWCmonitoringprogram,levelsofmonitoringandCWCprotocols,

counttrainingtoolsandhabitatmonitoring,fieldtriptoNegrilRoyalPalmReserve.

Day3:Tuesday23February–FieldtriptoNegrilSewagePonds,dataentryfromfieldtrips,presentationsonIABIN/WHMSI,RamsarandSPAWprotocol,monitoringdatasampleanalysesandstatistics,counttrainingandworkingwithvolunteers.

Day4:Wednesday24February–AlldayFieldtrip.Practicalapplicationofsurveymethodsinawide

varietyofwetlandhabitats,includinglargeandsmallfresh,brackish,andsaltwaterwetlands,mangrovesandrivers.

Day5:Thursday25thFebruary‐Dataentry,AvianKnowledgeNetwork,preparingreportsandcommunicatingyourresultstodecisionmakers,trainingobserversfortheCWC,howtowritea


grantproposal,andprojectproposalwritingforSmallGrantsfortheCWC.Farewelldinnerandpresentationofawardsandcertificates.

TRAININGMATERIALS

ThefollowingtrainingmaterialsweredevelopedfortheCWCworkshop(Table3).

Table3:ListoftrainingmaterialsdevelopedfortheCWCworkshop.Allpowerpointswerepresentedattheworkshop.

TITLE TYPEOFMATERIAL

CWCTrainers’Manual‐DescribestheCWCbackground&structure,stepstoestablishingamonitoringprogram,levelsofmonitoringandCWCprotocols,andtrainingactivitiesandtools.

Document

CWCMonitoringProtocol–Detaileddescriptionofprotocolsandfieldforms Document IntroductiontoSCSCB,CaribbeanBirdwatchprogramandtheworkshop ppt Whatismonitoring?Whymonitorbirds? ppt eBird:LevelsA‐CMonitoring,Whatthesedatashowandhowitcanbeusedforconservationplanningandmanagement

ppt

IntroductiontoCaribbeanWaterbirdCensus(CWC):Goals,objectives,proposedstructure,whyandhowtogetinvolved,outlineofstepstoimplementprogram

ppt

Choosingyoursite,askingquestions,settingyourobjectives,sitereconnaissance ppt Generalconsiderationsindesigningyourmonitoringprogram:challengesofcountingwaterbirds(biasanddetectability)

ppt

LevelsofmonitoringandCWCprotocols:Speciesinventories,pointcountsandareasearches ppt BirdIdentification101 pptWaterbirdsoftheCaribbean pptDescribingyoursite,habitatsurveysandIBAmonitoring pptExaminingthedata:Simpleapproachestodataanalysis pptIABIN/WHMSIandCaribbeanactivities pptRamsarintheCaribbean pptRegionalcooperationaMUSTfortheconservationofCaribbeanbirds:theSPAWprotocolframework

ppt

DistributionofmigratorywaterfowlinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean:Ananalysisofsurveydataandbandrecoveries

ppt

Whatcanyoulearnfrommonitoringdata?SampleanalysesfromongoingwaterbirdmonitoringinSt.Croix

ppt

Whatcanyoulearnfrommonitoringdata?AnalysesfromWIWDmonitoringdatafromAntiguaandBarbuda2003‐2009

ppt

AvianKnowledgeNetwork(AKN) pptHowtopreparereportsandcommunicateyourresultstodecisionmakers pptWorkingwithvolunteers:opportunitiesandchallenges pptTrainingObserversfortheCWC pptFundingopportunitiesandhowtowriteagrantproposal pptWildlifeCOUNTprogram‐–trainingtoolforcountingwildlife/birdsinthefield CD


ONLINELEARNINGPRODUCTSANDSERVICES

AnewpublicConserveOnlinesite–CaribbeanWaterbirdCensuswasestablishedandrevisedfinalversionsofallmaterialsarebeingaddedtothesite.AYahooe‐groupCarib‐Waterbird‐Census‐Network(http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Carib‐Waterbird‐Census‐Network/)wasalsoestablishedasaplacetosharefollow‐upinformationandnewsabouttheCWC.Someofthepresentationswere

recordedonvideoanditisourintentiontomaketheseavailableelectronicallyassoonaspossibleeitheronthewebsitefordownloadoronCD,dependingonthesizeofthefinalproducts.

PARTICIPANTS

Noticesabouttheworkshopwerepostedon‐lineonSCSCB’sYahooe‐group(BirdsCaribbean),website(www.scscb.org),andseveralothere‐groups.Asaresult,38applicationswerereceivedfrom21countries/islands.Criteriaforevaluatingapplicationsweredevelopedandavolunteerassistedwiththe

reviewprocess.Basedonthisprocess23personswereinvitedtoattend;22personsfrom16countries/islandsacrosstheCaribbeanacceptedtheinvitationandwereabletoattendtheworkshop.

Table4:ListofparticipantsattheCWCWorkshop,Negril,Jamaica,22‐25February2010.

MaxineHamiltonExecutiveDirectorNegrilAreaEnvironmentalProtectionTrust(NEPT)Negril,Westmoreland,JamaicaEmail:[email protected]

BertrandJnoBaptisteForesterI(Acting)Forestry,Wildlife&ParksDivisionRoseau,DominicaEmail:[email protected]

AnthonyLevesqueWildlifeConsultantNationalHuntingandWildlifeAgency&AMAZONA(NGO)GuadeloupeEmail:[email protected]

AlcidesMoralesScientificCommitteeAssistant,RedLimicolavolunteerSociedadOrnitologicaPuertorriquena(SOPI)Quebradillas,PuertoRicoEmail:[email protected]

AngelaRamseyWildlifeBiologistDepartmentofNaturalResources&theEnvironmentTobagoHouseofAssemblyScarborough,TobagoEmail:[email protected]

MoniqueCurtisEnvironmentalOfficer,NationalRamsarCommitteememberEcosystemsManagementBranchNationalEnvironmentandPlanningAgency(NEPA)Kingston,[email protected]

RhodriquezEwingConservationOfficerDept.ofEnvironmentandCoastalResourcesMinistryoftheEnvironmentProvidenciales,TurksandCaicosIslandsEmail:[email protected]

AlwinDornellyWildlifeOfficerDepartmentofForestryMinistryofAgriculture,Lands,ForestryandFisheriesCastries,St.LuciaEmail:[email protected]

CarolCramer‐BurkeProgramDirectorSt.CroixEnvironmentalAssociation(SEA)St.Croix,USVirginIslandsEmail:[email protected]

LystraCulzac‐WilsonWildlifeBiologist,Educator,SecretaryAvianEyesBirdingGroupKingstown,St.VincentandtheGrenadinesEmail:[email protected]

FarahMukhidaExecutiveDirectorAnguillaNationalTrustTheValley,Anguilla

KatrinaCollinsPresidentUnionIslandEnvironmentalAttackersUnionIsland,St.VincentandtheGrenadines


Email:[email protected] Email:[email protected]

PredensaMooreIBAMonitoringandSurveyingCoordinatorBahamasNationalTrust(BNT)Nassau,BahamasEmail:[email protected]

SusanZaluskiDirectorJostVanDykesPreservationSocietyGreatHarbour,JostVanDyke,BritishVirginIslandsEmail:[email protected]

AndreaOttoVolunteer,schoolteacherEnvironmentalAwarenessGroup(EAG)St.Johns,AntiguaEmail:[email protected]

KateWallaceBoardmember,Educator,BirdTourGuideSociedadOrnitológicadelaHisaniola(SOH)SantoDomingo,DominicanRepublicEmail:[email protected]

JonathanSayaoEducationOfficerTurksandCaicosNationalTrustProvidenciales,TurksandCaicosIslandsEmail:[email protected]

AndreaDonaldsonCoordinatorNationalEnvironmentandPlanningAgency(NEPA)Kingston,JamaicaEmail:[email protected]

MelissaDentchPeaceCorpsVolunteerNegrilAreaEnvironmentalProtectionTrust(NEPT)Negril,Westmoreland,JamaicaEmail:[email protected]

LisaYntemaVolunteerWetlandMonitorSt.Croix,USVirginIslandsEmail:[email protected]

AntonioRodríguezSuárez1AssistantProfessor,EcologyBirdGroupFacultyofBiologyUniversityofHavana,CubaEmail:[email protected]

BrandonHayConsultantC‐CAM(CaribbeanCoastalAreaManagement)FoundationKingston,JamaicaEmail:[email protected]

ASSESSMENTOFTHEWORKSHOPBYPARTICIPANTS

Theparticipantsexpressedahighlevelofsatisfactionwiththeworkshop(seeWorkshopEvaluationReport,

Appendix2).Commentsincluded...

• Thankyoufortheopportunitygiventoustoparticipateintheworkshop.Theworkshopwasveryinformativeandpracticalintermsofmaterialpresentedandthefieldexercises.Wehavecertainly

benefitedfromtheworkshopandwilltransferthistoothersintheAgency.

• Lookforwardtopracticingasmuchaspossibleandestablishingawaterbirdandwetlandmonitoringprogram.Alsolookingforwardtoattendothertrainingprograms.

• Enjoyedandappreciatedtheavailabilityofpresenterstofurtherdiscussandclarifysomeissues.

• Bothworkshops(thisyearandlast)wereverygood.Iappreciatedthemorenarrowfocusofthisworkshop,

thebuildingon(andreinforcement)ofinformationfromlastyear’sworkshop.Thankyou!

• Iappreciatedthefacilitators’generositywiththeirtime,helpfulnessandwillingnesstoanswerallquestions(withasenseofhumortoo).

1Fundedbyaprivatedonor.


