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Audubon Joins Delmarva Birding Weekend to celebrate Important Bird Areas at Assateague Island and Maryland Coastal Bays
On Saturday April 25, 2009, Audubon Maryland-DC held a ceremony in Ocean City to dedicate Important Bird Areas at two of Maryland’s finest birdwatching locations: Assateague Island and Maryland Coastal Bays. The event was co-hosted by Delmarva Low Impact Tourism Experiences (DLITE) in conjunction with one of the birders’ social "Tally Rallies" of this year's Delmarva Birding Weekend.
National Audubon's Maryland-DC Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program is developing an inventory of sites critical for bird conservation in our state, as part of a global IBA Program coordinated by Birdlife International. Assateague Island is globally important for its breeding Piping Plovers, which represent a significant percentage of this species’ entire population. Assateague’s beaches and islands in the Coastal Bays also support other birds at-risk like Least Tern, Black Skimmer and American Oystercatcher, as well as large numbers of migrant shorebirds. The Coastal Bays support 30,000 wintering waterfowl, breeding colonies of terns and wadingbirds, and a diverse community of salt marsh breeding species, such as the globally vulnerable Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
At the ceremony, Audubon recognized the conservation efforts of the following landowners and organizations who work to protect natural habitats at Assateague Island and the Coastal Bays:
National Parks Service, owner and manager of Assateague Island National Seashore.
Maryland Park Service (DNR) - owner and land manager, Assateague State Park
Wildlife and Heritage Service, (DNR) - owner and land manager, E. A. Vaughn WMA
Maryland Coastal Bays Program
Worcester County Board of County Commissioners
Assateague Coastal Trust
Lower Shore Land Trust
Todd Burbage, private landowner and conservation easement holder
Katherine Munson, land use planner and conservationist
These Important Bird Areas not only protect vulnerable birds and their habitats, but also significantly benefit the local economy, attracting birders and wildlife watchers from all over the United States. “The crowd of birdwatchers here today enjoying the Delmarva Birding Weekend serve to illustrate the huge boost provided to Worcester County's tourism industry by the diverse array of coastal habitats and abundance of unique birdlife at Assateague Island and Maryland Coastal Bays,” said Dr David Curson, Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Maryland-DC. “Let’s hope that this recognition of the economic value of birds will further promote land conservation in this very special coastal region.”
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