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Important
Bird Areas
An
Important Bird Area, or IBA, is a site that has been so classified
because it is of significance to the livelihood of a bird species.
The effort to identify and classify such sites began in
Europe several years ago. The
process of finding such locations, examining them, gathering data
about them and finally listing them as IBA’s is now being
conducted in the United States under the auspices of the National
Audubon Society. As
of 2003, 40 of the 50 states were in the process of identifying
and mapping their IBA’s.
In
Kentucky, the Kentucky Audubon Council is overseeing the
procedures involved with listing and mapping the states IBA’s
for the National Audubon Society.
In 2002 Kentucky began the process of listing its IBA’s
by selecting a Technical Committee for the purpose of reviewing
each site nominated to be an IBA and then making a decision about
the location’s classification.
In 2003 a Nomination Form was designed for the species of
Kentucky’s native birds and migratory birds that rely on
different areas for rest, food and shelter during migration.
The nomination form was first distributed to local Audubon
Society chapters across the state, then to colleges, universities,
conservation and ornithological groups. Anyone may nominate a site for consideration by the Technical
Committee as an IBA. The
nomination form can be downloaded below.
The
nomination process will be open-ended, but the project of
identifying and classifying IBA’s is expected to be complete in
the fall of 2004. After
Kentucky’s IBA’s are listed and mapped, they will be
graphically illustrated and described on this Web site and perhaps
in the form of a booklet that will be made available to the
public.
IBA
Nomination Form - link will open in new window.
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