A mixed crew from CCB, CECARA, Buenos Aires Zoo and academics focused on the Chaco eagle share dinner in the home of a rancher in a remote province of Argentina. Recovery of this globally endangered species will require everyone working together. There are few things in the field more humbling than to be welcomed onto a property or into a home by a landowner who wants to work on conservation with you. Photo by Bryan Watts.
By: Bryan Watts 1/6/2023
Our nation stands as a house divided against itself. Somewhere along the way we have lost our sense of common purpose. We increasingly view the world as a zero-sum game where every event is defined by winners and losers and the only way to give to one neighbor is to take from another. But life is not a zero-sum game, and the pursuit of this world view leads only to the loss of decency and civil society. We need to refocus on goals that are more important than divisions. We need to work together to find our way back to mutual respect.
Within the conservation world, we are just people concerned about the future of species and wildness. Although we may not always agree on details, our passion for a shared purpose moves us forward. We stand together, eyes fixed on a common goal. Each success that brings us closer to that goal is not a victory for one but a celebration for all. Over time, community and commitment has become a destination unto itself.
The Center for Conservation Biology has worked with hundreds of partners on scores of initiatives over the decades. It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside so many who have brought such unique expertise and unwavering passion to the effort. Within this report, I highlight a few of the partners with whom we have shared glories, defeats and hopes. Together we have moved conservation forward. The brief 2022 CCB Annual Report is dedicated to our many conservation partners. We are honored to work alongside you and we applaud your work.
A Black-throated Green Warbler singing from a branch along Jericho Ditch Trail in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, VA. This bird was seen in late March, prior to the arrival of the nominate subspecies. Photo by Kathy Louthan courtesy of eBird and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Every day is an adventure with a brood of osprey. The tireless foraging of the male, the care of the female and the growing confidence of the brood. Each season is different and each pair has its own personality. Photo by Bryan Watts.
Osprey with Atlantic menhaden flying over Mobjack Bay. Menhaden seems to be a keystone prey species for the osprey population within the lower Chesapeake Bay. Photo by Bryan Watts.