KIRTLANDS WARBLER ALLIANCE

Description

Help us create a new model for endangered/recovered species.

The Kirtland's Warbler Alliance was created in 2013 to help support conservation of the Kirtland's Warbler, the rarest songbird in North America. The Kirtland's Warbler was on the brink of extinction four decades ago. Today the bird's population is considered safe and secure. That does not mean our conservation efforts can stop. That's because the Kirtland's Warbler is what is known as a "conservation reliant" species. It will depend on humans to create new nesting habitat for it as far as we can see into the future. The warbler depended on fire to create new nesting habitat for it - young jack pine trees between five and 20 years old. Since we no longer allow fire to run across the landscape, we must continually harvest mature trees and plant young jack pines to create nesting habitat. This work also benefits several other species and helps keep the nearby AuSable River clean, cold and one of the best trout rivers in North America. We work closely with the Michigan DNR, the U.S. Forest Service and other government agencies and nonprofits to fulfill our mission.