[BCNnet] Announcing Illinois IBA Program

[Judy Pollock]

The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program is a successful tool for individuals
and
organizations who care about our local birds -- to identify and improve our
state's important habitat areas.

THE ILLINOIS IBA PROGRAM 
The current Illinois IBA program began in December 2002, and focuses on sites
of statewide importance. It builds on the work of previous IBA efforts in the
state. The goals of the Illinois program are to quickly identify the state's
most important bird areas and the threats to them, and to form conservation
teams that can implement needed actions. 

A technical committee of Illinois ornithologists developed lists of important
species in Illinois, and threshold numbers for sites that protect
congregations
of birds. The species were chosen based on the state endangered species list 
as well as current national efforts to identify birds of conservation concern
in each region. You can view the list along with information about the
criteria
and the technical committee at
<http://www.habitatproject.org/>www.habitatproject.org. Nominations for the
first round of IBA designations are due on September 30. The technical
committee will review nominations to determine whether sites meet the
criteria.

After a site is nominated, conservation teams will form to write action plans
to address threats at the site. Participants would include the landowner and
others who have important contributions to make to the planning process, such
as 
local conservation groups, birders, and stewards. Team strategies can include
recommending privately owned sites for willing-seller acquisition; negotiating
conservation easements; cooperating with land managers to design and implement
management plans; public education and outreach; research and monitoring and
local ecotourism.

IBA programs in other states have yielded wonderful results for birds and
habitat. Land acquisition and protection or improved management are the most
common benefits. Several funding agencies give higher priorities to sites 
with the IBA designation, as do some land trusts. In New York, a law was
passed
establishing Bird Conservation Areas, with some level of state protection.
Increased public awareness of the need to protect our birds and their habitats
is another important benefit.

THE BIRDS OF ILLINOIS NEED YOU! 
IBA is an opportunity for those who care about an important site to make a
powerful difference for the birds there. If there is an area in your part of
the state that is important for the conservation of birds, your involvement
can
be critical in ensuring that the site is nominated and receives the
benefits of
IBA designation. Many people can find a place in the IBA process. Especially
knowledgeable or well-connected (and well organized) individuals can marshal
the forces necessary to complete an authoritative IBA nomination for the site,
and begin to form a conservation team. Bird club 
field trip leaders can lead trips to potential IBA's to collect additional
data. Birders can contribute past data. Others can help to plan events that
publicize the IBA when it is designated, or serve on a conservation team, or
help recruit the 
best people to do so. Once conservation plans are developed, there will be a
new set of opportunities to advocate, improve habitat, educate, engage, etc.

How you can help right now:
1) Serve as an "IBA Ambassador" for your local birding or conservation
organization - read the criteria, think about what sites in your region should
be IBA's, encourage knowledegable people to team up and complete a nomination
form. 
2) Gather data this summer! The nomination form calls for data on selected
species. The information can be density (x number per acre) or minimum and
maximum counts in a season. 
3) If you have this type of data in your records, contribute it to an IBA
nomination form. Nomination forms can be filled out by individuals or groups. 
4) Use the nomination process as a way to consult with many people about the
importance of the site, the threats and needed actions. These people can form
the basis of the conservation action team.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

What is involved in nominating a site? 
The most important information needed is data about bird populations at the
site. The nomination process calls for data organized: 
-by species -in a given season -in a given year. 
These can be densities (so many birds per acre) or minimum and maximum numbers
in a season. These data are only needed for species or congregations that are
identified in the IBA criteria. A description of the site and any threats to 
the quality of the habitat are other important parts of the nomination.
Nomination forms and instructions are available at www.habitatproject.org.

How are the boundaries of an IBA determined? 
The boundaries of the area you nominate should make sense according to the
habitat needs of the species involved. In some cases, boundaries set by the
landowner would be the most sensible. In others, a group of sites may
function 
as a complex; perhaps each provides a different function for the same species
(e.g., nesting and foraging) or perhaps, when grouped, they provide a critical
amount of habitat (such as forest or grassland complexes.)

How can I get information I need to fill out a nomination form? 
Landowners, public land management agencies, and other birders can provide
useful information for various sections of the form. Information and
additional
explanations can be found at www.habitatproject.org. Partial information for
some sites has previously been compiled (so tell us if you're going to work on
a site, and we'll forward what's available).

What is the difference between the various IBA programs? 
Different organizations have IBA programs which focus on the global,
continental and state levels. Audubon's Illinois IBA program began in December
2002, and focuses on sites of statewide importance to the birds we can make a 
difference for here in Illinois. It builds on the work of previous IBA efforts
in Illinois and elsewhere. The goals of the Illinois program are to quickly
identify the state's most important bird areas and the threats to them, and to
form conservation teams that can implement needed actions.

If you plan to submit an application, would like to serve as an "IBA
ambassador" for your organization, or to schedule a presentation, please
contact the IBA coordinator: Judy Pollock, Audubon-Chicago Region, 5225 Old
Orchard Road Suite 37, Skokie, IL 60077 phone: (847) 965-1150; fax: (847)
965-9282; jpollock@audubon.org.

More information about the Illinois IBA program is available at
<http://www.habitatproject.org/>www.habitatproject.org.