Once thought to be pests themselves, American Kestrels are among birds of prey that are now increasingly working side by side with the nation's agricultural producers in a natural, biological approach to pest control.

But it wasn't always that way.

Pest control has long been a dilemma for the nation's agribusiness from individual farmers to national corporations. The battle against increasing numbers of undesirable insects, rodents and birds cost them product, time and revenue. Though harmful to crops, many troublesome species are protected by federal statutes, and earlier use of pesticides proved detrimental to numerous non-target indigenous species, among them the American Kestrel. Like many other indigenous species, the American kestrel was among those that fell victim to these harmful chemicals. This, coupled with the conversion of viable hunting grounds to commercial and residential use, at one time resulted in a dwindling population of the tiny falcon.

Kestrels tend to nest in open, grassy, shrubby areas as well as in hollows of dying trees characteristic of the nation's farmlands. They have come to rely heavily on these areas for feeding, searching for insects and small rodents sometimes unearthed by farmers' plows. In

1998, while more and more grasslands were being replaced by suburban developments, the Kestrel was added to the list as a species of special concern. Extensive changes were needed if the Kestrel's path towards further endangerment was to be reversed.

These changes came in the form of government programs that were created and put into use in the 1990s to encourage landowners to assist in the recovery of threatened and endangered species by offering conservation options that would develop habitat for them. Reseeding areas with native vegetation, restoring wetlands, fencing and proper brush control were just a few plans implemented to encourage the stewardship of their land.

With the majority of the nation's wildlife living on private property they depend on farmers, ranchers and foresters being committed to such conservation projects that provide them with food, water and shelter.

These and other contemporary farming practices not only enable farmers to produce more food on less land but also leave more open space for wildlife habitat.

In the case of the Kestrel, simply supplying artificial nest boxes has increased the Kestrel's numbers, resulting in increased predation that has reduced insect and other pest populations by a reported 50 percent resulting in a third greater crop growth.

When humans can work together instead of against non-target species with which we share the land, the benefits are evident on both sides.