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NC's 1st Important Bird Areas - long msg.
- To: <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
- Subject: NC's 1st Important Bird Areas - long msg.
- From: "chris CANFIELD"<ccanfield@audubon.org>
- Date: Mon, 13 Sep 99 18:39:34 -0400
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Thought birders on both Carolinas might be interested in this
announcement made today (th 13th). More NC Audubon IBAs to come (and
a program should be underway in SC soon, too.)
Chris Canfield
Director of Development, North Carolina State Office
National Audubon Society
410 Airport Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-929-3899 (voice/fax), ccanfield@audubon.org
----------------------------------------
For Immediate Use
AUDUBON NAMES NORTH CAROLINA'S FIRST IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS
WILMINGTON, NC, September 13, 1999 - The National Audubon Society's
North Carolina State Office has named the state's first Important Bird
Areas (IBAs). These sites, ranging from far out at sea to high in the
mountains, represent natural areas of special significance to birds
that breed, migrate, winter and feed in North Carolina.
Designated as Audubon Important Bird Areas are: The Point, in the
Atlantic northeast of Cape Hatteras, where rare and endangered
seabirds feed; the Outer Banks, a 70-mile stretch of barrier islands,
which supports a great diversity of bird life year-round; the Catawba
River, flowing from Lake Norman to the outskirts of Charlotte, an
important watershed for songbirds and waterfowl; the Triangle's Jordan
Lake, known for its Bald Eagles; and the Highlands Plateau, at the
southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a hotspot for neotropical
migrants and classic mountain breeders.
The announcement of these first five IBAs comes after more than a
year of work by Audubon's North Carolina State Office, its ten state
chapters and leading ornithologists to identify places that are
essential to bird populations and bird diversity in the Tarheel state.
Once designated, conservation plans will be developed for each IBA.
These plans will outline ways landowners and managers - both public
and private - and communities can work together to keep these natural
areas filled with the birds and other wildlife for which they are so
highly valued. While the designation carries no legal authority, IBA
status heightens awareness and fosters voluntary conservation
measures.
With more than 400 species documented, bird life in North Carolina
is among the richest and most diverse of any eastern state. "The
places where birds live, forage and breed are essential to keeping the
variety of birds we now have and maintaining healthy populations of
these birds," said Walker Golder, Audubon's IBA coordinator for North
Carolina.
North Carolina's Important Bird Areas program is part of a
worldwide effort to identify places that are essential to birds.
Already in the United States, the National Audubon Society has
initiated Important Bird Areas programs in 20 states, with other
states expected to launch programs in the near future. Eventually,
Audubon will have IBA programs ongoing in all 50 states.
Sites are identified based on standardized criteria established by
the state's leading ornithologists. A site can qualify if it is
important to endangered, threatened or vulnerable species; harbors
large concentrations or an exceptional diversity of birds; or if it is
the site of long-term research that contributes significantly to the
overall knowledge of birds and their habitats. There is no size limit
for a site to qualify - the most critical factor is the importance of
the site to birds.
So far about 70 North Carolina sites meet at least one of the
criteria necessary to qualify as an Important Bird Area. "We're
continuing to search the state and accept nominations for additional
sites to be considered," said Golder.
The goal of Audubon's IBA program is to identify and establish a
network of Important Bird Areas in each state to be protected or
managed for bird conservation. Supported by 550,000 members and 518
chapters throughout North America, the mission of the National Audubon
Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on
birds and other wildlife, for the benefit of humanity and earth's
biological diversity.
[Editor: More detailed sidebar information on designated IBA sites
follows. Additional details, maps, and photos made be obtained by
contacting Walker Golder, the Audubon contact listed below.
Special Note: An IBA designation ceremony for the Cape Hatteras
National Seashore will take place November 5th at 8:15 p.m. at Manteo
Middle School as part of the Wings Over Water Celebration. For more
information on this ceremony, contact Walker Golder. ]
-- 30 --
MEDIA CONTACT:
Walker Golder, NC IBA Coordinator
NC State Office, National Audubon Society
(910) 762-9534, email: wgolder@audubon.org
NORTH CAROLINA'S FIRST IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS
The following five sites have been designated as Important Bird Areas
(IBAs) by the National Audubon Society's North Carolina State Office
for their special significance to birds that breed, migrate, winter
and feed in North Carolina:
The Point: Northeast of Cape Hatteras, in an area of the Atlantic
Ocean where the Gulf Stream and Labrador currents mingle, thousands of
seabirds gather annually to forage in the rich, productive waters.
