A Few of Our Firsts for Birds
Time has flown by since ABC's 1994 founding, and we've grown from a small organization with a handful of staff to a team of more than 150 working with partners in 15+ countries. Here's a hemispheric roundup highlighting a few of ABC's many bird conservation milestones from the last 30 years.
1. Washington, D.C.
Our first office in 1994 was in a space leased from the World Wildlife Fund on 24th Street NW. After moves to The Plains, Virginia, and a succession of D.C. offices, ABC now maintains offices in Marshall, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., while our staff are spread across 36 states and the District of Columbia.
2. San Clemente Island, California
ABC's first policy and advocacy win occurred in 1996, when, along with the Policy Council, we convinced the U.S. Navy to prevent the extinction of the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike by discontinuing practice bombing activities on the island.
3. Pampas region of Argentina
In 1996, ABC and other groups advocated for the removal of the bird-killing pesticide monocrotophos in the wintering range of the Swainson's Hawk, which was declining due to the chemical. The victory led to the creation of ABC's Birds and Pesticides program.
4. El Carricito, Mexico
ABC's first bird reserve was created in 1999, when along with partner group Bosque Antiguo, we supported the protection of more than 900 acres of habitat used by the Military Macaw, Eared Quetzal, Golden Eagle, Spotted Owl, and more than 80 Neotropical migrants. The site remains an Important Bird Area to this day.
5. Columbia River Basin
ABC scored our first lawsuit victory in 2002. Along with other conservation groups, we advocated for the protection of the world's largest Caspian Tern colony, located near the mouth of the Columbia River, between Washington and Oregon.
6. U.S. coastal waters
In 2006, ABC's Marine program notched an early win with the creation of a mandatory seabird bycatch reduction effort as part of the federal law that oversees fisheries management in U.S. waters.
7. Huembo Reserve, Peru
In 2006, ABC supported efforts of Peruvian partner ECOAN to establish a conservation easement with the Pomacochas community. The first easement of its kind in Peru, the agreement was a model for several more and protected vital habitat for the Near Threatened Marvelous Spatuletail.
8. Powdermill Avian Research Center, Pennsylvania
Our first glass-testing tunnel, created in partnership with the Powdermill Avian Research Center to advance development of bird-friendly glass, began operating in 2010. A second tunnel, at Foreman's Branch Bird Observatory in Maryland, opened in 2022; together, the sites have tested products from more than 70 glass companies from over a dozen countries.
9. Poconos BirdScape, Pennsylvania
In January 2017, ABC launched its BirdScapes approach, pursuing habitat conservation across large landscapes from 150,000 to 2.5 million acres in size. The idea for BirdScapes hatched in the Poconos of eastern Pennsylvania, which is now one of the 100 BirdScapes throughout the Americas.
10. Conservation Coast of Guatemala
The first investment of our BirdsPlus program took place in 2019 to support restoration of 60 acres of former pasture with native trees and plants, along with cardamom — a crop that grows well in the shade and provides farmers with income and incentive to conserve the land.
11. Zorzal Cacao, Dominican Republic
An ABC grant led to the 2021 certification of 16 cocoa farms in the Dominican Republic as the first Smithsonian Bird Friendly cocoa producers in the world. The farms are part of Zorzal Cacao, a farming collective and bird sanctuary.
12. Haleakalā, Maui
The Birds, Not Mosquitoes program's first deployment of lab-reared mosquitoes to combat avian malaria took place in November 2023. ABC is one of several organizations backing this innovative method to save Hawai‘i's imperiled honeycreepers.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Bird Conservation, the Member magazine of American Bird Conservancy. Learn more about the benefits of becoming an ABC Member and join today.
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