• SCSCBworkshopscontinuenottofailtomeetmyexpectationsandthat’sagreatthing.• Workingalone,itcanbereallyfrustratingtonothaveotherswithexperiencetobounceideasoffof.Itis

souseful/worthwhiletohavetheopportunityinworkshopslikethistonetworkwithbothpeersintheCaribbeanandotherspecialists/experts.

• Iwillinitiateawaterbirdmonitoringprogrambytappingvolunteersandcommunityinvolvement.Iwill

shareknowledgeandskillsacquiredtoincreasepublicawarenessandheightenthecommunity’sinterestinbirdsandwetlandsandintheenvironmentingeneral.

• TheworkshopwasoneofthebestI’veeverattended.

• Presenterswereoutstandinginmeetingtheneedsofaverydiverseaudience!Thankyousomuchforthisopportunity!

LESSONSLEARNED

Oneofthemostimportantthingswelearnedfromtheworkshop,associateddiscussions,reviewexercises,andfeedbackontheworkshopevaluationswasthatthereisahugedemandforthetypeofbasicmodularapproachtowaterbirdandwetlandmonitoringthatwearedeveloping.Notonlythe

participantsbutalsotheWaterbirdCouncilexpressedinterestinourprotocols.ThelatterislookingforwardtoadaptingourapproachforuseinCentralandSouthAmerica.Participantsuniformlyexpressedtheirappreciationforandvalueofthetrainingtheyreceivedinincreasingtheircapacityto

manageandconservewetlands.Allaskedforfollow‐upworkshopstofurtherdevelopandenhancetheirskills,especiallyintheareasofdataanalysisandstatistics,writingreportsandtechnicalpapersforpublication,preparingfundingproposals,andcommunicatingresultstodecisionmakers.

DevelopingtheprotocolsfortheCWCprogramprovedtobeextremelychallenging.Wewantedtooffer

protocolsthatcouldbeimplementedbyvolunteerswithbasicknowledgeandtraining,butatthesametimewererigorousenoughtobeusefultoscienceandadaptivemanagementofwaterbirdsandwetlands.Weconsultedwithmonitoringexpertsaswellasthosethatwerewellfamiliarwiththe

realitiesofcapacityintheregionandcameupwithahierarchicalandflexibleapproachtomonitoring(employinglevelsofmonitoring)thatenablestheusertochoosetheprotocolandextentofparticipationintheprogramthatisbestsuitedtotheirobjectives,availableresourcesandcapacity.The

basicCWCprotocols(Level2–areasearchandpointcount)includemeasuresofdetectionprobability,whichareessentialforaccountingforbiasinmonitoring.Ampletimewasneeded(muchmorethanexpected)toconsultwithexperts,preparethemanualandprotocols,andreviewandrevisematerials.

Practicallessonslearnedinclude:a)shipmaterialsmanyweeksinadvanceoftheworkshopinorderto

compensateforthevagariesofthepostalservicesystem,e.g.,onepackagewenttoPolandandtheUKbeforebeingdeliveredweekslaterinJamaica,onecrucialpackage(binocularsforallparticipants)didnotarriveintime;thankfully,otherbinocularswereavailableforloantoparticipantsfortheiruseduring

theworkshop.b)extendtheworkshopbyonedaytoallowmoretimeinthefieldforparticipantstopracticecounttechniques,birdidentification,andhabitatassessment.Itwouldprobablybehelpfulto


splitintosmallergroupsbasedonlevelsofknowledgeandfieldexperience(e.g.,beginner,intermediate,andadvanced),allowingfacilitatorstobetterfocusonneedsofindividualsineachgroup.

FUNDINGFORNEXTSTEPS

AproposalPromotingWetlandBirdConservationthroughtheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensuswassubmittedtotheNeotropicalMigratoryBirdConservationActforfundinginNovember2009.Theproposalincludesfundingtoaward10ormoreSmallGrantsofupto$5,000eachforCWCmonitoring

projects.Thisprojecthasbeenshort‐listed;weexpecttohearwhetherfundinghasbeenreceivedinApril2010,withfundsavailablefordisbursementforSmallGrantsinJune2010.Onthefinaldayoftheworkshopparticipantswereinvitedtobegintodevelopproposalstoapplyforthisfunding.Detailed

guidelineshavebeendevelopedandcirculatedtoallparticipants(Appendix3).

DELIVERABLESDEVELOPEDUNDERPROJECT

Thedeliverablesdevelopedundertheprojecthavebeen/willbesentseparatelyorareincludedaspartofthisreport.Theyincludethefollowing:

• Listofprojectpartnersandco‐financing‐cashandin‐kindcontributions(Table2)

• Listofparticipants(Table4)

• Workshopagenda(Appendix1)

• ListofInternationalPresentersandFacilitators(Appendix2)

• Workshopevaluationreport(Appendix3)

• Listofmaterialsprovidedinworkshoppackages(Appendix5)

• Workshopevaluationsheet(Appendix6)

• Workshopsummaryreportandphotos(Appendix9)

• CapacityBuildingStrategyforenhancingCaribbeancapacityforwetlandsmonitoring,

managementandeducation

• CaribbeanWaterbirdsCensusManual

• ProjectproposalforNeotropicalMigratoryBirdConservationActFund

• Threeprogressreports

• Finalproject/workshopreport

• Financialreport


NEXTSTEPS

Thenextstepswillinclude:

• ImplementingtheCWCwithourfirstgroupoftrainees.WithluckthiswillstartwithpilotfundingfromtheNeotropicalMigratoryBirdConservationActwhichwillleadtotheidentificationofadditionalfunds.

Assessmentoftheeffectivenessofthepilotprojectswillenableusfurthertorefinetheprotocolsandmanual.

• IdentificationoffurtherneedsfortraininginbirdmonitoringtechniquesintheCaribbeanregion.

• Providingcontinuedskills‐buildingtrainingworkshopsandsupportforourpartners(follow‐up

workshopsondataanalysisandstatistics,writingreportsandpublishingresults,communityoutreachandeducation,andcommunicatingwithdecisionmakers).

• WorkingwiththeWaterbirdCouncilandWetlandsInternationaltoadapttheprotocolsandapproachfor

useinCentralandSouthernAmerica.

CONCLUSION

Theworkshopwaswellattended,wellsupportedandenthusiasticallyreceived,indicatingthedemandforsuch

training.ItscontributiontoconservationwillbemeasuredinthelongtermasSCSCBcontinuestodevelopitsrelationshipwiththeparticipantsandothersthatjointheprogramandasweworkwithourpartnerstohelpthem

todevelopandsustaintheirwaterbirdandwetlandmonitoringprograms.


APPENDIX1:AGENDAFORWORKSHOP(22‐25FEBRUARY2010)

Workshop AgendaWorkshop Agenda SCSCB Waterbird & Wetland Monitoring Training WorkshopSCSCB Waterbird & Wetland Monitoring Training Workshop

February 22 – 25, 2010, Negril, Jamaica

08:00 – 08:30 Breakfast 08:30 - 09:00 Registration 09:00 - 09:30 Welcome, Introduction to SCSCB, Caribbean Birdwatch Program and the Workshop, Plan for the

Week, Logistics - Lisa Sorenson & Ann Sutton, Society for the Conservation & Study of Caribbean Birds

09:30 – 10:00 Round-robin Introductions – Lisa Sorenson 10:00 – 10:`15 Coffee break 10:15 – 12:30 Presentations – Why Monitor? Introduction to the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) 10:15 – 10:45 What is Monitoring? Why Monitor Birds? – Lisa Sorenson 10:45 – 11:30 eBird: Levels A – C Monitoring, What these Data Show and How it can be Used for Conservation

Planning and Management – Jeff Gerbracht – eBird Project Manager, Cornell Lab. of Ornithology 11:30 – 12:00 Introduction to Caribbean Waterbird Census: Goal, Objectives, Proposed Structure, Why and How to

Get Involved, Outline of Steps to Implement Program – Ann Sutton 12:00 – 12:30 Choosing your Site, Asking Questions, Setting Your Objectives, Site Reconnaissance – Ken Kriese,

Wildlife Biologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch 13:30 – 15:00 Presentations – Designing Your CWC Monitoring Program 13:30 – 14:15 General Considerations in Designing your Monitoring Program: Challenges of Counting Waterbirds –

Jeff Gerbracht 14:15 – 15:15 Levels of Monitoring and CWC Protocols: Species Inventories, Point Counts and Areas Searches –

Lisa Sorenson 15:15 – 15:30 Coffee break 15:30 – 16:00 Presentations – Count Training Tools and Habitat Monitoring 15:30 – 15:50 Bird Identification 101 & Waterbirds of the Caribbean – Lisa Sorenson 15:50 – 16:30 Describing Your Site, Habitat Surveys and IBA Monitoring – Ann Sutton

DAY 1 – Monday, February 22nd, 2010


16:30 – 18:00 Field Trip to Royal Palm Reserve: Bird ID and Area Search Count Practice 19:00 – 20:00 Dinner 20:00 – 21:00 Waterbird Monitoring in Cuba – Antonio Rodriguez, University of Havana, Cuba Informal Discussion

06:30 – 08:30 Field Trip to Sewage Ponds – Bird ID and Point Counts 08:30 – 09:00 Breakfast 09:00 – 10:15 Presentations - Data Entry and Basic Descriptive Statistics 09:00 – 09:40 Data entry (eBird) and analysis from field trips – Jeff Gerbracht 09:40 – 10:15 Examining the Data: Simple Approaches to Data Analysis – Ken Kriese 10:15 – 10:30 Coffee break 10:15 – 12:30 Presentations – International Programs for Biodiversity and Wetland Conservation 10:15 – 10:45 IABIN/WHMSI and Caribbean Activities – Richard Huber, Chief, Biodiversity Section, Department

of Sustainable Development of the Organization of American States 10:45 – 11:25 Ramsar in the Caribbean – Ainsley Henry, Manager, Ecosystems Management Branch, National

