Working Together

Banded male osprey fishing on the upper James River. This bird was banded by CCB in 2012 as a nestling and is now nesting on the same nests where it was hatched. Photo by Bryan Watts.

CCB Newsletter Photo Gallery

October 6, 2022

The song sparrow is one of the most polytypic bird species in North America

Atlantic song sparrow declines

January 10, 2023

Published by Center for Conservation Biology at January 9, 2023

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Annual Report

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.

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.

Briscoe White with bald eagle trapped on his property along the James River by CCB. Like many private landowners Briscoe manages his land with wildlife in mind. Private landowners have always been critical to conservation. Hundreds of private landowners have worked with the Center to better understand their land and the species that depend on it. Photo by Carla Coleman.

WhimbrelWatch crew counting whimbrels as they leave the Eastern Shore for Arctic breeding grounds. The Nature Conservancy and CCB have conducted the spring WhimbrelWatch since 2008. These surveys have helped us to better understand the seasonality of stopover and haves provided great outreach to educate the public about the importance of the area for staging whimbrel. Photo by Bryan Watts.

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.

Chris Lowie refuge manager of Great Dismal Swamp NWR and Will McDearman national recovery coordinator for red-cockaed woodpeckers — Chris Lowie (l) refuge manager of Great Dismal Swamp NWR and Will McDearman (r ) national recovery coordinator for red-cockaed woodpeckers watch as a woodpecker is placed into an artificial cavity. A significant effort is required to translocate woodpeckers to establish a new population. A community of groups including The Center, USFWS, VDWR, TNC and others have come together to make the dream a reality. Photo by Bryan Watts.

Mixed CCB and VDWR crew returns to boat on Chincoteague Bay after surveying mixed heron colony for the periodic colonial waterbird survey. CCB and VDWR biologists have worked together for nearly 50 years to monitor species of conservation concern throughout Virginia. Photo by Bryan Watts.

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.