Wyoming

The Important Bird Areas (IBA) program is the focal point for Audubon Wyoming's conservation effort. Audubon Wyoming initiated the IBA program in 1999. As of March 2005, 44 IBAs have been identified in Wyoming, encompassing more than nine million acres of public and private lands (16% of the land area of the state). Even more impressive then the amount of land IBAs now encompass across the state is the level of local participation in conservation action on IBAs. With the assistance of many individuals and local Audubon Chapters, conservation efforts have begun on twelve IBAs, involving 14 avian monitoring programs and three habitat restoration projects. In addition to monitoring and restoration projects, IBA Adoption efforts were initiated this year in Wyoming to stimulate local Audubon Chapter participation and stewardship on IBA sites. The IBA Stewardship Adoption Program allows Audubon chapters, bird clubs, and other conservation groups to play a vital role in furthering the goals of the IBA Program and bird conservation in general. By adopting one or more IBAs, local community groups provide much-needed stewardship of the site through recruiting volunteer citizen scientists for monitoring bird populations, and offering educational opportunities to help conserve the sites.