Environment and Planning Agency 11:25 – 11:50 Regional Cooperation a MUST for the Conservation of Caribbean birds: the SPAW Protocol

Framework – Alessandra Vanzella-Khouri, Programme Officer, Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

11:50 – 12:30 Distribution of Migratory Anatidae in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Analysis of Survey Data

and Band Recoveries – Ken Kriese 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch 13:30 – 15:00 Presentations – Monitoring Data Sample Analyses and Count Training 13:30 – 14:30 What can you Learn from Monitoring Data? Sample Analyses from Ongoing Waterbird Monitoring in

St. Croix and Antigua – Jeff Gerbracht 14:30 – 15:00 Wildlife COUNT program: Training tool on CD – Ken Kriese 15:00 – 15:15 Working with Volunteers to Establish a Monitoring Program: Opportunities and Challenges – Lisa

Sorenson 15:15 – 15:30 Coffee break

DAY 2 – Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010


15:30 – 17:15 Presentations – Reporting Monitoring Results and Implementing the CWC 15:30 – 16:15 WIWD Monitoring Data from Antigua and Barbuda 2003-2009 – Lisa Sorenson 16:15 – 17:15 Organizing and Promoting the CWC: Proposed Structure and Group Discussion – Lisa Sorenson 19:00 – 12:00 Dinner and Shaggy Concert at the Hotel

06:30 – 18:30 All Day Field Trip to Various Wetlands in Southwestern Jamaica to Practice Counting

Techniques, Site Description, Habitat Measurements and IBA Monitoring 06:45 Depart from hotel with packed breakfast 07:15 Big Bridge – freshwater herbaceous wetland, abandoned rice field 09:45 Spring Pond – small freshwater pond 11:15 Parottee Pond – Shallow mangrove lagoon/Salinas 12:15 Hill Top – small freshwater ponds 12:30 Lunch at Treasure Beach (Jack Sprat) and swim 14:45 Great Pedro Pond - large saline pond 16:30 Black River Lower Morass – herbaceous wetland with rivers – Irie Safari Boat Tour 19:30 Return to hotel 20:00 Dinner

DAY 3 – Wednesday, February 24th, 2010


8:00 – 8:30 Breakfast 08:30 - 12:30 Data Entry and Analysis, Preparing Reports, Training Observers 08:30 – 10:15 Data entry and analysis from Wednesday field trip – Jeff Gerbracht 10:15 – 10:30 Coffee Break 10:30 – 11:30 Avian Knowledge Network (AKN) – Jeff Gerbracht 11:30 – 12:00 How to Prepare Reports and Communicate your Results to Decision Makers – Ann Sutton 12:00 – 12:30 Training Observers for the CWC – Jeff Gerbracht 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch 13.30 – 15:15 Preparing Grant Proposals 13:30 - 14:00 Funding Opportunities and How to Write a Grant Proposal – Ann Sutton 14:00 – 15:15 Participants Work on Writing Small Grant Proposals for the CWC with Assistance from Facilitators 15:15 – 15:30 Coffee break 15:30 – 17:00 Proposal Writing (cont) and Wrap-up Session, Workshop Evaluation – Ann Sutton 19:30 – 21:00 Farewell Dinner at Catcha’ Falling Star – Workshop Trivia Quiz, Presentation of Awards and

Certificates

DAY 4 – Thursday, February 25th, 2010

DAY 5 – Friday, February 26th, 2010 – Participants depart


APPENDIX2: INTERNATIONALPRESENTERSANDFACILITATORS

INTERNATIONAL PRESENTERS AND FACILITATORS

Jeff Gerbracht, eBird Project Manager, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Jeff’s professional career has focused on project management and computer programming. His lifelong interest in ornithology and conservation led him to leave American Airlines and join the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as an application developer in 2001. Jeff has developed several interactive GIS, data entry and analysis applications for the Lab, including eBird, the Land Bird Monitoring Program and a Breeding Bird Atlas application. Jeff currently manages the continued development of eBird and Trail Tracker and is developing Neotropical Birds, a project creating online species accounts for all Neotropical bird species not presently covered by the Birds of North America. (Email: [email protected], URL: www.ebird.org, www.neotropical.birds.cornell.edu) Ann Haynes-Sutton, Ph.D., is a Conservation Ecologist who has lived and worked in central Jamaica for 30 years. Her main focal areas are wetlands, birds, conservation education, and management of protected areas. For her Ph.D. she studied and applied conservation of Jamaican seabirds on offshore cays. A member of the executive of the Society for Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds for many years, she is Co-chair of the Monitoring and Seabirds Working Groups. She is currently consulting/volunteering with several NGOs, including working on a project to manage, interpret and develop ecotourism in a wetland in the Portland Bight Protected Area in southern Jamaica. In her spare time Ann manages a private nature reserve and leads bird tours. She recently published A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Jamaica. (Email: [email protected], URL: www.scscb.org). Ainsley Henry, an environmental biologist by training, is the Manager of the Ecosystems Management Branch at the National Environment and Planning Agency, Jamaica’s primary environmental management and regulatory agency. He is also Jamaica’s representative to the Ramsar Convention and acts as the Regional Representative on the Standing Committee of that Convention. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Ramsar Regional Training Centre for the Western Hemisphere (CREHO). Having worked for 13 plus years in the field he has been associated with many aspects of environmental management: he has served on the council for the Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals, represented Jamaica at meetings of the International Coral Reef Initiative and other MEA meetings and conferences. The Ecosystems Management Branch conducts assessments and monitoring of the natural resources of Jamaica and also is responsible for the formulation of policies, strategies and plans for the sustainable use of these resources. Currently a member of the National Ramsar Committee and as the Regional representative to Ramsar he has co-authored and piloted a new Caribbean Regional Initiative for the implementation of the convention throughout the Americas. As a member of the Jamaica Coral Reef Monitoring Network he has contributed to the GCRMN “Status of Coral Reefs of the World” publications and was instrumental in the designation of two of Jamaica’s three Ramsar Sites (Wetlands of International Importance) the Palisadoes-Port Royal Protected Area and Ramsar Site and the Portland Bight Protected Area. (Email: [email protected]). Richard Huber is the Chief of the Biodiversity Section for the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization of American States. For the GS/OAS he is coordinating the “Building the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN)”, and the “Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative” (WHMSI). He has 10 years with the World Bank where he worked in the environmental social impact of loans and task managed several Environmental Management and Protected Areas projects and 17 years with the OAS where he has worked in sustainable development of the Americas Hemisphere. He will talk on several OAS Caribbean initiatives highlighting win-win institutional, legislative, policy, and participatory frameworks for sustainable development. Best practice case studies will be presented on


biodiversity informatics and payments for environmental services programs throughout the Americas. (Email: [email protected], URL: www.oas.org/dsd/Working%20Documents/Bioandpay.htm Ken Kriese, Ph.D. is a Wildlife Biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Ken has 15+ years of experience working on waterbird and wetland conservation issues in the Western Hemisphere. For the USFWS, he is currently the national coordinator for the U.S. Joint Venture System, a group of conservation entities that consist of private- and public-sector partners working together to conserve North American migratory birds and their essential habitats. Previous work has included managing the Small Grants program of the USFWS North American Wetland Conservation Act, and as a Regional Biologist with Ducks Unlimited, Inc’s Latin America and Caribbean Program where he coordinated waterbird survey efforts in 10 countries and worked on wetland conservation projects in Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic. His doctoral work focused on the breeding ecology and conservation of the Orinoco Goose in the Venezuelan llanos. Ken continues to work on wetland conservation issues throughout North America and other conservation efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean. (Email: [email protected] or [email protected], URL: www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/JointVentures/index.shtm) Lisa G. Sorenson, Ph.D. President, Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB), Project Coordinator of the West Indian Whistling-Duck (WIWD) and Wetlands Conservation Project, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Boston University. Twenty-six years experience working in the Caribbean, including four years of field research on the breeding ecology of White-cheeked Pintails in the Bahamas, field research on West Indian Whistling-Ducks (WIWD) on Long Island, Bahamas, environmental impact assessment work, project planning, and conservation education and training. She has also conducted research assessing the potential consequences of global warming on wetlands and waterfowl in both breeding and wintering areas of North America. Currently Dr. Sorenson is leading/coordinating a region-wide outreach and environmental education program and delivering training workshops on the importance and value of local wetlands and their birdlife. (Email: [email protected], URL: www.scscb.org; www.whistlingduck.org). Alessandra Vanzella-Khouri is a Colombian marine microbiologist. For the last twenty years she has been working on coastal and marine environmental issues in Latin America and the Caribbean and currently as Programme Officer for the Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Kingston, Jamaica. Through her projects and activities she promotes and coordinates activities with governments and organisations in the Wider Caribbean on biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of coastal and marine resources, marine protected areas, conservation of threatened and endangered species and other related issues. She also functions as the responsible officer within the UNEP-CEP Secretariat from the regional biodiversity treaty on Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife for the Wider Caribbean (SPAW Protocol) and serves in a number of committees of regional environmental initiatives and projects. (Email: [email protected], URL: www.cep.unep.org).


