Introduction - regional monitoring programs
This article is part of a larger document. View the larger document here.Abstract
There is increasing interest in the initiation of regional or statewide monitoring programs that are less extensive than national efforts such as the Breeding Bird Survey. A number of regional programs have been in existence for a decade or more, so the papers in this section represented an effort to bring together the collective experience of the people who had developed these programs, and to hear about the benefits and drawbacks of their particular designs. Speakers reviewed why they felt there was a need for a regional monitoring effort, examined the designs and response variables associated with their regional monitoring program, presented the short- and longer-term results from the program, discussed the logistic and scientific successes and failures of each program, and presented recommendations for those who might be interested in starting their own regional monitoring program. Below, we provide a brief overview of some important points that emerged from this session, and how these regional efforts might be included as integral parts of broader national monitoring efforts that seem to be emerging.