Our Accomplishments
- We have identified 37 Important Bird Areas in Arizona. We have also held formal IBA recognition events for 5 areas (Lower Oak Creek IBA, Boyce Thompson Arboretum IBA, Salt-Gila IBA, Upper Little Colorado River IBA, and Sonoita Creek State Natural Area & Patagonia Lake IBA).
- We have engaged approximately 180 volunteers in these IBA bird monitoring efforts at 26 survey locations (at 24 IBAs) across Arizona in the last year (2008/2009).
- We have contributed our bird survey data to organizations such as the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pima County, The Nature Conservancy, Sonoran Institute, and BHP Billiton (a mining company).
- We have helped secure a conservation purchase with a landowner within the Lower San Pedro IBA (125 acres by Salt River Project in 2003).
- We were a successful advocate expanding Tumacacori National Park within the Upper Santa Cruz River IBA (310 acres in 2002).
- We were successful in advocating before Santa Cruz County residents and in a ballot proposition in the protection of the Santa Cruz River corridor and Sopori Wash (in and adjacent to our Upper Santa Cruz River IBA, respectively) from two major development proposals (denial of 1244 acres and 6076 acres developed beyond existing zoning, respectively, in these two areas in 2008).
- We produced reports on IBA bird studies for Arizona State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service International Program.
- Through a grant we obtained from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, we produced two avian habitat conservation plans (Sabino Creek IBA and Upper Santa Cruz River IBA), and a riparian habitat management guide for private landowners in Arizona. Under this grant agreement Audubon Arizona produced two additional Avian Conservation Plans for Tuzigoot IBA and Lower Oak Creek IBA, respectively.
