Launch of 2015 Council Annual Report Webpage!

Executive Order 13186: Responsibilities of Federal Agencies to Protect Migratory Birds (Order) states that the Council for the Conservation of Migratory Birds must develop an annual report of accomplishments and recommendations related to the Order. To date, the Council has produced reports for 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. But the new 2015 report has a whole new look!Before 2015, the annual reports consisted of detailed analyses of Council activities each calendar year, including individual agency accomplishments, overarching Council goals and achievements, and results from a survey designed to track agency progress related to key activities identified in the Order. The annual reports were developed with a complex approval and production process that culminated in a highly illustrated paper report accessible on the Council’s existing website.

The 2015 annual report, however, has a new format. It includes the same components as in previous years, with the exception of the interagency survey (read more below). Additionally, the annual report will now be separated into two components: (1) a website illustrating individual Council member agency accomplishments and recommendations; and (2) a paper report outlining annual Council goals and achievements. The paper report will consist of a summary, and will be more concise than previous paper annual reports.

The reasons for this change largely had to do with lengthy production times necessary to produce a report that is reviewed by over 20 federal agencies. The previous annual report production process typically lasted 2-3 years from beginning to completion. The change came about at the annual Council meeting in May of 2016, when the Council members voted on a new production process aimed to reduce the time needed to produce, review, and approve the report.

The Council also approved the removal of the interagency survey. The annual survey required several months of preparation for review and approval within Council agencies, and several months of staff time for analysis prior to incorporation into the report. In addition, the survey was not widely administered across agencies due to security constraints and historical low participation. The survey also required financial obligations for the use of an on-line platform for survey distribution. After a few years of less than successful implementation, the Council decided the survey did not yield the benefits necessary to justify the financial sustainment or the amount of staff time needed to continue the use of it.

The summary portion of the 2015 annual report entered the official approval process of all Council agencies in November of 2016. We anticipate the 2015 summary report to be available in mid-2017.

The website components of the 2015 annual report, however, are already available on the annual report website! This new website illustrates agency accomplishments in 2015 for each of the overarching categories specified in Executive Order 13186, including: (1) conservation actions; (2) partnerships, (3) policy and planning, (4) international conservation, (5) training; and (6) how an agency implemented the Council theme.

We are so proud to announce this new website and report production process. It will allow the Council to share all the recommendations and accomplishments from the agencies much sooner than in previous years! Please check out the new page, and share widely!