MAPS is a nationwide network of bird-banding stations, operated during spring and summer, to collect data on the productivity and survival rates of landbird populations. The operation of a MAPS banding station entails a total of only 6-10 days every year between May and August. MAPS data will be made available to the public through BirdSource, a new on-line information system on bird conservation, made possible through the combined efforts of Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This alliance is funded by the Department of Defense's Legacy Resource Management Program. This could be used to purchase banding equipment or reimburse volunteers for travel costs.
Birds face many threats on their breeding and wintering grounds and on their migratory stop-overs.