DENTON, NEB. (November 9, 2005) – Travelers interested in birding and ecotourism now have 10 new available bird viewing sites recognized as Nebraska’s Important Bird Areas (IBA) to visit. Audubon Nebraska, a state office of the National Audubon Society, now has 26 IBAs in the state.

The 10 sites encompass more than 2,750,000 acres in 27 counties statewide. They include DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge; Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge; Lewis & Clark Lake and Gavins Point Dam; The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve; North Platte National Wildlife Refuge; the Rainwater Basin; Schramm Park State Recreation Area; the Thomas Ashford Scout Reservation; a series of saline wetlands near Lincoln, including Arbor Lake, Shoemaker Marsh, and Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area; and the Wild Rose and Mormon Island properties managed by the Platte River Whooping Crane Trust. The sites were chosen from public submissions received during a second nomination phase this past summer.

Important Bird Areas are sites that provide essential habitat for large numbers or a high diversity of birds, or for particular bird species whose declining populations are of concern to biologists. Sites must meet strict standardized scientific criteria established by Nebraska’s IBA technical review team, which includes many of the state’s leading birders and biologists.

“While these sites vary greatly in terms of land ownership, habitat type, and bird usage, they all are critical for the survival of birds in Nebraska,” said Kevin Poague, Important Bird Areas coordinator for Audubon Nebraska. “The IBA effort teaches us that places right in our backyard can be important to birds on a national, continental, or even global scale.”

The 10 IBA’s contain a variety of habitats, including wetlands and riparian systems, prairie, lake, and forest areas. Each type of habitat serves different bird species. For example, the Niobrara Valley Preserve in the Nebraska Sandhills is a large, relatively pristine prairie sanctuary that hosts large numbers of grassland dependent birds, such as greater prairie chickens and bobolinks. The Rainwater Basin in south central Nebraska has long been a vital migration stopover for hundreds of thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds, including white-fronted geese and buff-breasted sandpipers. In the panhandle, the North Platte National Wildlife Refuge was recognized for its outstanding diversity of bird life and large area that supports a wide array of birds whose populations are declining.

Ecotourism and agritourism are two of the fastest growing trends in tourism. The National Tour Association reports that organized ecotours grew by 9% during the past two years while agritours have grown by 29%. The new IBAs in Nebraska will attract tourists and have an economic impact on local economies.

Additional information on the IBA effort can be found on Audubon Nebraska’s website: www.Nebraska.audubon.org, and the National Audubon Society website: www.audubon.org/bird/IBA. For information on birding trails in Nebraska go to the Nebraska Tourism web site at www.VisitNebraska.org, click on Tourism Links at the bottom of the home page, and scroll down to Trails and Byways to Nebraska Birding Trails.

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Kevin Poague at 402-797-2301, or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it