History of the International Shorebird Survey (ISS)

To know where conservation actions are needed, and whether conservation initiatives have been effective, shorebird scientists require a broad understanding of species populations and trends. In 1974, Manomet Inc. organized the volunteer-based International Shorebird Survey (ISS) to gather information on shorebirds and the wetlands they depend on. Through the work of dedicated volunteers that conduct field surveys during spring and fall migrations, this monitoring network is the only long-term data-set available on shorebirds. Volunteers have completed almost 80,000 census counts at 1,200 locations in 47 U.S. States. There are also some additional counts from Central and South America. The information gathered through the ISS has proven pivotal to shorebird conservation planning in the United States. The U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan draws heavily on this data set to determine regional and national priorities. ISS also has been extensively used to document major shorebird migration stop-over and staging areas throughout the Western Hemisphere in the identification of potential sites to be nominated for the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The primary goal of the ISS is to have an operational monitoring program that will be sustained for decades so that we can monitor the recovery of imperiled shorebird populations as well as results of conservation efforts in the Western Hemisphere.