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These directions are provided to help answer any questions you might have about filling out a nomination form. From start to finish, you can probably expect to spend about 1-2 hours completing a form, depending upon the length and detail of information that you provide. If you have a question that is not addressed in these directions, please feel free to contact Andy Forbes by e-mail at Andrew.Forbes@mdc.mo.gov, or by phone at 573-447-2249. By taking the time to fill this form out, you are personally taking a role in shaping the course of bird conservation in Missouri by providing us with invaluable “on the ground” information that we might not have otherwise. Your data will assist planners not only within Audubon, but also within various other conservation agencies in Missouri. Thank you for your time!

You can expect to receive confirmation that we have received your nomination within two to three weeks. The IBA technical committee will review nomination forms, and the first IBA designations will be announced in the spring of 2004.

Personal Information:

Name, Address, City, State, etc.-
Fill in as appropriate.

Affiliation-
Please list, if any, membership or affiliation that you have with a conservation organization, such as an Audubon chapter or other birding club.

Site Information:

Name of site-
Base the site name on the most conspicuous ownership or geographical location. A good example would be a wildlife refuge or conservation area that is within the nominated IBA, or a nearby town or if the site is primarily private land.

Nearest town-
Please list the name of the nearest town to the center of the nominated IBA. This does not have to be exact.

County-
Please fill out the county or counties that you know the nominated IBA is in.

General location/directions-
Please give the best directions that you can to the nominated site. Attaching a map is helpful, but not necessary.

General site description-
This is intended to provide you with an opportunity to give us a general description of the habitats, terrain, birds, wildlife, or any other features of the site that you feel will help us get a feel for what the site is like on the ground. Take as much or as little space as you want, and attach additional pages if necessary.

IBA Criteria:

• Endangered, threatened, or species of conservation concern regularly present. This applies primarily to breeding or wintering sites, though regular migratory areas may be considered if known to be of exceptional importance. Bird species in Missouri that meet these criteria are the following:

• Species with restricted ranges regularly present. This means the site provides habitat for bird species that are not necessarily endangered or threatened, but that have restricted ranges, thus potentially making them more vulnerable to habitat loss and destruction than species with broader ranges.
• Species associated with a threatened or rare habitat type. This means the site provides habitat for bird species that are strongly associated with a particular habitat type that is in jeopardy. A good example of this would be Bachman’s Sparrow, which is strongly associated with pine savannah and glade habitats in Missouri.
• Concentrations of birds regularly present. On a regular basis, the site supports numbers of birds equal to or greater than the numerical thresholds listed.

Detailed Species Information-
Fill in as much information as you can about numbers of individual species or groups of species (i.e. waterfowl, shorebirds, etc.). Please list the years during which you are basing your observations. Please also list the sources of your data at the bottom of the page. These can include your own personal observations, or more standardized surveys, such as Christmas Bird Counts, or North American Breeding Bird Survey routes.

Summary/Other Comments (Optional)-
Identification of IBA sites is only the first step in achieving their conservation. As such, this page is provided for you to give us any other information you feel will help us in our review of your nomination, as well as information that will help in future conservation planning at the site. Examples of such information could include current conservation projects that you or your Audubon chapter is involved with at the site, any potential future conservation projects at the site, and what resources you and/or your chapter would need in order for this to be successful.