out much of the United States and to conserve mi-
gratory bird species; 
(9) the North American Waterfowl Manage-
ment Plan, adopted by the United States and Can-
ada in 1986, with Mexico joining as a signatory in 
1994, was the first truly landscape-level approach to 
conserving migratory game birds and the wetland 
habitats on which they depend, and became the 
foundation for the voluntary formation of Joint Ven-
tures; 
(10) since the adoption of the North American 
Waterfowl Management Plan, joint ventures have ex-
panded their application to all native birds and other 
wildlife species that depend on wetlands and associ-
ated upland habitats, resulting in significant con-
servation benefits over the last 20 years; 
(11) States possess broad trustee and manage-
ment authority over fish and wildlife resources with-
in their borders, and have utilized their authorities 
to undertake conservation programs to conserve resi-
dent and migratory birds and their habitats; 
(12) consistent with applicable Federal and 
State laws, the Federal Government and the States 
each have management responsibilities affecting fish 
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and wildlife resources, and should work cooperatively 
in fulfilling these responsibilities; 
(13) other domestic and international conserva-
tion projects authorized under the Neotropical Mi-
gratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6101 et 
seq.) and the North American Wetlands Conserva-
tion Act (16 U.S.C. 4401 et seq.), and additional 
bird conservation projects authorized under other 
Federal authorities, can expand and increase the ef-
fectiveness of the joint ventures in protecting and 
enhancing migratory bird habitats throughout the 
different ranges of species native to the United 
States; and 
(14) the voluntary partnerships fostered by 
these joint ventures have served as innovative models 
for cooperative and effective landscape conservation, 
with far-reaching benefits to other fish and wildlife 
populations, and similar joint ventures should be au-
thorized specifically to reinforce the importance and 
multiple benefits of these models to encourage 
adaptive resource management and the implementa-
tion of flexible conservation strategies in the 21st 
century. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to estab-
lish a program administered by the Director, in coordina-
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tion with other Federal agencies with management author-
ity over fish and wildlife resources and the States, to de-
velop, implement, and support innovative, voluntary, coop-
erative, and effective conservation strategies and conserva-
tion actions to— 
(1) promote, primarily, sustainable populations 
of migratory birds, and, secondarily, the fish and 
wildlife species associated with their habitats; 
(2) encourage stakeholder and government 
partnerships consistent with the goals of protecting, 
improving, and restoring habitat; 
(3) establish, implement, and improve science- 
based migratory bird conservation plans and pro-
mote and facilitate broader landscape-level conserva-
tion of fish and wildlife habitat; and 
(4) coordinate related conservation activities of 
the Service and other Federal agencies to maximize 
the efficient and effective use of funds appropriated 
or otherwise made available to support projects and 
activities to enhance bird populations and other pop-
ulations of fish and wildlife and their habitats. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CONSERVATION ACTION.—The term ‘‘con-
servation action’’ means activities that— 
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(A) support the protection, restoration, 
adaptive management, conservation, or en-
hancement of migratory bird populations, their 
terrestrial, wetland, marine, or other habitats, 
and other wildlife species supported by those 
habitats, including— 
(i) biological and geospatial planning; 
(ii) landscape and conservation de-
sign; 
(iii) habitat protection, enhancement, 
and restoration; 
(iv) monitoring and tracking; 
(v) applied research; and 
(vi) public outreach and education; 
(B) are conducted on lands or waters 
that— 
(i) are administered for the long-term 
conservation of such lands or waters and 
the migratory birds thereon, including the 
marine environment; or 
(ii) are not primarily held or managed 
for conservation but provide habitat value 
for migratory birds; and 
(C) incorporate adaptive management and 
science-based monitoring, where applicable, to 
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improve outcomes and ensure efficient and ef-
fective use of Federal funds. 
(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service. 
(3) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—The term ‘‘Im-
plementation Plan’’ means an Implementation Plan 
approved by the Director under section 5. 
(4) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 
(5) JOINT VENTURE.—The term ‘‘Joint Ven-
ture’’ means a self-directed, voluntary partnership, 
established and conducted in accordance with section 
5. 
(6) MANAGEMENT
BOARD.—The term ‘‘Man-
agement Board’’ means a Joint Venture Manage-
ment Board established in accordance with section 
5. 
(7) MIGRATORY BIRDS.—The term ‘‘migratory 
birds’’ means those species included in the list of mi-
gratory birds that appears in section 10.13 of title 
50, Code of Federal Regulations, under the author-
ity of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 
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