Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) is a breeding landbird monitoring program that spans the Great Plains to the Great Basin. A nested, probabilistic sampling design allows us to make inference about bird populations at multiple scales across public and private lands. Click here for more information about the program including the IMBCR vision and mission statement.

The 2021 IMBCR field season was a success! Survey completion was approximately 99%, which is similar to previous years. We also had an increased field effort this year (100-120 additional surveys) for new overlay projects, such as the NFWF Rocky Mountain Rangelands effectiveness monitoring study for pinyon-juniper and cheatgrass removal. Challenges this year included hiring difficulties and forest closures or access issues with wildfires. Field crews are wrapping up data entry and starting the data proofing process. THANK YOU to the crew leaders, field technicians, and implementation partners for completing a successful field season!

Matthew has been involved with the IMBCR program since 2010 when he was hired by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies as a seasonal point count technician. As IMBCR Lead Coordinator, Matthew now oversees IMBCR field work conducted by Bird Conservancy and coordinates with implementation partners to complete field work throughout the Western U.S. He also coordinates IMBCR data proofing and deliverable completion.

Matthew works with the larger IMBCR partnership to design and implement new projects and get funding agreements in place. He helps to maintain the IMBCR database and ensures it is up-to-date and accurate. He works with Bird Conservancy staff to implement the density and occupancy analyses for all IMBCR strata every year and to complete the annual IMBCR report. Matthew also participates on the quarterly conference calls with partners and provides program updates at the annual partners meeting.

For anyone looking to implement an overlay project, update an agreement, or learn about IMBCR, Matthew is a friendly source of help. Field techs, partners, and Bird Conservancy staff appreciate Matthew's positive attitude and big smile.

In a recent publication, David Pavlacky and coauthors evaluated the effectiveness of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative (LPCI) prescribed grazing for grassland birds using IMBCR data. They found that these local practices scaled up to meet regional population recovery goals for grassland birds of conservation concern by addressing habitat loss and degradation. These two practices conserved breeding habitat for 4.5 million birds, including declining species like grasshopper and Cassin’s sparrows and lark bunting. Specifically, native CRP plantings increased densities of grassland obligates, such as grasshopper sparrow, while introduced CRP plantings benefitted gamebirds, like scaled quail. LPCI grazing practices increased densities of several species that require dense, tall grass structure including northern bobwhite and Cassin's sparrow. Access the full article here or read the LPCI press release for the study here.

In another publication, Kathy Zeller and coauthors used eBird data to develop species distribution models for two sagebrush and three pinyon-juniper-associated species of concern in the Great Basin, and evaluated the predictive performance of the models with IMBCR data. They then simulated conifer removal across the Great Basin and mapped habitat gains and losses for the study species, and identified areas where conifer removal expanded habitat for sagebrush species without concurrent habitat loss for pinyon-juniper species. Read the abstract here or email Nick Van Lanen for the full article.

Visit this website for IMBCR-related resources, such as publications, annual reports, one-pagers, and a link to trend estimates by state.

We are soliciting feedback on an IMBCR communications strategy to help convey the value of the program and connect potential users to the available estimates.

Click this link to view the IMBCR comms strategy and provide comments or feedback. You can also email Nicole Reese with specific comments or questions (Nicole@crowd-conservation.org). We plan to finalize this strategy at the 2022 IMBCR Partners meeting.

Do you have an upcoming meeting for biologists within your office or agency? Let Jen know if you'd like a training for how to access, interpret, and apply IMBCR population estimates from the Rocky Mountain Avian Data Center. Trainings work best for a particular audience, so the examples are specific and relevant.

Contact Jen Timmer (jennifer.timmer@birdconservancy.org) with questions, example applications of IMBCR data, pictures, or any other contributing material for future IMBCR e-newsletters.