Bird-A-Thon Conservation Successes

Matthew Sarver | February 27, 2018 | No Comments

Delaware Bird-A-Thon has raised over $400,000 in 11 years. We have leveraged these funds through partnerships to help acquire  and protect 1,279 acres of key Delaware bayshore habitat.

Forging Partnerships

• Key partner in land acquisition and prioritization for the State’s Delaware Bayshore Initiative.
• Created the DOS Migratory Shorebird Habitat Conservation Fund with the help of The Conservation Fund.
• Supported $840,500 Route 9 Coastal Heritage Scenic Byway Grant project that will enhance viewing and access to Thousand Acre Marsh,Ted Harvey WMA, and other state-managed sites.

Bird-A-Thon Funds Leveraged to Preserve:

• 27 acres of bayshore habitat at Fowler Beach added to Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in partnership with The Conservation Fund. This beach area in Unit 1 of the Refuge is now part of the major restoration project completed in 2016
• 52 acres of high marsh at Mispillion Harbor, with State plans for restoration to provide Red Knot roosting areas
• 194 acres of coastal freshwater marsh at Thousand Acre Marsh near Delaware City, creating the first public access to the marsh, and establishing the Augustine Wildlife Area Ashton Tract
• 748 acres of saltmarsh and upland habitat along the St. Jones River near Bowers Beach, now the Morris Tract of Ted Harvey Wildlife Area
• 117 acres of marsh and sandy beach at Little Creek Wildlife Area near Pickering Beach
• 141 acres added to create the eastern half of the  Augustine Wildlife Area Ashton Tract

Supporting Research

• 4 Snowy Owl Transmitters were funded for Project Snowstorm, 2 in 2013 (Henlopen and Hungerford), 2 in 2017 (Sinepuxent, and mystery owl)
• 15  Semipalmated Sandpiper nanotags deployed on Delaware Bay birds by David Mizrahi and colleagues at New Jersey Audubon.
• 2 DOS Hawk Watches, the Ashland Hawk Watch and the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch, were originally funded in part by the Bird-A-Thon

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