How To Conduct an Important Bird Area Project by Tom Romito

The Rocky River Important Bird Area serves as a replicable model for anyone to establish a National Audubon Important Bird Area (IBA) to conserve birds and habitat for science and community. Learn more in this "how-to" summary.

How To Conduct an Important Bird Area Project by Tom Romito, President Emeritus and Member, Western Cuyahoga Audubon

Are you interested in starting a local National Audubon Society Important Bird Area in your community? Listen to this helpful primer, How To Conduct an Important Bird Area Project by Tom Romito, President Emeritus and Member, Western Cuyahoga Audubon, presented April 18, 2017 to the Avon Garden Club, at the Miller Nature Preserve - Lorain County Metro Parks, 2739 Center Rd, Avon, OH 44011.

​​Tom shares the story of the Rocky River Important Bird Area (RRIBA), a model any community can apply to, "protect these iconic places and the birds that depend on them, and mobilize the National Audubon network of Chapters to act as stewards." (National Audubon Society)

Top-of-mind points for people who want to know about the RRIBA project:

• An IBA is a tract of land that National Audubon Society has designated as suitable for bird habitat.
• The RRIBA coincides with the East Branch of the Rocky River watershed.
• The following logic model explains what our project was:

• Our single objective was to assess the diversity and abundance of forest breeding birds over a five-year period from 2006-2010.
• Our two activities were conducting 65 point counts each year, 3 times for 10 minutes from May-June; and a vegetation survey at each point for one year.
• Our results was identifying 93 species of birds.
• Our first finding was the most birds favored large, unbroken blocks of forest over narrow, elongated fragments of forest.
• Our second finding was that lower vegetation structure supports a more diverse population of bird species than high canopy structure.
• Our first outcome was that we mobilized citizens to conduct the project.
• Our second outcome was that we generated data to bolster the funding efforts of Cleveland Metroparks to acquire private property along the East Branch between North Royalton and Hinckley, Ohio in order to create contiguous parkland around Greater Cleveland.

Below: Important Bird Area (IBA) Outreach 2017 by Tom Romito. View and download the PDF here. 

Important Bird Area (IBA) Outreach 2017 by Tom Romito by Western Cuyahoga Audubon on Scribd

Explore more Western Cuyahoga Audubon reports, presentations and stories at our Scribd reading library here.

Top-of-mind points people should know and do to organize their own IBA projects:

• Select a tract of land that is already an IBA or ask National Audubon Society to designate it as one.
• Mobilize a committed, consistent, core group of volunteers and professionals to participate in the project.
• Reach consensus on the objective of doing the project.
• Develop a methodology for conducting the project.
• Collaborate with as many partners as possible for funding, publicity, and technical support.

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More at Wikipedia: "An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International. Currently there are over 12,000 IBAs worldwide.[1] These sites are small enough to be entirely conserved and differ in their character, habitat or ornithological importance from the surrounding habitat. In the United States the Program is administered by the National Audubon Society.[2] Often IBAs form part of a country's existing protected area network, and so are protected under national legislation. Legal recognition and protection of IBAs that are not within existing protected areas varies within different countries. Some countries have a National IBA Conservation Strategy, whereas in others protection is completely lacking.[3]" Learn More

And at the National Audubon Society: "Many of America’s most beloved and biologically rich landscapes are in grave danger.At the National Audubon Society: "From the Arctic Slope in Alaska to the Mississippi Delta, and from the Northeast’s Long Island Sound to the wetlands of the Everglades, the power of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) cannot be overstated. Audubon is leading the way to protect these iconic places and the birds that depend on them, and mobilizing our network of Chapters to act as stewards." Learn More

What are your experiences with Important Bird Areas and efforts to organize conservation of local natural areas? Share your stories in the comments section below. We'd like to hear from you!

Photos

At the Avon Garden Club meeting, Miller Nature Preserve - Lorain County Metro Parks, 2739 Center Rd, Avon, OH 44011 on April 18, 2017.

Avon Garden Club Welcome by Betsey Merkel

Ascending by Betsey Merkel

Bluets by Betsey Merkel

Budding by Betsey Merkel

Clear Bulb by Betsey Merkel

Falling Water by Betsey Merkel

Speaker 1 by Betsey Merkel

Fanning by Betsey Merkel

Flourishing by Betsey Merkel

Framework by Betsey Merkel

Greenhouse by Betsey Merkel

Ground Carpet by Betsey Merkel

Hanging Moss by Betsey Merkel

Hedge by Betsey Merkel

Interior Forest by Betsey Merkel

Lilies by Betsey Merkel

Lush Foliage by Betsey Merkel

Speaker 2 by Betsey Merkel

Nibbles by Betsey Merkel

Patio by Betsey Merkel

Pavilion by Betsey Merkel

Reaching by Betsey Merkel

Shadows by Betsey Merkel

Shaped Bush by Betsey Merkel

Shelter by Betsey Merkel

Side View by Betsey Merkel

Speaker 3 by Betsey Merkel

Species by Betsey Merkel

Spray by Betsey Merkel

Spring by Betsey Merkel

Springing by Betsey Merkel

Symmetry by Betsey Merkel

Wall Display by Betsey Merkel

Waterway by Betsey Merkel

Welcome 2 by Betsey Merkel

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