Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture

05/14/2026

West Virginians! Go meet our Private Lands Wildlife Forester and learn more about resources and support available for landowners at the Guyan Conservation District Open House tomorrow, May 15th, from 4-7pm!

Next up, we have Chad Ingram with Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture and Natural Resources Conservation Service!

Come see him at the Guyan Conservation District Open House on May 15th from 4–7 PM.

05/14/2026

In celebration of 40 years of Migratory Bird Joint Ventures, the Association of Joint Venture Management Boards recognized eleven organizations and individuals with the Conservation Champion Awards during a D.C.-based reception. These awards had 8 categories, recognizing a broad suite of Joint Venture partners who have shown a commitment to our important conservation work.

The Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV) nominated Kevin Gregory, a West Virginia landowner and small business owner, to receive the Conservation Professional award. Kevin has been a partner to the AMJV for several years now. Every year he joins the AMJV in D.C. to meet with members of Congress and agency leadership to promote the work of the AMJV, the importance of Farm Bill Programs, and their nexus with advancing sustainable forest management for private landowners. He's not only an exemplary landowner, improving forest health and wildlife habitat on his own property, he also helps other family forest owners do the same through his company, Eagle Land Transformations.

Needless to say, the AMJV staff were thrilled to learn Kevin had been selected as a recipient of the Conservation Professional Award. But — days before Kevin would have received his award in D.C. — West Virginia was hit with a snowstorm that left him unable to join us for the big event! Our Coordinator, Todd Fearer, accepted the award on Kevin's behalf and the AMJV staff immediately began planning for how we could recognize the incredible conservation work Kevin has done - this time closer to home.

7 weeks after the D.C. reception, the AMJV Management Board gathered at Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia for our annual meeting. We opened our meeting with an award ceremony to finally present Kevin with his well-deserved and long-awaited Conservation Champion Award. Todd joined virtually to share why we had nominated Kevin, and our Director of Conservation Partnerships, Amanda Duren, presented him with the award. Our Board members had an opportunity to hear about Kevin's passion for keeping forests and wildlife populations healthy and ask questions.

A heartfelt thanks to Kevin for taking the time to join us in Blackwater Falls to receive this award, and for all the incredible work he does for forests and wildlife in West Virginia!

05/12/2026

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) was signed in 1986 to address the decline of waterfowl. To help with these recovery efforts, the plan called for the creation of the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures —making this year, 2026, the anniversary of both NAWMP and the Joint Ventures!

Watch the video below to learn more about NAWMP:

North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) 40th Anniversary

04/30/2026

04/22/2026

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures! To celebrate this milestone, the Association of Joint Venture Management Boards, American Bird Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, and National Audubon Society hosted a reception in Washington, D.C. to recognize the people and organizations whose shared commitment has helped protect habitat and support migratory birds across North America.

We're proud to honor this important anniversary and the progress made through 40 years of collaborative partnerships!

Follow the link below to read more:

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the North American Migratory Bird Joint Ventures. Since the North American Waterfowl Management Plan called for their creation in 1986, the Joint Ventures have become widely accepted as the model for cooperative conservation.  On February 25, 2026, the Associ...

03/16/2026

Applications Are Open: Together for Birds Seed Grants!

American Bird Conservancy’s Together for Birds program is now accepting applications and nominations for Seed Grants — small awards (usually $1,000) designed to support bold, ethical, and imaginative projects that care for birds and people.
🪺 In 2026, we’re inspired by the way birds build their nests — patiently, creatively, and by weaving together what they find in the world around them. This year’s grants align with this theme and support work across ten interconnected strands — from wellbeing and wonder, to Indigenous lifeways, q***r ecologies, ecological grief, migration stories, neurodiversity, and the arts.

We’re looking for research, stories, collaborations, curricula, and creative projects that can grow into more inclusive and expansive approaches to bird conservation. Past projects have included community quilting, art and storytelling around extinction and hope, and explorations of birds through culture, identity, and place.
🔹 Applications are open to anyone 18+
🔹 Rolling review through September 30, 2026
🔹 Multiple award rounds announced throughout the year

Whether you’re ready to apply or know someone whose work should be supported, we invite you to help us weave something meaningful together!
https://bit.ly/4bU4yUd

Featured Artwork: A Critically Endangered 'Akikiki perched on a lei. Painting by 2024 Resident Artist Jon Ching.

03/13/2026

We had a great visit to D.C. with our partners from Audubon Mid-Atlantic, Central Hardwoods Joint Venture, and an inspiring Pennsylvania landowner! Read their post to learn more!

Audubon Mid-Atlantic staff and partners had a great time in DC meeting with staff from Congressman GT Thompson’s office and the House Agriculture Committee to discuss the importance of forest conservation in Pennsylvania and strong conservation funding in the Farm Bill.

Across Pennsylvania, healthy forests are vital for birds, clean water, and our state’s forestry industry. We appreciate the conversation and the commitment to keeping PA’s forests a priority.

In this photo:
Steve Zuk, Pennsylvania Private forest landowner
Josh Rittenhouse, Audubon Mid-Atlantic Forest Program Manager
Kyle Brazil, Central Hardwoods Joint Venture Coordinator
John Busovsky, Professional Staff for the House Agriculture Committee
N. Scott Parkhill, Audubon Mid-Atlantic Senior Forest Program Manager
Amanda Duren, Director of Conservation Partnerships, Appalachian Mountain Joint Venture

National Audubon Society Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture

03/12/2026

This year, we are celebrating 40 years of Migratory Bird Joint Ventures. Since the North American Waterfowl Management Plan called for their creation in 1986, Joint Ventures have helped to conserve 33 million acres of habitat across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

There are twenty-two Habitat Joint Ventures and three Species Joint Ventures. All are working to bring partners together for conservation because we can achieve more together than we can alone.

Learn a bit more about JVs in this short video.

Migratory Bird Joint Ventures are cooperative, regional partnerships that work to conserve habitat for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. We a...

12/18/2025

Amazing news for bird conservation! A new study shows how everyday birdwatchers are helping save declining bird species by sharing what they see.

Migratory Bird Joint Ventures across North America have been using data from eBird at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (where birdwatchers log their sightings) to develop management plans.

Joint Ventures are using eBird data to select priority species, manage habitat for waterfowl, identify important bird areas, and monitor populations at regional scales.

“eBird data products can start informing how and where we are prioritizing research and monitoring efforts on a local and regional scale, which is unprecedented in a huge, largely rural geography like the Appalachian Mountains,” said Ashley Peele, science integration coordinator at Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture and co-author of the study.

Be sure to share your bird sightings with eBird and contribute to crucial conservation efforts!

Read more here:

New study demonstrates how eBird data support targeted conservation efforts across North America.

10/24/2025

Come work with us ‼️

We are currently hiring a Wildlife Monitoring Biologist. This two-year position will be based out of our main office in Blacksburg, is full time (including benefits), and will require substantial seasonal travel for field work. The biologist will be part of a multi-disciplinary team of biologists and foresters working across the central Appalachian region to better understand the response of birds (and other taxa) to a range of forest management practices and easement programs.

Learn more or apply at: tinyurl.com/AMJVJobs