The Important Bird Area (IBA) Program is an integral part of the Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Strategy. IBA programs started in Europe and have been completed in many areas of the world. In the United States, Global, Continental, and National IBA's are designated by the American Bird Conservancy, though their web site now only notes Global IBA's.
State IBA's are overseen by the National Audubon Society (http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/). IBA's in Oregon are overseen by the Portland Audubon Society (Important Bird Areas).
The identification of IBA sites is based on scientific criteria and is essential to establish habitat-based priorities in conservation. An IBA site provides important habitat to large concentrations of birds or one or more species of birds of special concern and/or has substantial research value.
An IBA designation does not provide any protection to a site because the IBA program is not regulatory and has no legal land-use authority. IBA's may provide a voluntary means of local conservation only if land-owners agree to participate.
Lincoln County has five State Important Bird Areas (Salmon River Estuary, Siletz Bay, Yaquina Head, Yaquina Bay, and Alsea Bay). In addition, the American Bird Conservancy designated Yaquina Head as a Global IBA and Yaquina Bay as a Continental IBA.
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (YHONA) was designated as a Globally Important Bird Area in 1997 by the American Bird Conservancy (http://www.blm.gov/nstc/blmannual/annual97/stewardshipassets.html) because of its many nesting seabirds including Western Gulls, Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, Brandt's Cormorants, and Pelagic Cormorants. YHONA is IBA site 51 and is on p. 149 of Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). 1999. North American Important Bird Areas: a directory of 150 key conservation sites. Published by the Communications and Public Outreach Department of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America Secretariat.
On 8 September 2004 and 21 September 2008, it is not listed as a Globally Important Bird Area in Oregon at http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/domestic/sitebased/iba/oregon.html, but Robert Chipley (Director of the American Bird Conservancy's IBA Program) emailed me on 9 September 2004 that Yaquina Head is still a Globally Important Bird Area, but is not among the 500 listed on their web site and in their book.
YHONA may be the best place for the general public to see nesting seabirds along the Oregon Coast. The observation deck west of the Lighthouse provides excellent views for observers with binoculars. The best time to see nesting birds is during late May through July.
YHONA is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and is open dawn to dusk. There is a Recreational Fee for motor vehicles.
YHONA was also designated a State Important Bird Area.
Also see Yaquina Head bird records and checklists.
Some of the tidelands and submerged lands downstream Toledo Airport were designated as a Continental IBA by the American Bird Conservancy in October 1998. The estuarine area included in this IBA provides habitat for Continentally important numbers of Western Gulls and Nationally significant numbers of Black Brant, Whimbrels, Western Grebes, Sanderlings, Mew Gulls, and Caspian Terns. Another qualifying criterion for IBA status is the presence of a research or educational facility, so the presence of the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) was a factor in the Yaquina Bay IBA designation. Besides having many researchers studying Yaquina Bay and other coastal areas, the HMSC has also been recognized as only one of seven Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers in the nation. Areas not included in the Yaquina Bay Continental IBA are those zoned for heavy development (e.g., bayfront to the shipping terminal, South Beach Marina, and the north shore from Coquille Point to River Bend) and Flesher, Johnson, McCaffery, Parker, and Poole Sloughs.
The mouth and embayment areas of lower Yaquina Bay have also been designated a State Important Bird Area because it regularly hosts thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds.
Also see Yaquina Estuary bird records and checklists.
The Salmon River Estuary in Tillamook and Lincoln County is a State Important Bird Area, with totals of >1000 shorebirds (mostly Western Sandpipers) regular here in spring. Also see Salmon River bird records in Salmon River/Lincoln City Area.
Siletz Bay is a State Important Bird Area, with at least 100 Brown Pelicans, 5,000 waterfowl (in marine estuarine habitats), 1,000 shorebirds, and 50 Caspian Terns in season (Portland Audubon, 21 Oct. 2005 Newport News-Times. Also see Siletz Bay bird records in Salmon River/Lincoln City Area.
Alsea Bay is a State Important Bird Area. This IBA includes all tidelands and submerged lands in Alsea Bay from where Drift Creek flows into the Alsea River downstream to the river mouth. Bird numbers exceeding IBA criteria thresholds include counts of >50 Caspian Terns (K. Merrifield unpubl. data), >100 Brown Pelicans (Endangered) (R. Bayer unpubl. data), >1,000 shorebirds (Page et al. 1992, K. Merrifield unpubl. data), and >5,000 waterfowl (USFWS unpubl. data). On 24 August 2004, the Audubon Society of Portland held a press conference in Waldport about the Alsea Bay IBA; the Newport News-Times newspaper had an article.The Alsea Bay Historic Interpretative Center is located near the south end of the Alsea Bay Bridge.
Also see Alsea Bay bird records.
The Newport News-Times newspaper had several articles about Important Bird Areas that they had available online on their web site until 2009, when they removed them. The Internet Archive only includes some Newport News-Times articles until Jan 26, 2005 in July 2009, but some more recent articles were available on 10 August 2009, so maybe some of these articles will become available in the future. I do not appear to have printed them out.