The region, locally known as "The Point," has been found to have the
greatest diversity of pelagic seabirds in the western North Atlantic,
according to David S. Lee, ornithologist at the NC State Museum of
Natural Sciences and leading authority on area seabirds. In more than
15 years of study off Cape Hatteras, Lee has documented globally rare
and endangered species such as the Black-capped Petrel, Bermuda
Petrel, Herald Petrel and Roseate Tern. Lee's research has also
documented thousands of shearwaters, storm-petrels, phalaropes, loons,
gannets, terns and other species that gather annually. According to
Lee, "for several species, North Carolina waters represent the only
area where they have been regularly encountered away from nesting
areas."
The Outer Banks, including Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Pea
Island National Wildlife Refuge: Stretching for approximately 70 miles
from Bodie Island to Ocracoke, this chain of barrier islands supports
a great diversity of bird life throughout the year. The sandy beaches,
especially those adjacent to inlets and on Cape Point, provide vital
nesting habitat for approximately one-fourth of North Carolina's
federally threatened Piping Plovers, 60,000 shorebirds, and more than
20 percent of the state's Least Terns, Common Terns and Black
Skimmers. During fall migration, thousands of migrant songbirds forage
and seek refuge in shrub thickets and maritime forests scattered along
the outer banks, including Buxton Woods one of the state's largest
remaining stands of maritime forest. Pea Island National Wildlife
Refuge is well known for the thousands of ducks, geese, Tundra Swans
and shorebirds that find safe haven there.
Catawba River/Mountain Island Lake watershed: Flowing between Lake
Norman and Mountain Island Lake on the outskirts of Charlotte, the
Catawba River is lined with extensive bottomland hardwood forests and
other forest types that support a great diversity of songbirds,
waterfowl and other birds each season. Nearly 200 species have been
recorded at the Cowan's Ford Wildlife Refuge alone, including 54
species of neotropical migrant songbirds. Of these, 23 species of
neotropical migrants breed on the refuge and in the surrounding
forests. During fall and winter, the area is a migratory stopover and
wintering area for thousands of waterfowl that gather on the lake,
river and ponds. More than 3,000 acres within the watershed are
protected by the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department and
Duke Power Company, in cooperation with the NC Wildlife Resources
Commission.
Jordan Lake: Spanning portions of four counties, B. Everett Jordan
Lake and the surrounding area near Raleigh encompasses approximately
47,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest, pine forest, deciduous
forest, mixed forest, and open water. The lake and surrounding
forests support a great diversity of birds, but none is more prominent
than the many Bald Eagles that gather annually. Up to four eagle
nests have been documented in a single breeding season and as many as
71 eagles have been recorded on the lake. This is North Carolina's
largest population of Bald Eagles and one of the largest
concentrations of eagles in the eastern United States. In addition to
eagles, the lake supports a great diversity of waterfowl, songbirds
and wading birds annually. Jordan Lake is managed by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers.
Highlands Plateau: Highlands Plateau is situated at the southern end
of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the westernmost corner of North
Carolina. The area includes mountain peaks that range from 3,000 to
4,500 feet, steep granite cliffs, hemlock-pine-rhododendron forests,
as well as other hardwood forests. The area hosts an exceptional
diversity of birds, including many neotropical migrants and an
exceptional assemblage of species most often associated with northern
forests. These include Olive-sided Flycatcher, Canada Warbler,
Black-throated Blue Warbler, and others. The area is particularly
significant for Peregrine Falcons, Blackburnian Warblers,
Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Least Flycatchers,
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Brown Creepers, among many others. The
magnificent forests and great diversity of birds have attracted
ornithologists for more than a century. Today, long-term studies
continue to contribute to the knowledge of birds and their habitats.
- END -
MEDIA CONTACT:
Walker Golder, NC IBA Coordinator
NC State Office, National Audubon Society
(910) 762-9534, email: wgolder@audubon.org