Other Information
SE
Arizona Rare
Bird Alert
(520) 798-1005
Report
Rare Birds
(520) 798-1005
Email
a report
Nature Shop
(520) 629-0510
Agua Caliente Shop
(520) 760-7881
Mason Audubon
Center
(520) 744-0004
Membership
(520) 629-0757
AZ IBA Program
(520) 628-1730
Education Program
(520) 622-2230
Habitat Restoration
(520) 206-9900
Development
(520) 622-5622
Executive Director
(520) 622-5622
|
AZ IBA Home | AZ IBA News | Nominate an AZ IBA | Adopt an AZ IBA | AZ IBA Conservation | US IBAs |
Tucson Audubon Society
Important Bird Areas Program Looks for a Few Heroic Birders
by Scott Wilbor, Important Bird
Areas Program Conservation Biologist
(This article first appeared in the February 2006 Vermilion Flycatcher, newsletter of the Tucson Audubon Society. To receive the newsletter in the mail, become a Friend of Tucson Audubon.)
|
|
Heroic? Yes! The need for critical information on birds and wildlife, plants, water resources, and the health of Arizona’s ecosystems is at an all-time high. In 2006, major decisions regarding which lands get conserved and how land is to be developed will be made across Arizona. Decisions on which Arizona State Trust Lands will be conserved may soon be made by voters, so sign the petition to get State Trust Land Reform on the ballot. In Pima County, decisions regarding land purchases under the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan will continue to be made.
In northern Arizona, decisions regarding the management and restoration of the Verde River, Fossil Creek, and Anderson Mesa will be decided. In Phoenix Valley and beyond, decisions on how to restore and best manage the Salt and Gila Rivers will continue to be made in 2006. In southern Arizona, issues regarding ecosystem health and the conservation of key lands will be keenly focused on the San Pedro and the Santa Cruz Rivers and their most watered tributaries—Arivaipa, Cienega, Sabino/Bear, Aqua Caliente, Tanque Verde, Sonoita, and Tumacacori highland drainages, and other key oases in the Catalina, Rincon, Santa Rita, Huachuca, Chiricahua and Galiuro Mountain ranges.
Audubon is uniquely situated with its Important Bird Areas Program to identify the most important sites for birds, provide scientifically sound avian data, and to advance site protection and habitat conservation through its partnerships with landowners and management agencies. Audubon’s birders are the key to the IBA Program. They are the volunteers who are exploring new areas, following a standard scientific protocol, documenting the occurrence of species of conservation concern, avian community diversity, species breeding status, habitat use, and relative abundance.
In southern Arizona, Audubon IBA Teams have collected important data at the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Sabino/Bear Creeks IBA, Kino Ecosystem Restoration Project (KERP), and along the Upper Santa Cruz at Esperanza, Tubac, Sonoita Creek, and in the Tumacacori highlands.
In 2006, we need still more heroic birders to explore sites that are rarely birded, some quite remote, and many with limited access and no developed trails—an adventure surely awaits. Key sites of interest include tracts of riparian habitat along the Santa Cruz River near Tubac, Tumacacori, Rio Rico, and further south. Our work in the Tumacacori highlands is just beginning and we need intrepid birders to explore this most promising potential Important Bird Area. Key drainages in the Patagonia area comprise an additional area of interest. There are also areas in and around metro Tucson of interest, including ongoing surveys at the KERP site (A.K.A. Sam Lena Park), Tanque Verde Creek, along the Santa Cruz River, and at the Avra Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant. Desert sites of interest lie notably within the Tortolita fan. We are looking for IBA Teams of 2–3 people to conduct a minimum of three surveys during the year, with more visits to more accessible sites. We are also planning some larger "IBA group surveys" (one-time commitments) along the Lower San Pedro, Cienega Creek, and Aravaipa Creeks (and possibly elsewhere), so keep an eye out for announcements of these surveys.
New survey routes are now being planned for 2006! Our first round of surveys should begin in mid-March. To be part of Arizona’s IBA Bird Survey Teams, give us a call at Tucson Audubon’s IBA office (628-1730). We will have an informal training session in the Tubac-Tumacacori area on Saturday morning, February 18, to go over in-field bird survey techniques and data collection. Call for more details. Now is the time to make your heroic contribution to the conservation of Arizona’s birds and Audubon’s Important Bird Areas Program.
Bird questions? Check Birding | General questions? Contact: Tucson Audubon Society | Webmaster: Email
This page was updated on 02/21/06