APPENDIX3:WORKSHOPEVALUATIONREPORT

SCSCB Waterbird and Wetland Monitoring Training Workshop (Feb. 22-25, 2010)

Workshop Evaluation Report

Methodology of the Evaluation Evaluation forms were completed at the end of the workshop by 19 of the 21 participants. Participants were asked to assess how well the workshop objectives were met and to rate the quality of the workshop activities, their personal outcomes, and the facilitators. They assessed the various areas in each category on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest score and 5 the highest (1 ~ poor, 2 ~ satisfactory, 3 ~ good, 4 ~ very good, 5 ~ excellent). If participants did not attend a particular presentation or activity, they were asked to leave the question blank. Several open-response questions were also on the form. Evaluation Form Questions and Results 1. Participants were asked to rate their satisfaction with the following aspects of workshop organization and design:

a) Workshop venue (Negril Escape) b) Hotel accommodation c) Meals & coffee breaks d) Transportation e) Pre-workshop information f) Equipment & materials received g) Amount of time allotted to PowerPoint presentations, time in the field, discussions


The data show that the participants were well satisfied with most aspects of the workshop organization and design. The equipment and materials received (f) and amount of time allotted to PowerPoint presentations, time in the field, and discussion (g) categories received the highest ratings. Ratings were most variable for hotel accommodations (b), meals and coffee breaks (c) and transportation (d). Additional comments by participants on this section:

• Workshop venue (Negril Escape): a) You know I needed this. b) Intermittent internet signal made workshop difficult at times. c) Need more outlets and wi-fi coverage, otherwise adequate. d) A very good area, no distraction.

• Hotel accommodation: a) Safety issues. b) No towels one night. c) Staff was great. d) Could be a little better with security.

• Meals and coffee breaks: a) All good except that packed field trip “breakfast” (not enough food) b) Vegetarian menu choices were appreciated. c) Late meals.


d) Good vegetarian options! e) Late coffee. f) Food was never on time.

• Transportation: a) Might be poor. b) Driver was great, bus was clean; slow arrival at destinations hampered the field

day. c) Long bus rides on all day field trips. Smaller vehicles (more) might have been

better. • Pre-workshop information:

a) Would be useful to see agenda beforehand. b) Needed it sooner. c) Would have been nice to have agenda prior to arrival at workshop. d) Informative and material is very, very good.

• Equipment and materials received: a) Wildlife counts, Raffaele field guide + clipboard are really nice. b) Materials were helpful; binoculars did not arrive.

• Amount of time allotted to PowerPoint presentations, time in the field, and discussions: a) It was a lot to cover in four days; better focus on practicing methods in field

would be good. b) Hard- a lot of things to fit in a little time. Would be nice to schedule in an extra

15 minutes for each section, didn’t always feel like there was enough time but a challenge to schedule.

c) Some PowerPoint presentations could have been a bit longer with more information. During the field trips when on the smaller sites we could resume earlier and move on to the next one.

d) Never quite enough time! e) A lot packed into the time. Very informative. f) The planned field trip was ambitious but all presentations were good. g) I think there should be more time in the field.

2. Participants were asked to rate their satisfaction with the facilitation team. Did they:

a) Provide good background information and were they knowledgeable of the issues? b) Give adequate answers to questions? c) Use interactive methods? d) Use sufficient supporting materials? e) Do a good job facilitating discussion of the issues? e) Motivate participants to use what was learned during the sessions?


Participants were very well satisfied with the facilitation team. The team received mostly scores of “excellent” and “very good” in all areas of facilitation. Highest scores were received in the areas of providing good background information and were knowledgeable of the issues, and facilitating discussion of the issues. Additional comments by participants on this section:

• Great workshop. • Don’t quibble about un-important details! • Given the limitations of participants with a wide range of skills and interests, I think it

was a terrific workshop. For some topics, more one-on-one or small group work could have been helpful. The manual will be very helpful when available.

• More direction in use of field methods while in the field would have been helpful. Perhaps splitting the group so fewer people were at each site would have been better. Facilitators were superb and motivating. I appreciate the post workshop support! I look forward to receiving the CWC manual soon. Thank you very much for all of you hard work and long hours!

• Considering that one is expected to teach others from this workshop, it was quite a lot of information to take-in in a short time span. However, making the presentations available online is a good way to compensate for this. Offers of further help from the trainers were also appreciated.

• Keep up the good work and thank you very much for the opportunity to be here in Jamaica and meeting Lisa, Ann and everyone else. Thank you!

• The resource persons were accommodating with every question and they answered them well.


• SCSCB workshops continue not to fail to meet my expectations and that’s a great thing. Presentations were overall excellent and main limitations were time constraints.

3. The primary objectives of the workshop were to provide participants with equipment, materials, training and skills to apply basic bird monitoring protocols, so that they could design and implement a long-term bird monitoring program in their own country (or improve protocols/programs in place), participate in the Caribbean Waterbird Census, train and mentor others, and form the basis of a regional monitoring network. Participants were asked to assess the extent to which this objective was met.

95% of the participants rated the extent to which the objectives of the workshop were met as very good or excellent, one participant (5%) gave a rating of good. Additional comments by participants for this section:

• My skills were pretty limited, still don’t feel “ready” but felt like it was a great start and very useful in building my skills.

5. Participants were asked to rank all bird monitoring protocol/background session and check the ones they found most valuable. Results are presented in five graphs below:


a) Introduction to SCSCB, Caribbean Birdwatch program and the workshop b) What is monitoring? Why monitor birds? c) eBird: Levels A-C Monitoring, What these data show and how it can be used for conservation planning and management


d) Introduction to Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC): Goals, objectives, proposed structure, why and how to get involved, outline of steps to implement program e) Choosing your site, asking questions, setting your objectives, site reconnaissance f) General considerations in designing your monitoring program: challenges of counting waterbirds (bias and detectability) g) Levels of monitoring and CWC protocols: Species inventories, point counts, and area searches h) Bird Identification 101 i) Examining the data: Simple approaches to data analysis

j) IABIN/WHMSI and Caribbean activities k) Ramsar in the Caribbean l) Distribution of migratory waterfowl in LA and the Caribbean: an analysis of survey data and band recoveries m) What can you learn from monitoring data: Sample analyses from ongoing waterbird monitoring in St. Croix and Antigua n) Analysis of WIWD monitoring data from Antigua and Barbuda 2003-2009 o) Waterbird COUNT program p) Working with volunteers to establish a monitoring program: Opportunities and challenges


q) Describing your site, habitat surveys, and IBA monitoring r) Data entry and analysis from field trips s) How to prepare reports and communicate your results to decision makers: Case studies and examples t) Training observers for the CWC u) Guidance on writing grant proposals for monitoring projects


Of the eight participants that checked a box for the presentations/sessions they found most valuable (among the 21 that were on the agenda), five presentations/sessions were checked as most valuable. These included “Choosing your site, asking questions, setting your objectives, site reconnaissance,” General considerations in designing your monitoring program: Challenges of Counting Waterbirds,” “Levels of monitoring and CWC protocols: Species Inventories, point counts and area searches,” Examining the data: Simple approaches to data analysis,” and “Guidance on writing grant proposals for monitoring projects”. Seven of the participants rated the information received as to what monitoring is or why to monitor as the most valuable background session. Additional comments on this set of questions:

a) What is monitoring? Why monitor?: a. This is repeat material for me, but excellent review.

b) Introduction to Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC): Goals, objectives, proposed structure, why and how to get involved, outline of steps to implement program:


a. Better if protocols were complete. c) Levels of monitoring and CWC protocols: Species inventories, point counts, and area

searches: a. As above, better if protocols complete. b. Good information but a little confusing.

d) Bird Identification 101: a. Fun! b.

e) Examining the data: Simple approaches to data analysis: a. I needed more time on this. b. This was fun. I like statistics but was rusty, would like a review. c. Me not you. d. Not enough time was devoted to this subject. e. Lose the bikini clad woman (Floyd)

f) IABIN/WHMSI and Caribbean activities: a. Very interesting, good reference to resources. b. That was great. As a non-birder, or new to birding, it was nice to see it brought

back to big picture. g) Ramsar in the Caribbean:

a. Good information but probably not helpful in my country/situation h) Distribution of migratory waterfowl in LA and the Caribbean: an analysis of survey data

and band recoveries: a. Fascinating in spite of collection method.

i) What can you learn from monitoring data? Sample analyses from ongoing waterbird monitoring in St. Croix and Antigua:

a. I will use eBird! b. Some interesting and curious assumptions.

j) WIWD monitoring data from Antigua and Barbuda 2003-2009: a. Great demonstration of conservation through monitoring and outreach. b. Encouraging to see the data and how it was analyzed. c. Really nice to hear a success story! Inspiring.

k) Waterbird COUNT program: a. Great program and a skill I need to develop. b. Fun and will be very helpful in improving my skills.

l) Working with volunteers: opportunities and challenges: a. Repeat information for me, but very good review.

m) Describing your site, habitat surveys and IBA monitoring: a. Helpful.

n) Data entry and analysis from field trips: a. Not enough time for this but great to go through it again. b. Getting better.

o) How to prepare reports and communicate your results to decision makers: case studies and examples:

a. Helpful. A bit rushed. b. Very informative.


p) Training observers for the CWC: a. A bit too brief!

q) Guidance on writing grant proposals for monitoring projects: a. Good presentation- ran out of time.

6. Participants were asked what three aspects of the workshop they valued most? (e.g., background presentations, sessions on CWC methodology, statistics, data entry and analysis, opportunity to get guidance and advice from facilitators, networking opportunities, field trips to practice bird ID and monitoring protocols, proposal writing session, etc.).

• Introduction to Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC)/ CWC methodology (14) • Field trips (12) • Data entry and analysis (7) • Guidance and advice (6) • Monitoring (3) • Background presentations (3) • Statistics, data entry, and analysis (3) • Shaggy concert (2) • Proposal writing session (2) • Networking opportunities and writing session. • Data analysis/ survey protocols • Great exposure for me in bird ID to build skills. • Field practice activities (area seraches and point counts) • Report preparations and communication to decision makers. • Issues relating to monitoring, why monitor birds, etc. • I appreciated the facilitators’ generosity with their time, helpfulness and willingness to

answer all questions (with a sense of humor too). • Presentations about studies in the Caribbean (Cuba, St. Croix, Antigua). • Working alone, it can be really frustrating to not have others with experience to bounce

ideas off of. It is so useful/ worthwhile to have the opportunity to network with both peers in the Caribbean and other specialists/expert in workshops like this.

