2-Att B Partner Conservation Ecologist. SOW.pdf

Scope of Work for Contract #XXXXX Attachment : B

1. Introduction The Partner Conservation Ecologist is a collaborative role co-hosted by Tracy Aviary and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) to bridge non-profit conservation action with state wildlife management priorities. Designed to advance habitat restoration, bird monitoring, and biodiversity research across Utah's unique ecosystems, this position leverages Tracy Aviary's community science and ecological expertise alongside UDWR's regional management authority. By leading targeted field monitoring, analyzing ecological data, and working alongside agency staff, conservation partners, and local communities, the Partner Conservation Ecologist will drive evidence-based strategies that protect priority bird species and their critical habitats throughout the state.

This Scope of Work will be issued under Partner Conservation Ecologist, contract #XXXXX.

1.1 Background

Migratory bird species in Utah face mounting habitat and environmental pressures, yet significant data gaps remain, impacting effective statewide conservation. The North American Breeding Bird Survey

(BBS) is the nation's largest and longest running citizen science project. Since it began in 1966, BBS has provided important information on avian population trends across the continent; it is also instrumental for statewide bird conservation and management in Utah. More specific data gaps remain regarding their migratory pathways, stopover duration, and seasonal connectivity. The Utah Motus

Initiative addresses these challenges by leveraging the Motus Wildlife Tracking System-an international collaborative network of automated radio telemetry stations.

This project expands Utah's automated telemetry (Motus) infrastructure while generating critical demographic and spatial data for Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and Species of

Greatest Information Need (SGIN) as identified in Utah's State Wildlife Action Plan (SW AP). The initiative comprises three primary focus areas:

1. Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Coordination: Host a dedicated Utah Breeding Bird Survey Coordinator to revitalize volunteer recruitment, assess route and habitat coverage gaps, improve statewide data quality, and increase route completion rates.

2. Infrastructure Maintenance & Expansion: Servicing existing towers and building new Motus stations in priority conservation corridors.

3. Targeted Capture, Banding, and Tagging: Capturing focal SGCN/SGIN species to fit them with USGS metal bands and digitally encoded Motus nanotags.

4. Capacity Building & Training: Conducting hands-on workshops in bird capture techniques, handling, leg-loop harness fitting, and transmitter deployment.

The western interior of North America has historically lagged behind Eastern regions in Motus network coverage, limiting the ability to track small-bodied migratory species over long distances. However, due to initiatives from the Western Working Group Partners In Flight, the Pacific Flyway, and the Utah Motus Initiative the Motus infrastructure in Utah and the west has dramatically expanded. Traditional OPS tracking devices remain too heavy or cost-prohibitive for small passerines, shorebirds, and secretive marsh birds. Automated radio telemetry utilizing miniaturized digital transmitters (Motus tags) solves this barrier. Continued support, maintenance and expansion of the network is critical to implementation of Utah's State Wildlife Action Plan.

Utah sits at a critical junction within the Pacific and Central Flyways, supporting essential stopover sites such as the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and surrounding riparian corridors. Maintaining fully operational receiver stations and tagging priority species gives wildlife managers actionable data on survival rates,