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.

The greatest threat to birds and their habitats in Maryland is habitat loss and degradation due largely to the sprawling pattern of development that is all too familiar in our state. Audubon is doing its part to rein in rampant development on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore, using its Important Bird Areas, or IBAs, as a planning tool.

Summer in Maryland is the perfect time to put down the ipod or gameboy, pick up a fishing pole and canoe paddle, and hit the water with friends. Pickering Creek Audubon Center summer camp is for students in grades Kindergarten through ninth who want to explore the outdoors and get excited about all kinds of wildlife from reptiles to insects, the biodiversity at Pickering Creek, wildlife adaptations, wetland, forest, and pond habitats, natural cycles, and much more. For more information EcoCamp contact Kelsey Frey at 410-822-4903, or see a full list of camps at www.pickeringcreek.org/ecocamp/.