7. Participants were asked what the 2 or 3 most important things (key points or concepts) that they learned during the week:

• Data entry and analysis (2) • Monitoring waterbirds via point count and area search. (2) • Learning about CWC protocol. • Understanding some weakness in my current monitoring methods. • Further understanding of statistics. • Proposal for writing projects (funding). • Counts methods in the field. • Keys for identifying birds in the field. • Error detectability and measurement. • Bird monitoring/ methodology. • To have a defined goal for why you want to monitor waterbirds at any given site.


• Importance of standardization. • Do a thorough site inventory before you monitor. • How to use eBird! • How to monitor waterbirds with the selected methodology. • Use the tools to help implement CWC in Bahamas. • Train volunteers and colleagues. • Share with education department BNT for wider outreach and education. • Monitoring. • Detection Probability • The counting methodologies. • Proposal writing. • How to use protocols, where applicable. • Statistics and data entry. • Habitat assessment. • Learning about measuring detectability and the fact that this can be used for population

assessment. • That the words ‘Binomial Poisson Distribution’ are a real English term. • I learned we have many species but the main things still with me are how to enter data

and how to conduct monitoring. • Strategies to communicate to decision makers and politicians successfully. • The importance of standardization of survey methods. • Data analysis and what it can tell us and the new questions it raises. • The importance of wetland bird protection. • Conducting habitat assessments. • Yes, I can!

8. Participants were asked how they will use what they learned this week:

• Will prepare to and carry out CWC on St. Croix and IBAs. Hopefully will begin analyzing data.

• To attempt to establish wetland bird monitoring program in my country. • Assist in the Agency Monitoring Program. • To seek to learn and observe the wetland birds and document data of any sort. • To share with colleagues, the various bits learnt during four days. • To continue improving our national waterbird network. • To develop the CWC in Cuba. • Start implementing the CWC in at least in one site. • To improve my field work and share data. • Implement a monitoring program at IBA/NP sites in some islands. • To initiate a monitoring program in my country. • Get going on a waterbird moniotoring project with my helpers. • Design and implement CWC program on my islands. • I will initiate a bird monitoring program by tapping volunteers and community

involvement. I will share knowledge and skills acquired to increase public awareness and heighten the community’s interest in birds and wetlands and in the environment in general.


• Introduce to and train other members of the group in the CWC methodology. • Use methodology to improve data collection and analysis. • I will go back to the notes and the book I received and go out and see if I can know any

birds back home and then pass on the information to my members because I am very new to this.

• I will train my staff, then others • By implementing CWC in my country. • To assist the habitat manager with the mapping of all wetlands in the Turks and Caicos

Islands. • Adapt existing protocol in terms of how data is recorded (categories of information) and

train volunteers. • Conduct formal habitat assessments and train volunteers.

9. Participants were asked what they thought was missing or how future workshops could be improved:

• Smaller groups when practicing field methods. • Early morning coffee! • More time to practice in the field from use of equipment (e.g. range finder and GPS, or

even spotting scopes) to count methodologies. • More sessions or PowerPoints related with monitoring methodology. • (For me…) Have a longer break for lunch (15-30 minutes more) because it’s difficult to

concentrate in the PM without a nap. • More time. • Good internet access. • More in-depth session on statistics. • Limit sessions to 6:00 pm (to improve). • More sharing- TIME! • More information in proposal writing and actual bird identification, especially in the

field. • How to prepare reports in more detail, examples would help. • Maybe it would help if there will be a workshop for the “basic” and “advanced” birders. • To improve- travel times were somewhat demanding and took away from the actual

workshop activities/ experience. • I think there should be some ice breakers, so that the mind can stay fresh. • Generally it was very well organized, a little compact… but good. • Possibly extend the duration and always try to plan around a favorite artist in concert. • Better focus in field practice (this is as much a failure of participants as presenters). A

post-workshop field trip for birding might help people focus on work during workshop. • Ship equipment ahead of time (mail service can be unpredictable). • Seabird monitoring (large nesting populations) - developing monitoring protocol.

10. Participants were asked what the 2 most important topics/ questions related to monitoring that they would like to see addressed in future training workshops or in the development of SCSCB’s monitoring program:

• A sound bank for wetland birds monitoring and identification (2)


• Statistical analysis (2) • Seabird monitoring (2) • Data entry and analysis (2) • Bird banding and associated (aging, sexing…) training. • Improved communications. • How to monitor breeding waterbirds? • More on how to analyze data from specific protocols • More time for practicing the counts (point count and area search) • Survey methods • Site selection in DR will be a huge challenge. What will we target? Species? Threats? • Map making, GPS use, and site assessment • Proposal writing • Additional training on data assessment: statistics • How to calculate detection probability • More detailed site assessments (practice) • Working with volunteers: opportunities and challenges • More on methodology, data entry and analysis, and statistics • Mist-netting • CWC for the Caribbean • Developing management plans for IBAs. • I would like to learn more about statistics but even in French it’s difficult so imagine in

English for me … 11. Participants were asked when they go back to their island, what specific questions they would like to use bird monitoring to answer:

• Number of migratory birds at primary wetlands • To attempt to obtain population counts for wetland birds, within all wetlands in my

country • How waterbird populations change over time • Are the sites we are monitoring maintaining healthy bird populations? • Are we currently using the correct monitoring methods? • Which site in Grenada has the most diversity and richness for birds? • Bird population trends in sites • Diversity of bird species over time • Detection of trends in species recorded • Responses of species to habitat changes • Leads in to wetland protection as an unheard of concept • What birds do we have on the islands? • What is the abundance and distribution, seasonally and over the course of a day? • How are extraneous actions affecting birds? • What species are present on the wetland areas, their abundance/ population, and how to

monitor them • Presence/ absence of species, particularly IBA category birds • How development/ man-induced activities impact on population trends


• How best can I implement this in my community? I think Ashton Lagoon will be excellent for monitoring and this can be set up as a very good tourist attraction and boost our economy.

• What is the species richness of wetland birds in each wetland site? • Which wetlands are most critical to waterbird conservation? • Protection and preservation of wetland habitats • What are the population and diversity trends in Anguilla’s wetlands? • What is happening with Anguilla’s seabird populations on the offshore cays (number and

diversity)? – What impact is habitat alteration potentially having on the wetlands and their bird populations (numbers and diversity)?

12. Participants were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with the workshop. The choices were poor, fair, good, very good and excellent.

The participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with the workshop, as evidenced by ratings of excellent and very good by all participants. 13. Additional final comments:

• Both workshops (this year and last) were very good. I appreciated the more narrow focus of this workshop, the building on (and reinforcement) of information from last year’s workshop. Thank you!

• Look forward to practicing as much as possible and establishing a waterbird and wetland monitoring program. Also looking forward to attend other training programs.

• Congratulations to all organizers, I know you are all very busy and you did a great job!


• Workshop sessions should not continue past dinnertime. Sessions should end at 6:00 pm at the latest.

• Thank you very much. I always enjoy learning with you all. These are indeed times well spent. Thanks again.

• Enjoyed and appreciated the availability of presenters to further discuss and clarify some issues.

• I found it to be very interesting but because I am rather new to birds, more time in the field and the workshop should be longer, five days instead of four days.

• Presenters were outstanding in meeting the needs of a very diverse audience! Thank you so much for this opportunity!

• This was really great. Was I funded by RSPB? I’d like to send them a letter of thanks. Also, for new birders, my office is next to a salt pond and I try to spend 10-15 minutes, 1 or 2 times a day just photographing and then trying to ID birds. This has been a very helpful exercise that I would suggest to new birders.

• Thank you for the opportunity given to us to participate in the workshop. The workshop was very informative and practical in terms of material presented and the field exercises. We have certainly benefited from the workshop and will transfer this to others in the Agency.

• The workshop was one of the best I’ve ever attended.


APPENDIX4:CWCSMALLGRANTPROPOSALGUIDELINES

CARIBBEANWATERBIRDCENSUS(CWC)SMALLGRANTPROGRAMMESCSCBProject:PromotingWetlandBirdConservationThroughtheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensus(CWC)

ProposalFormatandGuidelinesBackgroundtotheProject2TheCaribbeanWaterbirdPlan3identifiedmajorgapsininformationaboutthestatusanddistributionofwetlandspecies,thelackofmanagementorconservationprogrammesforthreatenedspeciesandwetlandsofinternationalimportance,thegeneralneedtoincreasecapacitytoimplementmonitoringandconservationprograms,andtheurgentneedtopromoteenvironmentalawarenessoftheimportanceofwetlandsincountriesoftheregion,especiallyinlightoftheincreasingvulnerabilityofcoastalmangroveandwetlandhabitatsfromclimatechangeimpacts(e.g.,sealevelrise,increasedstormsanddroughts)andthedestructionofthesecriticalhabitatsfordevelopment.TheCaribbeanisalsounderrepresentedinregionalinitiativesincludingtheRamsarConvention,SpeciallyProtectedAreasandWildlife(SPAW)ProtocoloftheCartagenaConvention,WesternHemisphereShorebirdReserve(WHSRN)andtheWesternHemisphereMigratorySpeciesInitiative(WHMSI).Theseissueshavebeenfurtherhighlightedinthecompletionofnationalwaterbirdreports4andanalysisofImportantBirdAreas(IBAs)intheCaribbean5.ThecurrentprojectaimstoaddresssomeofthesegapsandneedsthroughcapacitybuildingtrainingworkshopsanddevelopmentoftheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensus(CWC)6.OuroverallprojectgoalistoincreasesupportforwaterbirdandwetlandconservationintheCaribbeanregionbypromotingmonitoringofwaterbirdsandtheirhabitatsasameanstoimprovescience‐basedconservationplanningandadaptivemanagementofbirds.OurspecificobjectivesaretoimplementtheCWCthrough:a)developmentofmethodology(standardprotocols)tomonitorwaterbirdsandwetlandsandaCWCtrainers’manual,b)enhancingthecapacityofpartnerorganizations,agenciesandindividualstoparticipateinthe

