Welcome to the American Ornithological Society 2018 Annual Conference. We are pleased to have you join us at the lovely Hilton El Conquistador Resort in Tucson, AZ.
Henslow's sparrow is a species of conservation concern that was once among the fastest declining songbirds in North America. Populations rebounded in the late 1980s and early 1990s following the establishment of large areas of grassland as a result of the United States' Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP is, however, an ephemeral habitat that exists under 10-year rental contracts. Therefore the long-term stability of the program, and therefore its habitat, is uncertain. As a result, long-term conservation of Henslow's sparrow may depend on areas capable of supporting the species in the absence of CRP. Recent analyses of data from several sets of monitoring programs indicate that the Chicago Metropolitan Area may be one area capable of supporting a large population in a post-CRP landscape. Monitoring data show that the Chicago regional population is increasing, with indications that it is increasing more than other parts of Illinois. Monitoring data also show the presence of several large population centers, and a relatively large concentration of persistent populations. The area also contains a large habitat base with more than 220,000 ha of protected land, and recent research has estimated that nearly three-fourths of the regional Henslow's sparrow population occurs on protected lands. These features combine to provide a large geographic area where the prospects for long-term conservation of the species appears bright.
