Nonprofits - The Generosity of the People
Spurred on by their passion for the species, the general public has also created a number of nonprofit organizations in defense of our secretive sparrow’s livelihood. The following organizations are working to protect Florida Grasshopper Sparrows, either directly or indirectly:
The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Working Group is made up of sparrow-inhabited-property owners, researchers, federal and state wildlife agencies, and the Audubon. Their short term goal is to manage the sparrows’ habitat, with their long term goal being researching and understanding present-day threats to the sparrows’ well being and stopping or mitigating them (“Florida Grasshopper Sparrow,” 2015).
More on them (under "The Future").
BioOne is a nonprofit publisher working to make scientific research more accessible. While not directly connected to the sparrow conservation efforts, they have published many scientific reports on everything from the abundance trends to the viability of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. This has no doubt aided non-government researchers and activists, who without BioOne would have significantly less access to the sparrow related scientific information they need.
In Osceola County, Florida, a few scientists from the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation came up with a plan to take a pair of sparrow chicks, after their mother had died and father was unable to raise them, and put them in captive breeding. This is the first time an attempt has been made to breed this species, but the scientists are hopeful. The birds have doubled their weight in just a few days and are so far healthy. The scientists expect to take in no more than ten birds this year, with just as many the following year. They have confidence that the chicks, while small now, will thrive in the captive breeding, and eventually be able to go back to their true homes, the prairie. (Spear, 2015) If the scientists are successful, they will have accomplished something that no one has ever done before with the sparrow. They will hopefully be able to revive this dying population, before it’s too late.
Read what else we think should be done here.
The Sparrow's Saviors
The Endangered Species Act
Passed in 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
is a law implemented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). It was made to protect endangered and threatened species from human-caused extinction by identifying them, making trade of such species illegal, and granting the FWS and NMFS the legal power they need to take action in defense of endangered species. The ESA has granted the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow protection under federal law and empowered the FWS to develop sanctuaries and a recovery plan for it.
For more information on the Endangered Species Act, click here.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Fish and Wildlife Service was founded in 1871 as a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which has been working to protect the great outdoors for over 150 years (“About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” 2015). As one of the major enforcers of the Endangered Species Act along with its marine counterpart, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the FWS serves as the brawn of U.S. species conservancy while the ESA acts as the brain.
The FWS is responsible for developing the sparrow’s recovery plan and securing $1,160,000 to help with preservation efforts (Williams, 2013). This money has gone to help further sparrow research and find better ways to help support its rapidly decreasing population (and the native prairie it lives in), such as funding the creation of a 150,000 acre prairie preserve called the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is one of the last homes the sparrow has left.
For more information on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, click here.
The FWS has also developed a comprehensive recovery plan for the sparrow in an attempt to preserve it for reasons discussed in “Why Save It?” You can read more about the recovery plan below.
For more on this park and the people who make it possible, click here.
In 1986, the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow was federally listed as endangered (Pranty, 2006). As soon as news of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrows’ imminent extinction got out, biologists, environmentalists, and other activists immediately started researching, planning, fundraising, and preserving to protect our plumed companion from certain doom. Though the sparrows’ numbers continue to decline, it is thanks to the following that they aren’t yet extinct, plowed and paved over to make way for more of the world’s most successful invasive species (us).
A Hopeful Recovery Plan
Most recently revised in 1999, the sparrow’s recovery plan covers all aspects of what further steps need to be taken to ensure the sparrow’s survival and recovery. Its objective is to reclassify the sparrow to “threatened” rather than “endangered,” which would entail the establishment of 10 populations with 50-100 breeding pairs each (“Florida Grasshopper Sparrow”).
The plan calls for...
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more extensive research regarding all aspects of the sparrow’s life, from breeding habits to diet, as not much is currently known about their biology,
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continued population monitoring,
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increased habitat preservation/restoration,
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and much more ("Florida Grasshopper Sparrow").
To read the whole recovery plan, click here and scroll down until you
reach it.
The NMBCA - Funding Salvation
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act was passed in 2000 and provides grants for the conservation of Neotropical bird species, 75% of which go outside of the United States, making it an international act. 25-30% of these funds go to “particularly threatened” bird species, such as the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, which is federally listed as an endangered species. The act takes pride in fostering foreign bird populations and foreign relations. Since 2002, the NMBCA has
provided over 50 million dollars in grants.
Read more about the act here.
Kissimmee Prairie - A Sparrow's Haven
One of the largest habitats the sparrow has left is the Kissimmee Prairie State Park Reserve. This park relies on its generous volunteers, and the preservation of the sparrows would not be possible without them.
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