2ExcerptedfromSCSCBproposalPromotingwetlandbirdconservationthroughtheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensussubmittedtotheUSFWSNeotropicalMigratoryBirdConservationAct(NMBCA)fundingprogram,Nov.2009.3SCSCB.2004.DraftCaribbeanWaterbirdsPlan2003‐8.SCSCBreport,availableonwww.scscb.org.4http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/waterbirds/downloads.html5BirdLifeInternational.2008.ImportantBirdAreasintheCaribbean:Keysitesforconservation.Cambridge,UK:BirdLifeInternational.(BirdLifeConservationSeriesNo.15).6TheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensusispartofSCSCB’snewregionalbirdmonitoringprogrammeCaribbeanBirdwatch–trainingworkshopsandstandardprotocolstomonitorlandbirds,seabirds,shorebirdandwaterbirdsandtheirhabitat.


programthroughaskills‐building(‘train‐the‐trainers’)workshop(February2010),andc)offeraCWCSmallGrantsProgrammetoassistpartnersinimplementingtheCWCathighprioritysites.Participantsareencouragedtoshareresultsandconservationrecommendationsthroughlocalandnationalworkshops.Wewillestablisharegionaldatabase(includingeBirdCaribbean)toshareresultsofmonitoring.CWCSmallGrantsProgrammeSCSCBhopesthatwewillreceiveagrantfromtheUSFWSNeotropicalMigratoryBirdConservationAct(NMBCA)FundforaproposalPromotingwetlandbirdconservationthroughtheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensus7.Asfollow‐uptoourrecentWaterbirdandWetlandMonitoringTrainingWorkshopinNegril,JA(Feb.2010)8where22participantsweretrainedinCWCmethodology,theproposalrequestsfundingtoaward10ormoreSmallGrantsofupto$5,000each9.ThepurposeoftheSmallGrantsprogramistohelpyouadvanceyourwaterbirdandwetlandmonitoringeffortsandimplementtheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensusinatleastoneimportantwetlandsiteinyourcountry(e.g.,IBA,Ramsarsite,nationalparkorprotectedarea).Ifyouarenotcurrentlydoinganymonitoring,wehopethatthisfundingprogramwillhelpyougetstarted.Ifyouarealreadydoingsomekindofmonitoring,ouraimistohelpyouexpandandimproveyourprogram,forexamplebymonitoringyoursite(s)morefrequently,addingoneormoreimportantsitestoyourprogram,and/orimprovingyourmonitoringmethodology(e.g.,byaddingameasureofdetectionprobability)andassociatedactivitiesandoutcomes(e.g.,writingreportsandsharingresultswithnaturalresourcesmanagersanddecisionmakers,holdinganationalwetlandbirdconservationworkshop,etc.).IftheproposalisapprovedweexpectthatthefundswouldbeavailableinJune2010.EligibleActivitiesfortheSmallGrantProgramme:EachSmallGrantproposalshouldincludeplansforthreeormoreofthefollowingactivities:

1)monitoringtrainingworkshopforfieldpersons,2)implementationoffieldsurveysinoneormoresitesofhighimportanceforwetlandbirds,especiallyspeciesofconservationconcern10;

7We’vereceivednoticethattheproposalwasfavorablyreviewedbutfinalapprovalispending.8ThetrainingworkshopandmaterialsdevelopmentwerefundedbytheOrganizationofAmericanStates/Western

HemisphereMigratorySpeciesInitiative,USForestServiceandRoyalSocietyfortheProtectionofBirdswithin‐kindhelpandsupportfrommanypartnersandorganizations,includingCornellLabofOrnithology,Opticsforthe

Tropics,WetlandsInternational,KlamathBirdObservatory,BirdLifeInternationalandothers.9AdditionalfundsforthisSmallGrantProgrammearependingfromSPAW‐RAC.10Caribbeanwetlandsprovideessentialstop‐overandwinteringhabitatformorethan126aquaticandterrestrialneotropicalmigrantspecies.Twenty‐six(17%)oftheseareincludedintheUSFWSlistofBirdsofConservation

Concern(http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/BirdList.shtm),includingwetlandspeciessuchasBrownPelican,ReddishEgret,SolitarySandpiper,LesserYellowlegs,Whimbrel,RedKnot,Short‐billedDowitcherand

LeastTern,andterrestrialspeciessuchastheWhite‐crownedPigeon,Yellow‐billedCuckoo,PrairieWarblerand


3)dataentry,analysisandstorage;4)productionofwetlandbirdconservationreportsforallwetlandssurveyed;5)communityeducationworkshopineachwetlandsurveyed;6)nationalwetlandbirdconservationworkshopatwhichtheresultsandproposalsforconservationactionwillbediscussed,and7)publicationoftheresults(e.g.intheJournalofCaribbeanOrnithology).

Theactivitiesthatyouproposewilldependonyourquestions/objectives,yourcapacity(time,resources,etc.)andwhetheryouarejustbeginningamonitoringprogramorhavealreadybeencollectingmonitoringdata.

1. Monitoringtrainingworkshopforfieldpersons.Totrainstafforlocalvolunteersinthemonitoringmethodologyyouwilluse(howtoconductthecountandrecordthedata).Theworkshopshouldcontain“classroom”andfieldcomponentsinordertoteachmonitoringmethods(e.g.,areasearch,pointcounts)andkeyconceptssuchasbias,detectabilityandtheimportanceofstandardization.Ifyourtraineesarenotskilledbirders,itwillbeimportanttospendalotoftimecoveringwaterbirdidentificationusingpowerpointsandthroughmanypracticesessionsinthefield.Unskilledbirdersshouldworkasfieldassistants(datarecorders)untiltheyareabletoaccuratelyidentifymostwaterbirds.AllpowerpointsfromourrecentworkshopinNegrilwillbeavailableforuseinyourowntrainingworkshops.

2. Implementationoffieldsurveysinoneormoresitesofhighimportanceforwetlandbirds,especiallyspeciesofconservationconcern.Brieflydescribewhatsite(s)youwillmonitorandthelevelofmonitoring(1,2,3,or4)andmethodsyouwilluse(areasearchorpointcount,andhowyouwillmeasuredetectability)11.Alsomentionwhathabitatcovariatesyouwillmeasure(e.g.,waterdepth,salinity,vegetation,etc.).Werequestthatataminimum,allmonitoringprogramsparticipateintheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensusbyconductingsurveysatoneormoresitesinJanuary.

3. Dataentry,analysisandstorage.BasicmonitoringdatamaybestoredineBirdCaribbean,wewillprovideaspreadsheetfordatacollectionthatincludesthenecessaryheadingsandcellsformoredetaileddata(repeatedcounts,timeintervals,distancesampling)aswellasexamplesofdescriptivestatisticsandmodeling.

4. Productionofwaterbirdconservationreportsforallwetlandssurveyed.Theresultsofyourmonitoringeffortsmustbesharedinorderforthemtobeappliedtoconservationandmanagement.Tobegin,simplereportscanbepreparedthatdescribewhatspecies

ProthonotaryWarbler.TheyalsoprovidebreedinghabitatformanyresidentspeciesincludingseveralgloballythreatenedbirdssuchastheWestIndianWhistling‐DuckwhichhasbeentheflagshipspeciesforSCSCB’swetland

conservationefforts(http://www.eco‐index.org/search/results.cfm?projectID=979).11Refertothepowerpoint(LevelsofMonitoring)andCWCTrainers’Manualandprotocolsforadescriptionofthe

differentlevelsofmonitoringandmethodstoassessdetectionprobability.


areusingthesiteandtheirrelativenumbers,byseason/timeofyear.Fordecisionmakersaone‐pagereportwithlotsofgraphicsisappropriate.Overtime,youwillbeabletodescribeandtesthypothesestoanalyzetrends—changesinnumbersofbirdsinrelationtochangesinenvironmental/habitatvariablesthatyoumeasure.Reportsshouldbesharedwithnaturalresourcemanagers,localcommunitiesanddecisionmakers.

5. Communityoutreachandeducationineachwetlandsurveyed.Oneofourgoalsistoincreaseawarenessandwillingnesstotakeactiontoconservewetlandsofimportancetomigratoryandresidentwaterbirds.Targetaudiencesincludedecisionmakers,naturalresourceandwildlifemanagers,communityleaders,educators,andthegeneralpublic,especiallyyouth.Activitiesmayinclude:a)providinginformationtogovernmentsaboutthestatusofbirdsinthewetlandyousurvey,b)distributingmaterialspromotingtheCWC,RamsarConventionandSPAWProtocol,c)holdingalocalworkshoptoeducatecommunitymembersabouttheimportanceofkeylocalwetlandsandthebirdsthatusethem,andengagethemtoparticipateasvolunteersintheCWC,andencouragepeopletodevelopandimplementactionstoaddressanyissuesthatmaybeidentified,andd)promotingthecelebrationofWorldWetlandsDayandInternationalMigratoryBirdDay(IMBD)andCaribbeanEndemicBirdFestivals(withawaterbird‐wetlandactivity).

