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Important Bird Area Information
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Nevada Important Bird Areas Program

The Lahontan Audubon Society (LAS) initiated the Nevada Important Bird Areas (NV IBA) Program beginning in June of 2001. The NV IBA Program was conceived as at least a three-year effort involving the coordination of federal and state agencies, non-government organizations (NGO's), and individuals throughout Nevada. The Nevada Director of Bird Conservation, Don McIvor, was hired in August 2001. Robin Powell is now the director.

The NV IBA Program has identified a portfolio of high conservation priority sites - these are the Important Bird Areas. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) oversaw the nomination and selection process. Although the nomination process has largely concluded, we always welcome the possibility of finding a new qualified site through a new nomination. Anyone interested in the program is welcome to submit a nomination.

For a list of all the Nevada IBAs and detailed descriptions, please visit the Nevada Important Bird Areas page on the National Audubon Society's webpage.

History of IBA Program

While operating independently within the State, the NV IBA Program is actually contributing to an international IBA effort initiated in 1985 by Birdlife International. The program reached the North American continent in 1995, where the National Audubon Society (NAS) is now the partner-designate in the US. Under the auspices of NAS, state-based programs are identifying critical landscapes for bird conservation. To date, more than 2,000 IBAs have been identified in the US, encompassing more than 200 million acres. Worldwide, over 8,000 sites in 178 countries have been identified as Important Bird Areas, with many national and regional IBA inventories published in 19 languages. Hundreds of these sites and millions of acres have received better protection as a result of the IBA Program.

NV IBA Program Funding

Nevada is the 37th state to establish an IBA Program. Unlike other states, which have relied on the National Audubon Society to initiate IBA programs through its State Office system, Nevada's efforts have been truly grass-roots, relying on the Lahontan Audubon Society to raise funds and direct the daily operations of the program.

The Lahontan Audubon Society is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and has funded the Nevada Important Bird Areas Program entirely by grants and donations. Generous support provided by:

Project specific support has also been provided by:

The USDI-Bureau of Reclamation, Lahontan Basin Projects Office.

If you would like to make a contribution to the NV IBA Program, please contact Robin Powell - rpowell@audubon.org

Program Objectives

The over-arching goal of the NV IBA Program is to recognize and promote enhanced management of IBA sites. The program will contribute to the preservation, maintenance, and recovery of bird populations in Nevada in collaboration with private landowners, federal and state agencies, and NGO's responsible for the well being of birds and other wildlife and their habitats.

Specific project objectives include:

  • Solicit nominations for potential IBA's from across the state.
  • Complete the review of all nominated sites and finalize the list of NV IBA sites
  • Identify threats to IBA's, prioritize conservation efforts, and begin working with landowners to develop stewardship plans
  • Identify gaps in the database for each IBA site and collect information necessary to complete site descriptions
  • Compile and publish Important Bird Areas of Nevada
  • Identify priority sites for conservation easements or land purchases with willing landowners and facilitate these arrangements
  • Identify sites where habitat restoration work is required and work with landowners and volunteers to implement restoration efforts
  • Continue the on-going public outreach and education program built on the IBA Program and focusing on bird conservation
  • On-site recognition of IBA's through placement of signs (with landowner permission).
  • Enhance communications among state and federal agencies, NGO's and citizens concerned with avian conservation and habitat restoration
  • Coordination of avian monitoring needs with agencies and NGO's in Nevada
Program Approach

The Nevada Director of Bird Conservation is charged with the statewide implementation of the program. Agency and NGO biologists, land managers, researchers, and knowledgeable members of the conservation community nominate potential IBA's. Nominations are evaluated against a rigorous set of criteria that were drafted by the state IBA director and approved by the IBA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). If sites meet the criteria and are accepted by the TAC, they then become a (Regionally) Important Bird Area. Criteria distinguishing Globally and Continentally Important Bird Areas have also been established by an IBA National Advisory Committee. This group, working under the National Audubon Society will determine whether Nevada's IBAs qualify for this higher level of recognition.

A book formalizing the site recognition process has been published (Important Bird Areas of Nevada), and the book serves as a guide to the IBA's and the essential resources they are designed to protect. Monitoring of each site is also a long-term concern, with a need for citizen-scientists to establish a database of avian use of the IBA's and identify population trends, as well as to track site conditions. The database will provide a valuable conservation tool to inform land management decisions. Finally, the IBA Program is developing stewardship plans for IBA's that will accommodate landowner needs while preserving the habitat resources that make the IBA's exemplary. Public outreach in the form of articles to media outlets, presentations to school groups, and birding, conservation, and professional organizations, and field trips to IBA sites are an on-going component of the project.

