Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory, Inc.

Building out Wisconsin's network of Motus wildlife-tracking towers is the second of the Observatory's two Pillar Projects. We are working to expand the network with the goal of erecting multiple "fences" that have a high chance of intercepting tagged birds.

Of the towers in our network, those along coastal Lake Michigan have received the largest number of tag interceptions. This is because the lake acts as a barrier and funnels birds into coastal areas. It represents our best chance to collect data about the most birds and support migration research.

The Observatory wants to support as many Motus partner sites as possible. To do so, we are seeking new partnerships to find sustainable locations for Motus towers. We are also creating a matching fund that we will use to provide partial funding to suitable locations. In addition, we will continue to provide expertise and staff time to help with logistics.

A two-day conference held every year in November at which researchers, policy makers, landowners, academics, and conservationists from a wide assortment of subject areas present their work and learn about other excellent ecological work being done in southeastern Wisconsin.