6. Nationalwetlandbirdconservationworkshopatwhichtheresultsandproposalsforconservationactionwillbediscussed.Organizeaforumorworkshoptopresentresultsofyourmonitoringandpropose(orevaluatetheeffectsof)conservationandmanagementactions,suchastheidentificationofnewRamsarsites,IBAs,orprotectedareas,reducingthreatsfrompollution,invasivespecies,ordevelopment,managingwaterlevels,etc.

7. Publicationoftheresultsofyourmonitoringinscientificjournals(e.g.,JournalofCaribbeanOrnithology).AlthoughbasicstatisticsandexamplesofanalysisofmonitoringdatawerepresentedintheJamaicaworkshops,wehopetoofferaworkshopinthefuturethatfocusesonstatisticalanalysisandwritingofscientificpapers.Wealsohopetooffera“mentor”programtohelpyouwithanalysisofyourdataandwritinguptheresultsforpublication.


PROPOSALFORMATPleasefollowtheformatbelowinwritingyourmonitoringproposal.Theproposalshouldnotbemorethan2to3pagesinlengthtotal.PART1.INFORMATIONONAPPLICANTName:Title:Organization:Address:Email:Phone:ExperienceManagingSimilarProjects(describebriefly,2‐3sentences,ashortCVmaybeattached):PART2.DESCRIPTIONOFYOURPROPOSEDMONITORINGOBJECTIVESANDACTIVITIESGOAL‐Whyyouareproposingthismonitoringproject–thebigpicture,yourdreamOBJECTIVES–Whatquestion(s)doyouwanttoanswerorwhatdoyouwanttoachievethroughthemonitoringprojectandthisfundingopportunity?MakesureyourobjectivesareSMART(specific,measurable,achievable,relevant,time‐bound)ACTIVITIES‐Whatexactlydoyouplantodotomeetyourobjectives(who,what,when,where,how).RefertothelistofEligibleActivitiesaboveanddescribethesebriefly.EXPECTEDBENEFITS/OUTCOMES–Listthesebriefly(e.g.,numbersofwetlandmonitorstrained,wetlandsitesandsurveyscompleted,partnersthathavejoinedyourmonitoringefforts,participantsincommunityworkshops,reportspreparedandpresentedatnationalmeetingsorworkshops,conservationormanagementactionsproposedoradopted,etc.)PART3.BUDGETSetupasimplebudgettablethatlistseachitemthatneedsfundingundereachproposedactivityorheading.Youmayrequestupto$5,000infunding.Estimatethetotalcostoftheactivityandwhetheryoucanofferorexpecttofindmatchfundingfortheactivity.Seetheexamplebelowofhowabudgettablemightbefilledin(youritemsandcostswillvarydependingonyourplansandresources!).Ifyouneedbinocularsorspottingscopes/tripodsforyourprogram,wecanassistbypurchasingtheseitemsathalf‐priceforyou.


SAMPLEPROJECTBUDGETFORMACTIVITYORHEADING SCSCB

SMALLGRANT

IN‐KINDORCASHMATCH

TOTAL

1.CWCTrainingWorkshopforFieldMonitorsandAssistants Venue(2days@$50/day) 100 100Professionalfees,stipendorsalaries(1personx5days@$150/day)

500 250 750

Workshopmaterials‐fieldguides,copiesofprotocolsanddatasheets,clipboards,fieldnotebooks–($30/personx6)

150 30 180

Workshoprefreshments(7personsx2days@$15/person) 210 210Accommodation(3personsx2nights@$100/night) 600 600Sub‐total 1,460 380 1,840 2.FieldSurveys‐Monitor3sites3timesperyear,3countsperseason($50gastosurvey3sites)

Travel/transportation‐$50/surveyx3surveys/yearx3countsperseason

250 200 450

Fees,stipendsforsurveyteamleaders(9surveysx2personsx$100)

800 800 1,600

Sub‐total 1,050 1,000 2,050 3.Equipment Binoculars–6pairs8x40a@$100/pair(discountedprice) 400 200 600Rangefinder–1@$400each 400 400GPS–1@$300 300 300Spottingscopeandtripod(2at$300) 600 600pH,salinityandtemperaturemeter 150 150Sub‐total 1,550 500 2,050 4.CommunityEducationMeeting Venue(1day@$50/day) 50 50Refreshments(30personsx$5/person) 150 150Consultingfeesforteamleader(1personx1dayx$150/day) 150 150Sub‐total 300 50 350 5.StakeholdersPresentationMeeting Venue(1day@$50/day) 50 50Refreshments(30personsx$5/person) 150 150Consultingfeesforteamleader(1personx1dayx$150/day) 150 150Sub‐total 300 50 350AdministrativeOverheads 300 200 500TOTAL 4,960 2,180 7,140


BUDGETNOTES:Brieflydescribethesource(s)ofin‐kindorcashmatch;providerationaleforanyunusualitemsrequestedinthebudget.Examplesofin‐kindmatch:IfyouworkforanNGOoragencyandwillbeparticipatingintheCWC(deliveringworkshops,monitoringwetlands,writingreports,etc.)aspartofyourjoboryouarevolunteeringyourtime,thiscanbeincludedasin‐kindmatch.Ifyouremployercanoffersupport,suchasavehicleorgastotravel,useofequipmentoraworkshopvenue,thiscanalsobeincludedasin‐kindmatch.Ifyouareabletoleveragethefundsinthisproposaltoraisefundsfromanothersource,notethisascashmatch.CriteriaUponWhichProposalsWillbeRated

• Yourobjectivesandactivities:AretheySMART?(specific,measurable,achievable,relevant,time‐bound)

• Doesyourplanincludemonitoringofimportantsites?• Willyourmonitoringplanengagepartners(NGos,governmentalagencies,institutions)

andcommunitymemberstobecomeinvolvedintheCWC? • Willyourplanraiseawarenessofconservationandmanagementissuesrelatedto

wetlandsandwaterbirdsandwhatcanbedonetoaddresstheseissues?• Isyourbudgetrealisticandreasonable?Haveyoumadeanefforttoleveragethese

fundstoraisefundsfromothersources?• Doestheapplicanthavesufficientexperienceandorganizationalskillsneededto

completetheactivitiesoutlinedintheproposal?


APPENDIX5:L ISTOFWORKSHOPMATERIALSPROVIDEDTOEACHPARTICIPANT

Pre‐workshopmaterials

• Applicationform

• Letterofinvitation

• Informationforparticipants

• Whattobring

Workshopmaterials

• Folder

• WorkshopAgenda

• InternationalPresentersandFacilitators

• Areasearchandpointcountprotocolsandnotes

• GoogleEarthmapsofwetlandssurveyedonfieldtrips

• WildlifeCOUNTprogram(onCD)

• Certificateofparticipation

Fielddataforms

• Areasearch

• Pointcount

• IBAthreatassessment

Fieldequipment

• 1pairbinoculars(shippedseparately)

• Clipboard

• pencil

• Reusablenylonbag(ChicoBag)withWHMSIlogo

Books

• Raffaeleetal.2003.BirdsoftheWestIndies.PrincetonFieldGuides,Princeton,NewJersey)

SCSCBfieldidentificationcards

• WetlandBirdsoftheCaribbean

• SeabirdsoftheCaribbean

• ResidentandMigratoryDucksoftheWestIndies

T‐shirts

• InternationalMigratoryBirdDay2010

Othermaterialsandsupplies

• OAS‐WHMSIbrochure(English&Spanish)

• WaterbirdsCouncilfortheAmericasbrochure–FosteringWaterbirdConservation(EnglishandSpanish)

• Ramsarbrochures,stickersand3CDs(WorldWetlandsDay2010:CaringforWetlands,Ramsar

HandbooksfortheWiseUseofWetlands,3rdedition,2007,Wetlands:KeepingOurPlanetAliveandWell)

• CornellLabofOrnithologyandeBirdbrochures

• Negril,Jamaicamap


APPENDIX6:WORKSHOPEVALUATIONFORM

Your name (optional): ________________________

Place an “X” in the box that best represents your opinion, where 1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Very good, 5 = Excellent 1. Workshop organization and design

How do you rate: 1 2 3 4 5 Comments Workshop venue

Hotel accommodation

Meals and coffee breaks

Transportation

Pre-workshop information

Equipment and materials received

Amount of time allotted to powerpoint presentations, time in the field, and discussions

2. Facilitation Team

Did they: 1 2 3 4 5 Provide good background information and were they knowledgeable of the issues?

Give adequate answers to questions?

Use interactive methods?

Use sufficient supporting materials?

Do a good job facilitating discussion of the issues?

Motivate participants to use what was learned in sessions?

Additional comments: 3. The primary objectives of the workshop were to provide you with equipment, materials, training and skills in waterbird monitoring protocols, so that you can design and implement a long-term bird monitoring programme in your own country (or improve protocols/programs in place), participate in


the Caribbean Waterbird Census, train and mentor others, and form the basis of a regional monitoring network. To what extent was this objective met?

Excellent _____ Very good _____ Good _____ Fair _____ Poor _____ 4. Rank all bird monitoring protocol/background sessions and check the ones you found most valuable.

