Who We Are

Conserving Habitat Through Partnerships

Mission Statement

The mission of the Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV) is to conserve avian habitat through partnernships.

What Are Joint Ventures?

Habitat joint ventures are self-directed partnerships that have formally accepted responsibility for implementing national or international bird conservation plans within a specific geographic area. On a regional scale joint ventures conduct: biological planning and conservation design; project development and implementation; monitoring, evaluation, and applied research activities; communications and outreach; and fundraising.

The framers of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) devised the JV concept in the late 1980s for two simple reasons that remain valid today:

To develop the foundation of scientific data necessary to determine the amount and location of habitat needed to support waterfowl population at continental goal levels.
To foster public-private partnerships for focused habitat protection, restoration, enhancement, and management.

The IWJV

The Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV) is a diverse partnership of 18 entities, including federal agencies, state agencies, non-profit conservation organizations, and for-profit organizations representing agriculture and industry. The IWJV was founded in 1994 to facilitate bird conservation across the vast 495 million acres of the Intermountain West. The IWJV is an all-bird JV committed to implementing the NAWMP, U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, North American Waterbird Conservation Plan, and Partners in Flight Landbird Conservation Plan. The IWJV Implementation Plan Update, scheduled for 2010, will provide regionally prioritized goals, objectives, and tactics for implementing these international bird conservation plans.

The IWJV is a self-directed partnership governed by a Management Board. We receive funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, corporate donations, and various federal and private grants. We maintain a professional staff committed to assisting our partners with strategic bird conservation delivery and also provide support funding for the highest priority work of our partners through grants and cost-share arrangements.