Master banding permits are normally renewed for a 3-year period although shorter renewal cycles may be required at the discretion of the BBL. Sixty days before the banding permit will expire, the BBL will automatically send via email a renewal notification to the master bander. If the banding permit is not renewed, then another renewal notification will be sent by email 30 days before the permit expires. If the banding permit has not been renewed upon expiration, it will become inactive and the master bander will be notified by email of this action. Because these important notifications are sent by email, banders should always notify the BBL of any change in their email address.
Several requirements must be met before a master banding permit can be renewed. All delinquent data records that exist at the time of the 60-day renewal notice must be resolved. These delinquent data records are identified in the renewal notice. Failure to resolve these delinquent data records will cause the permit to become inactive upon expiration until these records are resolved. Additionally, bird banders should be current with their data submission responsibilities. If a bander has not submitted any banding data during the previous 3 years, then the BBL will suggest the inactivation of the master permit because of inactivity. A bander can appeal this inactivation, but must provide justification for future banding activities that will require the renewal of the permit.
If you a bander in good standing as described above, please resolve any delinquent data and complete the permit renewal form, Step 1 below. Login to the Bander Portal for more information. No additional documents are needed from you at this time.
If you are a bander that has been generally inactive and have submitted little to no data as described above, please fill out the permit renewal form, Step 1 below, resolve any delinquent data, and also complete Steps 2 and 3.
Step 1
To renew your master banding permit, please complete the online permit renewal form. The renewal form can be found on the Bander Portal (permitted bander access), under the Permit tab, Renewal Form link. If you have received a Suggest Inactive letter, complete Steps 1 through 3.
Step 2
To appeal an inactivation, additional information to justify future banding activities must be submitted to evaluate the renewal of a permit.
The applicant must provide their updated resume/curriculum vitae of their previous bird banding and marking experiences submitted as a separate document. The following information should be provided for each banding project:
- Dates project was conducted
- Location
- Capture techniques that were used and the species/species groups and approximate number of birds captured with each technique
- The species/species groups and approximate number of birds that were handled and banded
- If auxiliary markers were used in the project, the type of marker(s), the attachment method(s), species, and number of individual birds that were marked.
- Any other banding-related activities such as blood sampling and feather sampling.
- The name of the master bander who was responsible for the project.
If any formal training courses have been taken, please list the course title, dates, location, instructor, and a short summary of the course content. Additionally, include the species and approximate number of birds that were handled during the course, capture techniques used, and any other relevant information.
Step 3
Please provide a comprehensive project description submitted as a separate document. This should be in the format of a scientific research proposal, and include the primary question, hypotheses, species and capture techniques involved, dates and duration of the study, and how you anticipate using the data collected. The BBL does not authorize banding permits for purely educational purposes only.
Then, sign into the Bander Portal (permitted bander access), and attach all documents in the Permit tab, Upload Permit Documents link.
If you have any questions about the renewal process, please contact Rose DeComo in the BBL permits office at bbl_permits@usgs.gov or 301-497-5944.
Master banding permits are normally renewed for a 3-year period although shorter renewal cycles may be required at the discretion of the BBL. Sixty days before the banding permit will expire, the BBL will automatically send via email a renewal notification to the master bander. If the banding permit is not renewed, then another renewal notification will be sent by email 30 days before the permit expires. If the banding permit has not been renewed upon expiration, it will become inactive and the master bander will be notified by email of this action. Because these important notifications are sent by email, banders should always notify the BBL of any change in their email address.
Several requirements must be met before a master banding permit can be renewed. All delinquent data records that exist at the time of the 60-day renewal notice must be resolved. These delinquent data records are identified in the renewal notice. Failure to resolve these delinquent data records will cause the permit to become inactive upon expiration until these records are resolved. Additionally, bird banders should be current with their data submission responsibilities. If a bander has not submitted any banding data during the previous 3 years, then the BBL will suggest the inactivation of the master permit because of inactivity. A bander can appeal this inactivation, but must provide justification for future banding activities that will require the renewal of the permit.
If you a bander in good standing as described above, please resolve any delinquent data and complete the permit renewal form, Step 1 below. Login to the Bander Portal for more information. No additional documents are needed from you at this time.
If you are a bander that has been generally inactive and have submitted little to no data as described above, please fill out the permit renewal form, Step 1 below, resolve any delinquent data, and also complete Steps 2 and 3.
Step 1
To renew your master banding permit, please complete the online permit renewal form. The renewal form can be found on the Bander Portal (permitted bander access), under the Permit tab, Renewal Form link. If you have received a Suggest Inactive letter, complete Steps 1 through 3.
Step 2
To appeal an inactivation, additional information to justify future banding activities must be submitted to evaluate the renewal of a permit.
The applicant must provide their updated resume/curriculum vitae of their previous bird banding and marking experiences submitted as a separate document. The following information should be provided for each banding project:
- Dates project was conducted
- Location
- Capture techniques that were used and the species/species groups and approximate number of birds captured with each technique
- The species/species groups and approximate number of birds that were handled and banded
- If auxiliary markers were used in the project, the type of marker(s), the attachment method(s), species, and number of individual birds that were marked.
- Any other banding-related activities such as blood sampling and feather sampling.
- The name of the master bander who was responsible for the project.
If any formal training courses have been taken, please list the course title, dates, location, instructor, and a short summary of the course content. Additionally, include the species and approximate number of birds that were handled during the course, capture techniques used, and any other relevant information.
Step 3
Please provide a comprehensive project description submitted as a separate document. This should be in the format of a scientific research proposal, and include the primary question, hypotheses, species and capture techniques involved, dates and duration of the study, and how you anticipate using the data collected. The BBL does not authorize banding permits for purely educational purposes only.
Then, sign into the Bander Portal (permitted bander access), and attach all documents in the Permit tab, Upload Permit Documents link.
If you have any questions about the renewal process, please contact Rose DeComo in the BBL permits office at bbl_permits@usgs.gov or 301-497-5944.