Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2011, TWO SHOTS WERE HEARD AROUND THE WORLD. TWO WHIMBRELS, BEING TRACKED WITH SATELLITE TRANSMITTERS BY THE CENTER FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, WERE KILLED BY HUNTERS ON THE FRENCH ISLAND OF GUADELOUPE. The shootings—though tragic—were perfectly legal. While laws protecting shorebirds against unregulated hunting were enacted in the United States over 100 years ago, such protections are not uniform across the hemisphere. Shooting swamps are man-made wetlands that have become stopover sites to a diversity of shorebirds, but also provide recreational hunting opportuni- ties to several Caribbean islands and South American communities. For the residents of those communities, hunting shorebirds is an established seasonal pursuit. However, it undermines the efforts of hundreds of government agen- cies, nonprofits, and individuals working together to recover imperiled shorebird populations. Scenarios like this highlight the complexity of recovering shorebird popula- tions. Hunting is only one issue in a complex suite of challenges related to sus- taining shorebird populations across an entire hemisphere. Today, the combined forces of a changing climate, habitat fragmentation, and land use pressure are requiring conservationists to think about success in a new way. FLYING BUSINESS CLASS Restructuring Shorebird Conservation for Success By Liza LePage Photos by Brad Winn THE ATLANTIC FLYWAY A flyway approach coordinates research, conservation, and management efforts across political boundaries and consol- idates resources to undertake efficient conservation activities. Manomet Partnerships for Sustainability • Spring / Summer 2016 | 3