The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) recently celebrated a significant milestone at the 10th Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group meeting in Canada. During the Sunset Shorebird Social, attendees gathered to honor the anniversaries of the Bay of Fundy WHSRN site. This event underscored the importance of connectivity in shorebird conservation and highlighted decades of international collaboration.
The Bay of Fundy became a WHSRN site in 1987, playing a crucial role in shorebird conservation. The site’s ecological significance was further recognized when it was redesignated as a Landscape of Hemispheric Importance, incorporating the Cumberland Basin and Cobequid Bay in 2019. Today, the Bay of Fundy supports at least 70% of the eastern biogeographic population of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla), serving as a vital refueling stop before their 4,900 km nonstop migration to South America.
WHSG participants at the Sunset Social celebrating the WHSRN Sites anniversaries. Photos: Richard Johnston.
A Gathering at Johnson’s Mills
The celebration took place at Johnson’s Mills, a premier shorebird stopover in New Brunswick. Each summer, this site witnesses the awe-inspiring arrival of hundreds of thousands of shorebirds. Thanks to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), 215 hectares of habitat have been conserved to minimize disturbances to these migratory visitors.
One of the event’s highlights was the speech by George Finney, former WHSRN Council Chair and Canadian Wildlife Service representative. Finney reflected on the history of WHSRN, the early conservation efforts that led to its creation, and the enduring commitment to shorebird conservation. His words resonated with all present, reinforcing the shared responsibility and opportunity of conserving migratory shorebirds across the Western Hemisphere.
This celebration was a reflection on past achievements and a call to action—reaffirming the shorebird conservation community’s commitment to maintaining and expanding the network that protects these extraordinary travelers.
Left: George Finney former WHSRN Council Chair and Rob P. Clay, Director of WHSRN’s Executive Office. Photo: Brad Winn. WHSG participants at the Sunset Social celebrating the WHSRN Sites anniversaries. Photo: Richard Johnston. Right: Dedication ceremony, August 1987. Photo: George Finney
George Finney´s Words at Johnson’s Mill Interpretative Center, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada
Johnson’s Mills Aug 13, 2024
Thank you for the invitation back to my home territory and the invitation to re-visit the WHSRN program.
In Canada, two Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) initiatives stand out:
1.In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s:
Surveys of the Hudson’s and James Bay Coasts showed a highway of migrant shorebirds from the Canadian Arctic and sub-Arctic. Crews were from Canada, the US, Suriname, Venezuela, and Trinidad. Birds were leg banded and marked with yellow dye. When yellow shorebirds showed up in the Bay of Fundy, Suriname (as reported by Ari Spaans) and elsewhere they caused a sensation and confirmed the linkages between sites.
2. Early 1980’s:
Guy Morrison and Ken Ross’s aerial surveys around South America documenting shorebird concentration areas found that 50% of all small shorebirds were found in Suriname. In Canada, meanwhile, the Maritime Shorebird Survey was established (1974) and confirmed Shepody Bay and the Minas Basin as key sites. WHSRN was founded at an IAFWA meeting in 1984 and I became the Canadian Wildlife Service representative on the Council and Chair for several of those years. As Chair I participated in dedications from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska.
In Canada, Shepody Bay was declared a Reserve in 1987 and Minas Basin in 1988. These were the first WHSRN sites in Canada. Importantly, it was announced that plans were afoot to twin the sites with Suriname sites. A Cooperative agreement was contemplated and took effect in March 1987 when Suriname formally joined the network. I participated in the Suriname dedication as a CWS Representative but also as WHSRN Council Chair. A ceremony was hosted by the President of the Republic of Suriname and featured a school holiday. The ceremony included the announcement of a grant from Canada to create management plans for the three Suriname sites. It also included a boat ride to the shore to view the shorebirds at the Coppenamemonding Reserve. On the way, Guy Morrison and I were welcomed by the sight of Canadian and Suriname flags flying together in front of the new field quarters of the reserve. Within the reserve, we spotted several birds with white leg bands which had been applied by CWS at Johnson’s Mill… maybe by me.
In the year following the dedication, there were several important cooperative projects, including those undertaken by Peter Hicklin and others. Meanwhile, WHSRN grew quickly responding to a clear need and an important conservation opportunity. Clearly, the WHSRN spirit is still strong. It needs to be if shorebirds are to thrive. The WHSRN program was designed in recognition of the fact that the conservation of Western Hemisphere Shorebirds is a collective responsibility. Equally, it is an opportunity. Thank you for inviting me to revisit the program and I am very pleased to see the enthusiasm that remains to achieve a truly daunting conservation objective.
A glimpse of the shorebird clouds at Bay of Fundy. . Photo: Diego Luna Quevedo
Cover Photo: Semipalmated Sandpipers in flight at Johnsons Mills by Bill Pratt.
