Pacific Brant mid-winter ground survey in Mexico

Priorities 1 and 3. Central to the Secretary¿s conservation stewardship priority (#1) is the goal to increase access to hunting opportunities for all Americans. Implementation of the grant promotes this goal by fulfilling the highest priority data collection need identified in the Pacific Flyway Management Plan. The Mid-Winter Brant survey is the primary method used by Western State agencies to develop annual hunting regulations that maximize harvest opportunity and maintain sustainable wildlife populations. The number of Brant counted in northwestern Mexico during mid-winter directly governs the bag limits and season dates for hunters in the United States, as described in the Pacific Flyway Management Plan. By implementing the Mid-Winter Brant survey in northwestern Mexico, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service establishes trust with local communities (Priority #3) by instituting management practices developed at the local level throughout the Pacific Flyway states. The grant further promotes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service¿s commitment to collaboration with State Agency and international conservation partners.