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When you give, you connect people, science, and landscapes across thousands of miles, making safe passage possible for birds and the future of conservation.

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After wintering in the mudflats outside Lima, Peru, a Western Sandpiper lifts into the air, in search of food as it begins the long journey north to breeding grounds in Alaska.

The sandpiper’s safe passage depends on you.

As you read this, vital conservation science and action are under pressure. Federal funding is uncertain, habitats face mounting threats, and decades of progress could be lost. Just as migratory shorebirds rely on safe places to rest and refuel on their long journeys along the Pacific Flyway, your support provides the energy needed to spark conservation action to save animals and the places they call home.

Having journeyed for weeks with stops in places such as salt ponds in Sipacate, Guatemala and the Laguna La Cruz wetlands in Sonora, Mexico—where local partners monitor the sandpiper’s passage—the bird touches down north of San Francisco at the Bahia Wetlands of San Pablo Bay.

Here, students and volunteers have planted native grasses, restoring the tidal marsh to support shorebirds like the Western Sandpiper, along with other species such as endangered Ridgway’s rails and salt marsh harvest mice, and the invertebrates they eat. The new plantings help soils retain water and build elevation, allowing the marsh to recover from floods, drought, and high tides. This keeps both the marsh and nearby neighborhoods safe from rising bay water. On a nearby trail, our scientist stands with binoculars, documenting critical bird observation data that directly inform local conservation decisions.

After foraging in the marshes of San Pablo Bay for several days, the sandpiper’s journey continues to the Sacramento Valley, where it stops in soggy fields and pastures—mimicking wetlands—during its long migration north. These farmlands, which produce the rice and almonds you eat, are managed to support migratory birds, connecting the foods on our tables to wildlife habitat. By partnering directly with agricultural producers to understand their motivations and co-create a plan for putting conservation practices into action, this work benefits people, too.

Building on that collaboration, using satellite data to track wetland water distributions, Point Blue researchers work with farmers and water agencies to make smarter decisions in drought years, helping sustain both crops and habitat for migratory birds. Each pond, pasture, and field along the sandpiper’s route supports healthier landscapes and more resilient wildlife. Your generous gift today conserves water, plants cover crops, and restores creeks that sustain birds, pollinators, and soil health.

From the Sacramento Valley, the sandpiper moves northwest, flying high to avoid predators and take advantage of winds to save energy, passing through rivers and wetlands that connect inland and coastal environments before it flies along the Pacific Coast. Offshore, marine scientists monitor oceanographic conditions, forage fish, seabirds, and marine mammals such as gray and humpback whales, all of which depend on the same interconnected coastal and marine systems. Using these data, scientists study and forecast migration patterns to understand when and where the ocean is teeming with marine life and protect these regions accordingly. By supporting these efforts, you sustain not just the sandpiper, but the full network of species and wild places, from birds along the shoreline to whales in the deep.

Your support makes you a key connector in this living network.

Before reaching its breeding grounds in Alaska, the sandpiper stops at several crucial wetlands in the northwest. Each stop relies on careful stewardship and the ongoing work of scientists and partnerships with land managers and communities along the Pacific Flyway.

Data gathered along the sandpiper’s route travel on their own journey. Scientific observations flow into Point Blue’s digital Science Cloud, where they are analyzed and transformed into actionable insights, guiding decisions that protect habitats and wildlife far beyond the sandpiper’s immediate path.

Transforming science into meaningful policy engagement has led to advances in local watershed management, regional planning, statewide conservation strategies, national initiatives, and global discussions. One example is California’s groundbreaking law that put the environment on equal footing with farms and cities in how water is used. Point Blue data helped make the case for this reform and guided how the law was put into action.

That is why you are a critical part of this journey.

Your support turns data, restoration projects, and community partnerships into real-world protections, ensuring wetlands are cared for, farms support wildlife and livelihoods, and coastal and marine habitats sustain birds, other wildlife, and people alike.

Please donate now to fuel the efforts that connect habitats, species, and communities, and ensure the sandpiper can make its journey home.

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