The avifauna of vast landscapes in the western U.S. is often surprisingly poorly known (e.g. the entire state of Nevada). Too often, these regions are suddenly faced with major threats—from urban sprawl, water diversions, a proposed military base expansion—each one sending conservationists scrambling for data to mine and experts to interview. The Salton Sea, a large region of brackish wetlands and agricultural habitat in southeastern California, is used by millions of individuals of more than 400 bird species each year. Yet, until the late 1990s, it too had all but fallen through the cracks, ornithologically speaking. With one fell swoop, the publication of Birds of the Salton Sea has turned the tide on this trend, synthesizing decades of taxonomic research and observational data on bird distribution—the raw material for conservation work.