Important Birding Area (IBA)

Important Bird Areas is an international program to identify and study geographical areas that are critical to rare or uncommon breeding species of birds, that hold significant breeding populations of species, areas that are important to migrating species or provide critical habitat for an array of breeding species. Other states, like New York, have already completed their IBA program. Here in Massachusetts, Massachusetts Audubon is co-ordinating the effort. For the last year a large committee made up of people from Massachusetts Audubon, the Natural Heritage Program, State Fish and Wildlife, the MDC and numerous other organizations have met to come up with criteria for an IBA, create a process of nomination, and the paperwork to get it all done. There are regional committees. The CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS regional group consists of Dave Small, Ron Lockwood, John Liller, Sheila Carroll and myself. Dave has already completed the nomination process for Quabbin. Ron is working on Bolton Flats. The rest of us are working on Brookfield, Barre Falls Dam and Sudbury Reservoir in Southboro to start with. Although declaring an area an IBA does not afford it legal protection per se imediately, it is often quoted as a resource when organizations are trying to preserve an area and laws in some states have been declared that include IBAs. First you have to know WHAT to save.

Apropos of this. Needless to say, unless you are doing some survey for the IBA, and I know who is doing those, you should NOT be taping LEAST BITTERNS et. These are state listed species (ie: it's illegal) and you stand a good chance of spooking them, thus discouraging them from breeding. DON'T DO IT. PERIOD.

For more information on IBAs and the nominating process and forms, go to: IBA Information

Mark Lynch