1 2 3 4 5 ___ Introduction to SCSCB, Caribbean Birdwatch program and the workshop (Lisa) ___ What is monitoring? Why monitor birds? (Lisa)

Comment: ___ eBird: Levels A-C Monitoring, What these data show and how it can be used for conservation planning and management (Jeff)

Comment: ___ Introduction to Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC): Goals, objectives, proposed structure, why and how to get involved, outline of steps to implement program (Ann)

Comment: ___ Choosing your site, asking questions, setting your objectives, site reconnaissance (Ken)

Comment: ___ General considerations in designing your monitoring program: challenges of counting waterbirds (bias and detectability) (Jeff)

Comment: ___ Levels of monitoring and CWC protocols: Species inventories, point counts and area searches (Ann)

Comment: ___ Bird Identification 101 (Lisa)

Comment: ___ Examining the data: Simple approaches to data analysis (Ken)

Comment: ___ IABIN/WHMSI and Caribbean activities (Richard Huber)

Comment: ___ Ramsar in the Caribbean (Ainsley Henry)

Comment: ___ Distribution of migratory waterfowl in LA and the Caribbean: an analysis of survey data and band recoveries (Ken)

Comment: ___ What can you learn from monitoring data? Sample analyses from ongoing waterbird monitoring in St. Croix and Antigua (Jeff)

Comment:


___ WIWD monitoring data from Antigua & Barbuda 2003-2009 (Lisa) Comment:

___ Waterbird COUNT program (Ken) Comment:

___ Working with volunteers: opportunities and challenges (Lisa) Comment:

5. What 3 aspects of the workshop did you value the most? (e.g., background presentations, sessions on CWC methodology, statistics, data entry and analysis, opportunity to get guidance and advice from facilitators, networking opportunities, field trips to practice bird ID and monitoring protocols, proposal writing session, etc.). a.

b.

c. 6. What are the 2 or 3 most important things (key points or concepts) you learned this week? 7. How will you use what you learned this week? 8. What do you think was missing or how can we improve future workshops?

9. What are the 2 most important topics/questions related to monitoring that you would like to see addressed in future training workshops or in the development of SCSCB’s monitoring program?

10. When you go back to your island, what specific questions would you like to use bird monitoring to answer?

11. Overall, how would you rate your satisfaction with the workshop?

Excellent _____ Very good _____ Good _____ Fair _____ Poor _____

Additional comments:


APPENDIX7:LABELFORFOLDERCOVERFORWORKSHOPMATERIALS


APPENDIX8:CERTIFICATEOFPARTICIPATION


APPENDIX9:CWCWORKSHOPSUMMARYREPORTANDPHOTOS

SOCIETYFORTHECONSERVATIONANDSTUDYOFCARIBBEANBIRDSWESTERNHEMISPHEREMIGRATORYSPECIESINITIATIVEPROJECT

Increasing Capacity for Caribbean Wetlands Conservation: A Training Workshop for Monitoring, Education and Conservation

CARIBBEANWATERBIRDCENSUS(CWC)TRAININGWORKSHOP22‐25February2010–SummaryReport

SCSCBisworkingtowardsestablishingtheCaribbeanWaterbirdCensus(CWC)12,aregion‐widewaterbirdandwetlandmonitoringprogram13.TheoverallgoaloftheprogramistoincreasesupportforwaterbirdandwetlandconservationintheinsularCaribbeanbypromotingmonitoringasameanstoimprovescience‐basedconservationplanningandadaptivemanagementofbirds.TheobjectivesoftheCWCareto:

• Promoteinventories,surveysandcensusesofwaterbirdsandtheirhabitatsinallCaribbeancountries

• Encouragebroad‐basedparticipationinwaterbirdcountsincludingNGOs,governmentalagencies,institutions,communitiesandvolunteers

• Ensurethatasmanyinternationallyandnationallyimportantwetlandsitesaspossibleareconservedandmonitored

• Increaseawarenessofconservationissuesrelatedtowetlandsandwaterbirdsandwhatcanbedonetoaddresstheseissues.

Twenty‐twoparticipantsfrom16CaribbeanislandstookpartintheSCSCB’sfour‐dayCWCTrainingWorkshopinNegril,Jamaica22‐25February.ThepurposeoftheworkshopwastoprovidepersonsfromacrosstheCaribbeanwithequipment,materials,trainingandskillsinwaterbirdandwetlandmonitoringprotocolssothattheycandesignandimplementtheirownmonitoringprogram(orimprove/expandprogramsthatareinplace),participateinCWCannualcounts,trainandmentorothers,andformthebasisofaregionalwaterbirdmonitoringnetwork.ParticipantswereprospectivenationalandsitecoordinatorsfortheCWC.TheyincludedexecutivedirectorsofNGOsinchargeofprotectedareas,ornithologists,andconservationbiologistsemployedtogovernmentsandNGOs,protectedareamanagersandvolunteers,allofwhomshareacommoninterestinlearningmonitoringmethodologiestomoreeffectivelyconserveandmanagemigrantandresidentwaterbirdsandtheirhabitats.ThesixfacilitatorsandpresentersincludedRichardHuber(OAS),JeffGerbracht(CornellLaboratoryofOrnithology,NY),KenKriese(USFWSWashington,DC),AinsleyHenry(NationalEnvironmentandPlanningAgency,JamaicaandRamsar),AnnHaynes‐Sutton(MonitoringCoordinator,SCSCB,Jamaica)andLisa

12TheCWCarosefromdiscussionsattheSCSCB’spreviousmonitoringtrainingworkshop“Long‐termBirdMonitoringintheCaribbean–Why,What,WhereandHow?”whichtookplaceinNassau,BahamasinFebruary2009.ItisapartofaregionalbirdmonitoringprogramcalledCaribbeanBirdwatch.Formoreinformation:http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/caribbeanbirdwatch13TheCaribbeanregionwilljoinWetlandInternational’sglobalprogramofwetlandbirdmonitoring,withdatafromtheCaribbeanfillingamajorgapinthecoverageoftheInternational/NeotropicalWaterbirdCensus.Itcanbeusedtopromotesiteconservation,assessimpactsofclimatechangeandotherthreats,anddesignprogramstoprotect,manageandrestorewetlands.


Sorenson(President,SCSCB,Boston).TheworkshopprovidedtraininginimplementingtheCWC,includinghowtodesignandimplementsurveys,levelsofmonitoringandCWCprotocols14,waterbirdidentification,counttrainingtoolsandhabitatmonitoring,fieldsessionstopracticesurveymethods,dataentryandanalysis,andpresentingresultstodecision‐makers.Participantswerealsoguidedinthedevelopmentofprojectsandpreparationofproposalstoimplementmonitoringontheirislands.SCSCBhasappliedforfundingforasmall‐grantprogramtosupporttheseapplicationsandifitissuccessfulwillbeabletodistributefundsforuptotenprojects.Theparticipantsexpressedahighlevelofsatisfactionwiththeworkshopandcommittedtosharetheirexperiences,trainothersintheirislands,andparticipateintheCWC.Tofacilitatethisprocessallthematerialsfromtheworkshop(includingpresentationsandaCWCTrainersManual)willbeplacedonaConserveOnlinewebsitewheretheywillbeavailablefordownload.SCSCBhopestoofferadditionaltrainingworkshopsandwelcomesparticipationbyallcountriesintheCWC.Theworkshopwasthemainoutputofaprojectcalled“IncreasingCapacityForCaribbeanWetlandsConservation:ATrainingWorkshopForMonitoring,EducationAndConservation”whichisbeingfundedbytheOrganizationofAmericanStatesthroughtheWesternHemisphereMigratorySpeciesInitiative(WHMSI).AdditionalfundingandsupportwereprovidedbytheRoyalSocietyfortheProtectionofBirds,USForestService,OpticsfortheTropics,CornellLaboratoryofOrnithology,USFishandWildlifeService,NegrilAreaEnvironmentalProtectionTrust,andothers.AnadditionaloutputfromtheprojectisaregionalcapacitybuildingstrategyforimplementationoftheCWC,thatincludesplansforlong‐termsustainabilitysuchasencouragingagenciestoinstitutionalizemonitoring,providingcontinuedskills‐buildingtrainingandsupportforourpartners,settinguparegionaldatarepository,assistingwithprocuringappropriateequipmentandfunding,andapplicationoftheprogramtootherregions.SCSCBisworkingwithourmonitoringcoalition,establishedtosupportthepreviousworkshopinNassau,BahamasinFebruary2009,toimplementthestrategy.

14TheCWCoffersahierarchicalandflexibleapproachtomonitoring(employinglevelsofmonitoring)thatenablestheusertochoosetheprotocolandextentofparticipationintheprogramthatisbestsuitedtotheirobjectives,availableresourcesandcapacity.ThebasicCWCprotocols(Level2–areasearchandpointcount)includemeasuresofdetectionprobability,whichareessentialforaccountingforbiasinmonitoring.


ParticipantsattheSCSCBCWCMonitoringTrainingWorkshop,February22‐25,2010,Negril,Jamaica

Participantslistenattentivelytothemorning’strainingpresentationsaboutmonitoring.


Firstday’sfieldtriptotheNegrilRoyalPalmReserve:JonathanSayao(TurksandCaicos),PredensaMoore(Bahamas)andRhodriquezEwing(TurksandCaicos)practicetheareasearchcountmethod.

AnnSuttonleadsadiscussionwithparticipantsabouthowtocountthebirdsatBigBridgeponds.


PracticepointcountatSpringPond–freshwaterwetlandloadedwithCommonMoorhens,alsoAmericanCoots,LesserYellowlegs,LeastGrebes,Pied‐billedGrebes,MaskedDucks(!),andmore.

GreatPedroPond:winterhometo762Blue‐wingedTealandmanyotherwaterbirds.

AngelaRamsey(Tobago)&AnthonyLevesque(Guadeloupe)countthemall.


FarewellDinneratCatcha’FallingStar:Workshoptriviaquiz,awardsandpresentationofcertificatestoallparticipants.MaxineHamilton(Jamaica)andLisaSorenson(Boston).

scscb whmsi-final-cwc-workshop-report-17-march-2010

Education

conservation final report

17march2010 preparedby

jamaica date