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Arizona's Important Bird Areas Program Stretches Its Wings
by Scott Wilbor

Arizona's Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program has been in full flight since Jan. 2002. To update you on what we have accomplished its best to first review the beginnings and ultimate objectives. The Arizona IBA Program is a state IBA program, which was formally run by Tucson Audubon Society the program, has been handed over to Tice Supplee, Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Arizona. Please contact Tice Supplee, Director of Bird Conservation (602) 468-6470 to nominate new IBAs or with any administrative issues, for science related questions call Scott Wilbor (520) 622-2230. Audubon State IBA programs are unique in that they are given individual flexibility to tailor their program strategies to accommodate the unique demographic, geographic, and political characteristics present in each state, while meeting the goals of the National IBA Program.

The IBA Programs goals nationwide are to:

• identify, document, and publicly recognize a state's most important areas for birds,
• engage people in citizen-science and avian conservation cooperative projects with land mangers to benefit birds and their habitats at IBAs, and
• to partner with others to bring conservation tools and resources to IBAs in need of conservation.

The ultimate benefits from these endeavors are numerous:

• the compiling of information to help guide conservation of these important avian habitats,
• recognition given to the land managers whose habitat stewardship has provided for exceptional avian habitats and bird populations,
• the development of local site conservation commitment by people participating in citizen-science and habitat conservation projects,
• the enhancement and/or restoration of species of conservation concern, and
• the facilitation of long-term conservation of these most important avian habitats and their avian communities.

Additionally, we fully expect to benefit human communities as well, as healthy ecosystems are preserved around and within human communities, and economies benefit through eco-tourism dollars.

We are moving ahead on all these fronts in Arizona. So far, we have solicited grassroots nominations of potential IBAs from all of the eight Audubon chapters in Arizona. We received 26 nominations of potential AZ IBAs. We formed a Scientific Review Committee (SRC) of 14 biologists and avian experts representing all the geographic regions of the state. We expect three to four more nomination rounds, ultimately cumulating in 50 to 70 identified Arizona State IBAs, and a publication, “Arizona's Important Bird Areas.”

We formed a Conservation Implementation Group of five conservation leaders to guide conservation strategies for sites in need of conservation. We have devised avian inventory & monitoring protocols, and habitat condition reporting for citizen-science at IBAs. We have promoted citizen-science avian inventory and monitoring and hope to have a site within each region being surveyed. We have or are developing cooperative projects with public land or wildlife management agencies. Additionally, substantial partnerships have been established with Arizona Game & Fish Department, Partners in Flight and The Nature Conservancy in areas of shared interest for habitat conservation. Finally, we are in the process of facilitating a private landowner's goals to conserve mature cottonwood/willow & mesquite bosque habitat in major migratory pathways.

You can be part of a team that surveys for birds at sites we are trying to get data for IBA nomination (check the list of sites to be adopted). Adopted potential IBAs will need to be surveyed between 6 and 9 times per year depending on location and seasonal importance to birds.

If you are a photographer of birds, contact the Arizona IBA Program for how you can help. If you are a writer may be you would like to write an article on one particular IBA and its conservation needs, call us for ideas. We also need some research and database help, so if that is your interest we probably can use you. The Arizona IBA Program is bringing together birders, biologists, land mangers, and landowners. Through our cooperative efforts we will strive to make sure our most important bird areas continue to support the birds and habitat that we so much value in Arizona- you can help us soar! Give us call at (602) 468-6470.

(Reprinted from September, 2002 Vermilion Flycatcher newsletter)