NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/644631
46 NEBRASKAland • MARCH 2016 Migratory Bird Treaty Act Many bird populations in jeopardy before 1916 treaty. By Joel Jorgensen, Nongame Bird Program Manager, NGPC T he Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) is one of the most important environmental laws in our nation's history, yet it remains relatively obscure and most may not know it will be turning 100 years old in 2016. The MBTA prohibits the unpermitted killing, capture, possession, selling (and a few other things) of migratory birds in the U.S. Prior to its enactment, many bird populations were in jeopardy because of unregulated commercial harvest and trade. Much of the harvest was for food, but b irds were also slaughtered for the fashion industry as certain feathers were in demand and used to adorn women's hats in the early 20th Century. Just as the name indicates, the MBTA is a treaty, originally between the U.S. and Canada originally signed in August of 1916. Later conventions expanded the MBTA to include agreements with Mexico (1936), Japan (1972) and the Soviet Union (1976), now Russia. Even if you've not heard of the MBTA before, you've likely been affected by it. The MBTA provides the legal framework in which the federal government and states work together to provide hunting seasons and bag limits for migratory birds such as waterfowl, rails and mourning doves. The MBTA also protected populations of a number of birds, such as bald eagles and whooping cranes, from facing extinction. Even though some birds continue to experience declines due to habitat loss and other factors, the MBTA is a foundational law that has made bird conservation a priority in the United States for a century. ■ According to the MBTA, hunting seasons on migratory birds can only occur between Sep. 1-Mar. 10 for a maximum of 107 days. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with the Flyways, may establish frameworks inside of those dates and lengths, but not beyond. The MBTA determines that shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset, and also establishes means of take and possession limits. The MBTA also has provisions, including laws for legal shooting hours, for Conservation Orders or Seasons, which are not hunting seasons and can occur outside those dates (e.g., Light Goose Conservation Order). How Does This Effect Hunting? Whooping Cranes are protected by both the MBTA and Endangered Species Act. Hawks, like this Swainson's in Dawes County, and owls were originally not protected by the MBTA, but were added in 1972. In the early 1900s, many women's hats were adorned with bird feathers.