NV IBA Site Nomination Process

The NV IBA Program is based upon a four-step process involving the identification, recognition, monitoring, and stewardship of areas offering habitat that is critical to migrating, breeding, or wintering birds. The process of IBA site selection is based upon rigorous scientific criteria tailored to the unique Nevada environment, but following the model established by other state-based IBA programs.

The NV IBA Program Technical Advisory Committee reviews each nomination in which at least one of the nomination criteria were met. Additional nominations are welcomed, and anyone interested may wish to explore the online Nomination Criteria, Nomination Forms, and a Guide to working with Land Owners.

IBA Fact Sheets

The following are links to Fact Sheets that give more information on specific IBA's in Nevada. Addtional sheets will be added soon.

Volunteer Opportunities - Updated 7-April-2009

Through the funding of the National Audubon Society TogetherGreen Volunteerism Grant, the Nevada Important Bird Area (IBA) Program will be implementing numerous conservation related projects throughout Northern Nevada during Spring 2009. There are plenty of opportunities to learn new conservation skills, plant some trees, habitat protection, and networking with like-minded individuals. Each event will have various “tokens of appreciation” for the volunteers and include refreshments. All ages are welcomed and encouraged!

Swan Lake Clean-up Day and Thistle Pull

Location: Swan Lake Nature Study Area and IBA
Date: May 2, 2009 (confirmed)
Goal: Clean up debris and garbage throughout the IBA and dig all musk thistle rosettes along the trail, pastures, and boardwalk. Noxious weeds are a serious threat to the sensitive habitats at Swan Lake. Noxious weeds, such as tall whitetop and musk thistle, have infested large portions of the upland, riparian, and playa habitats which reduces the habitat quality for wildlife and displaces native vegetation. Musk thistle is easy to remove during the rosette stage, thereby preventing the spread of the plant species and protecting the habitat.

Noxious Weeds Education Day

Location: River Fork Ranch-Carson Valley IBA
Date: May 16, 2009
Goal: To demonstrate the multiple methods of managing hoary cress (short whitetop) and other noxious weeds. We will be working on identification, treatment methods, protection of wildlife and other non-target plants, and prevention. Hoary cress is one of the dominant noxious weeds in Carson Valley and requires specific treatment methods for proper management or elimination from residential and ranch properties.

Washoe Valley Citizen Science Day - New Date!

Location: Winters Ranch-Washoe Valley IBA
Date: May, 23 2009
Goal: To improve the understanding with community residents on the importance of monitoring for new invasive plant species in the valley. Part of the training will include working with GPS units, proper weed identification, and how to be an effective citizen scientist. One of the greatest habitat threats to this IBA is noxious weeds. It is critical to identify new weed species and eradicate them immediately which require active volunteers! We will also talk about the natural history of Washoe Valley and Winters Ranch.

Carson River Weed Geocaching Workshop

Location: Silver Saddle Ranch, Carson City
Date: June 13, 2009
Goal: Learn to identify invasive plants along the Carson River. Invasive plants negatively impact wildlife habitat throughout the Carson River watershed. Learn how to identify the different invasive plants aka weeds along the Carson River while learning to geocache (similar to a scavenger hunt) and use a GPS unit. We will also be discussing bird diversity in the watershed. All ages are welcomed!

Santa Maria Ranch Park Restoration Project

Location: Santa Maria Ranch Park, Dayton, NV-Lower Carson River Delta IBA
Date: Tentatively set for May 30, 2009
Goal: Plant willows, Wood’s Rose, Fremont cottonwood trees, and other plants along the Carson River at Santa Maria Ranch Park, managed by Lyon County Parks and Recreation. Help improve the vegetation within the park to increase bird diversity and protect the habitat from further degradation. A fall seeding volunteer project is also planned in 2009.

Within two weeks of each event, I will be distributing more information (i.e., times, meeting locations, supplies, etc.) and posting to the www.nevadaaudubon.org/iba or via the new Volunteer Listserv website http://groups.google.com/group/nv-iba-volunteers. If you have any interest in volunteering in the events or would like more information, please feel free to contact me at 775-247-2798 or rpowell@audubon.org

Happy Volunteering!

Robin Powell

To keep up to date on IBA Volunteer items please visit the IBA Google Group or join the IBA Volunteer e-mail list. Links below.

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