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AUDUBON'S IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS
(IBA) PROGRAM The Important Bird Areas (IBA) program was initiated by BirdLife International in Europe in the 1980s. National Audubon began participating in 1995, and IBA has since become a major program. The program is now a global effort that seeks to identify areas that are most important for maintaining bird populations and focus conservation efforts at protecting these sites. To date, more than 1200 IBAs in 40 states have been identified. Virginia is working to join that list with our own list of IBA sites. Virginia’s IBA program got underway in 2001 with help from the Virginia Society for Ornithology (VSO) and then, in 2002, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF). A Steering Committee comprised of representatives from The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, the other Virginia Audubon chapters, the VSO, and the VA DGIF guides the activities of the VA IBA. A Technical Committee comprised of birders, ornithologists, academics, governmental and non-governmental agency staff, and business representatives from various regions of the state will establish criteria to determine which areas will be IBAs. The goals of the VA IBA are to: * Identify, document, and publicly recognize Virginia’s most important areas for birds. To date, the VA IBA project has: * Formed the Steering Committee and Technical Committee. Virginia's IBAs As of May 8, 2004 Virginia joined other States in recognizing Important Bird Areas. The 3 new areas include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, VDGIF's Saxis Wildlife Management Area, and The Nature Conservancy's Piney Grove Preserve. These IBAs support diverse communities of birds of conservation interest and provide unique habitats for these species. The recognition was held in conjunction with the 2004 Birds and Blossoms weekend at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. IBA Update and 2005 Plan As of January 15, 2005, the Important Bird Areas program hired Aimee Weldon as the full time IBA coordinator. Aimee comes from a broad background in avian ecology and conservation. She was born and raised in MN, but has spent the last three years obtaining her MS in avian ecology at North Carolina State University. She is excited to be a part of this program and has been busily getting to know Virginia and the people and birds within it to begin recognizing more IBAs. To date, more than 50 potential sites have been suggested as IBAs by birders, landowners, and members of the technical committee. At least 25 of these sites are expected to be officially recognized by June with an additional 20-25 sites recognized by December. Conservation planning on the highest priority sites is expected to begin by the beginning of 2006 and there should be many opportunities to get involved in these projects. Stay tuned for future updates! The Virginia Important Bird Areas Program is looking forward to engaging the 16,000 members and six chapters of the Virginia Audubon Council as well as members of the Virginia Society of Ornithology and the general public. Aimee has plans to present to over 15 different groups in the upcoming year to get the word out about the IBA program and get people involved. The program recognizes the importance of community involvement for protection of our natural resources. The public is invited to nominate sites and contribute their bird observations to the program. The identification of IBAs is an important first step in larger bird conservation initiatives. IBA inventories provide a scientifically defensible method for prioritizing conservation activities and allocating limited conservation dollars to ensure the maximum benefit to birds. Speaking of funding, we thank the board and members of the Fairfax Audubon Society for giving $500 of their 2002 Birdathon proceeds to support the VA IBA. To learn more about Audubon’s IBA project, visit www.audubon.org/bird/iba/help_birds.html
The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia |
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