Maine Audubon Identifies 22 Important Bird Areas across State
Areas crucial to vulnerable species of birds

Contact: Susan Gallo, (207) 781-2330, ext. 216

FALMOUTH, Maine, Tuesday, May 6, 2008—Maine Audubon has completed the initial stage of its Important Bird Areas (IBA) program, identifying 22 areas in Maine as critical to state and global bird populations.

“A diverse mix of habitats makes Maine an important place for roughly 300 species of birds—many of them threatened or endangered,” said Susan Gallo, the Maine Audubon biologist who heads the project. “But threats like inappropriate development, chemical contamination and climate change put them at risk. By identifying the most crucial areas, the IBA program helps us focus our conservation efforts where we can have the greatest impact.”

BirdLife International started the IBA program as an international effort to identify globally important bird areas. Coordinating with Audubon in the U.S., 48 states have started IBA programs, identifying 2,000 IBAs in the country so far.

IBAs are locations that provide important habitat for one or more species of breeding, wintering or migrating birds. The areas meet thresholds for birds listed as threatened or endangered, for species of state or regional conservation concern, or for substantial population concentrations or unique species diversity.

“At this stage we focused on the most important spots on publicly and privately conserved land along the coast and major wetlands in southern and central Maine,” Gallo said. “We’ve listed islands, shorelines and coastal wetlands critical to a number of species, especially migrating shorebirds and seabirds.” A next step is to identify northern forest IBAs.

About 80 sites make up the 22 areas Maine Audubon has listed so far as IBAs: Batson River, Cape Elizabeth, Casco Bay Islands, Deer Isle, Duck Islands, Freeport/Brunswick, Gerrish Island, Greater Isle au Haut, Intervale Marshes, Isle of Shoals, Kennebunk Plains, Lower Kennebec, Machias Bay, Milbridge to Addison, Mount Desert, Muscongus Bay, Outer Penobscot Bay, Petit Manan, Scarborough, Thomaston, Upper Penobscot Bay and Wells.

A national committee is reviewing several Maine IBAs that may qualify for globally important status. Sites on the Batson and lower Kennebec rivers and in Cape Elizabeth, Freeport, Wells and Scarborough meet global population thresholds for piping plover and saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow. Gerrish Island and Scarborough Marsh are also being considered for their importance to the declining rusty blackbird, as is Isle au Haut for harlequin duck.

“We think this is a good starting point for engaging the public, working with landowners and encouraging responsible land management,” said Gallo.

“We see this as a locally driven, grassroots, bottom-up process,” said John Cecil, Audubon’s national IBA program director. “Local engagement is a cornerstone of the IBA program’s success in the United States.”

Next steps for the IBA program in Maine include:

• Gathering more baseline data and reviewing additional IBA nominations;
• Using a geo-referenced model to identify northern forest IBAs;
• Engaging “citizen-scientists” to monitor existing IBAs;
• Developing conservation plans for IBAs that prioritize bird management; and
• Expanding the IBA list to include private lands where landowners want to manage for bird conservation.

Maine Audubon started work on its IBA program in 2001, forming a technical committee of over a dozen birders, biologists and state agency representatives. The group matched criteria it established against a list of potential IBAs drawn from extensive birder observations and existing state and federal bird survey data. The final list came by comparing and prioritizing the candidates.

Editors and reporters: pictures of Maine birds this program focuses on are available. Maine Audubon is also offering many trips and events in the coming weeks highlighting IBAs and migratory birds that could present good photo opportunities. To find out more, contact Andrew Colvin at acolvin@maineaudubon.org, or (207) 781-2330, ext. 241.

Maine Audubon’s IBA work is supported in part by grants from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, the William P. Wharton Trust and the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust.

MAINE AUDUBON works to conserve Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat by engaging people of all ages in education, conservation and action. For more than 160 years, Maine Audubon has been connecting people with nature and leading science-based conservation in major projects across the state. An independent affiliate of Audubon’s national organization, Maine Audubon has seven local chapters, 11 nature centers and sanctuaries, and 11,000 members and supporters.

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