Joint Venture Structure

Board and Committees—Management Board

The ACJV Management Board is comprised of representatives from the organizations that form the joint venture partnership. Their purpose is to provide overall leadership, guidance, resources and support to the joint venture partnership for the planning and delivery of bird habitat conservation in the joint venture area. Each member is responsible for ensuring that their member organization contributes to the overall goals of the ACJV.

Game Bird Technical Committee

The ACJV Game Bird Technical Committee comprises staff members of joint venture member agencies and organizations appointed by their respective management board members and representatives of migratory game bird initiatives relevant to the ACJV area. ACJV staff serve as ex-officio members of this committee. The purpose of the ACJV Game Bird Technical Committee is to provide input, guidance and assistance on waterfowl and other game bird conservation in the joint venture based on the best available information to the management board and staff. This committee is responsible for the technical aspects of the planning and delivery of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and other game bird plans in the joint venture area.  Although the technical committee is focused primarily on waterfowl and other game bird science and delivery of conservation to benefit game birds, it is also aware of the efforts of the other bird conservation initiatives in order to make better informed decisions in delivering bird habitat conservation actions. The game bird technical committee will coordinate activities with the ACJV Nongame Bird Technical Committee, the Black Duck Joint Venture Technical Committee, and the Atlantic Flyway Migratory Game Bird Technical Section.  This committee shall appoint standing and ad hoc subcommittees as needed to accomplish its objectives. 

Nongame Bird Technical Committee

The ACJV Nongame Bird Technical Committee comprises staff members of joint venture member agencies and organizations appointed by their respective management board members and other representatives of the major continental, national and regional bird conservation initiatives in the joint venture area as appropriate.  ACJV staff serve as ex-officio members of this committee. The Nongame Technical Committee recognizes and builds upon the existing infrastructure and responsibilities of continental and national bird initiatives including Partners in Flight, U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan and Waterbird Conservation for the Americas.  The purpose of the Nongame Bird Technical Committee is to provide guidance on integrating biological planning, conservation design, conservation delivery and evaluation among the major nongame bird conservation initiatives operating within the joint venture area and to compile and provide priority actions for consideration by the ACJV member agencies and organizations.  The game bird technical committee will coordinate activities with the ACJV Game Bird Technical Committee and the Atlantic Flyway Migratory Nongame Bird Technical Section.  This committee shall appoint standing and ad hoc subcommittees as needed to accomplish its objectives. 

Waterfowl Technical Committee

The purpose of the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture Waterfowl Technical Committee (WTC) is to provide input and guidance to the management board and staff on waterfowl conservation in the joint venture based on the best information available. The WTC has the primary responsibility for translating the objectives of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan to the ACJV area and implementing projects to achieve those objectives.

Joint Venture Staff

The ACJV staff are employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and coordinate the day to day activities of the joint venture partnership related to the biological foundation, conservation coordination and delivery and communication and outreach. The ACJV Coordinator has overall responsibility for achieving the goals of the joint venture, hiring and supervising joint venture staff, managing the budget, maintaining contacts with the joint venture management board and technical committees, seeking additional funding, and ensuring compliance with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policies. The Assistant Joint Venture and/or BCR coordinators are responsible for compiling the results of biological planning, maintaining partnerships, and coordinating the delivery of habitat conservation within specific regions of the joint venture (See map for these regions). The ACJV Science Coordinator has overall responsibility for the biological foundation of the joint venture including biological planning, conservation design, research, evaluation and information management. The ACJV GIS Analyst is responsible for developing and maintaining a GIS database for the ACJV. (This position is filled initially through an intra-agency agreement with USGS). The ACJV Communications/Outreach Coordinator coordinates all aspects of outreach and communications for the joint venture including accomplishment tracking and reporting, Web site development and maintenance, congressional outreach planning and developing specific outreach products for specific audiences, including Congress.

Contact the ACJV staff members.

BCR Steering Committees

Click here to see the eight BCR regions in the ACJV.

There are eight Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) partially or wholly within the joint venture boundary. In each of these BCRs, the ACJV is or will be leading, supporting or facilitating integrated bird conservation planning by hosting workshops, writing conservation plans, developing GIS and other conservation tools and facilitating project development. In each of the BCRs where there are active planning efforts underway, a steering committee made up of a representative from each of the states in the BCR and other key partners is guiding this effort. These BCR steering committees provide guidance on developing and implementing bird conservation plans for the BCR.

State Working Groups

In some states within the ACJV, there are working groups of partners that have come together to plan and implement projects based on priorities in the bird conservation plans at the state level or the portion of a state within a BCR. These working groups can effectively step down regional goals to the state level and prioritize conservation actions within their states. Several states have recently formed bird conservation working groups to help compile information for the bird portion of the state Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy in their state. The joint venture supports and facilitates the formation of working groups in each state or commonwealth.

Focus Area Working Groups

In some ACJV focus areas or regions, there are working groups of partners that have come together to achieve the goals for that focus area or focus region. Examples include the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership in New Hampshire, South Carolina Coastal Task Forces, St. Lawrence Valley Working Group in New York, Delaware Bay Partnership (New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware) and Chesapeake Bay Waterfowl Working Group (Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia). These partnerships can be particularly effective at pooling funds, resources and match to apply for grants. The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture supports the formation of these local partnerships and may be able to provide seed funds to assist in their development or coordination.