1. Anonymous. 2004. Alsea Bay Designated as 'Important Bird Area.' 1 Sept. 2004. Newport News-Times (newspaper). Newport, Oregon. (This is no longer available at the News-Times web site but is available at Internet Archive for http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2004/09/01/business/business12.txt).
Text of article:
Photo caption: The Audubon Society of Portland held a press conference on Tuesday at the Keady Wayside on Alsea Bay to introduce its Important Bird Area program, which helps to identify, preserve, restore, and improve areas of avian value. In attendance at the program's unveiling was Lincoln County Commissioner Don Lindly, left, Doug Cottem of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Paul Engelmeyer of the Audubon Society, Roy Lowe of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alsea Port Commissioner John Mare, and Nancy Leonard, Waldport city administrator. (Courtesy photo)
On Tuesday, the Audubon Society of Portland held two simultaneous press conferences - one at the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area near Portland and one at Alsea Bay - to introduce its groundbreaking Important Bird Area (IBA) program.
The Oregon IBA program scientifically identifies the top sites important to bird conservation and promotes the preservation, restoration, and improvement of avian values at these sites through partnerships, education and citizen monitoring.
The program is designed to raise awareness about the last and best habitat for birds in Oregon - from high desert wetlands to conifer forests and the Pacific Ocean.
A group of local officials from city, county, state and federal agencies met at Keady Wayside on Alsea Bay to discuss the IBA program.
Doug Cottom, a wildlife biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, noted, "Alsea Bay is one of the least impacted estuaries along the Oregon coast and is a common stopover site for brown pelicans, caspian terns and other waterfowl."
The IBA program has identified more than 100 important bird areas throughout Oregon and of those, approximately one-third are on the coast - including offshore rocks, estuaries, and a few beaches as well as two marine sites.
Paul Engelmeyer of the Audubon Society said he expects to help establish partnerships with private landowners and federal and state agencies that will help to promote and enhance the avian conservation values of their properties. "The Coastal IBA program will elevate the awareness of our unique estuarine habitats that are important to birds, fish and other wildlife," Engelmeyer said. "Furthermore, the program hopes to engage students and community members in the development of conservation and monitoring strategies to better understand why it's important to protect and restore these habitats that are so important to our community."
As the group discussed local efforts such as the development of recreational trails - both hiking and water trails - on the bay and Lint Slough, a line of about 15 brown pelicans glided over the bay and settled on the spit, an event organizers remarked on as "a beautiful addition to the discussion."
"Most people, especially those who live around Alsea Bay, are quite familiar with the positive economic impact to the community from fishing, crabbing, clamming and hunting. However, many people are not aware of the economic impact that birding can have," said Roy Lowe of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a member of the IBA Technical Advisory Committee.
According to a report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service using survey data from 2001, there were 46 million birders in the United States who spent $32 billion in pursuit of birding. This spending generated $85 billion in overall economic output, $13 billion in federal and state income taxes, and supported more than 863,000 jobs.
"The Oregon IBA program highlights important bird areas, drawing attention to the important habitats that need protection and in the case of Alsea Bay, that these are great locations for birding," Lowe added.
The group discussed potential funding sources such as the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and National Forest Foundation, and the Local Government Grants Program for improving habitat conditions and recreational opportunities.
"This IBA program could be an important effort because it will link conservation strategies of important habitats with local government, state and federal agencies and the community," said Lincoln County Commissioner Don Lindly.
Susan Ash, Conservation Director of Audubon Society of Portland, described the unveiling of the Important Bird Area program as a first step toward further development of partnerships, educational and volunteer opportunities.
"The IBA program is a natural expansion of Audubon Society of Portland's mission to inspire people to love and protect nature," said Meryl Redisch, executive director of the Audubon Society of Portland. "For over 100 years, we have been at the forefront of bird conservation throughout Oregon. This program is exciting and far reaching, it engages both young and old, novice and expert, rural and urban resident, to participate in conservation."
For more information about the program, visit www.oregoniba.org. [The new web site is by the Portland Audubon Society, Important Bird Areas.)
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2. 21 Oct. 2005 article in Newport News-Times newspaper (http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2005/10/21/news/news18.txt). This is no longer available at the News-Times web site and the Internet Archive only includes News-Times articles until Jan 26, 2005 in July 2009, but some more recent articles were available on 10 August 2009, so maybe this article will become available in the future. Unfortunately, I do not appear to have printed it out.
3. 28 Oct. 2005 article in Newport News-Times newspaper (http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2005/10/28/news/news18.txt). This is no longer available at the News-Times web site and the Internet Archive only includes News-Times articles until Jan 26, 2005 in July 2009, but some more recent articles were available on 10 August 2009, so maybe this article will become available in the future. Unfortunately, I do not appear to have printed it out.
4. 11 June 2008 article in Newport News-Times newspaper (http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2008/06/11/community/community18.txt). This is no longer available at the News-Times web site and the Internet Archive only includes News-Times articles until Jan 26, 2005 in July 2009, but some more recent articles were available on 10 August 2009, so maybe this article will become available in the future. Unfortunately, I do not appear to have printed it out.
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