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Thanks to a TogetherGreen Volunteer Days grant, the Important Bird Areas Program is helping to bring people together at IBAs to build interest in birds and work towards monitoring and restoring these sites for the benefit of birds and wildlife. See below for a summary of this year's events.
Volunteer Days Fall 2009- Spring 2010
Birding for Beginners, 18 October 2009 - Chicago Lakefront IBA, IL. Coordinated by Judy Pollock. Close to 40 people from the local community attended the event, held at the Pullman State Historic Site. Participants were introduced to local birds and key habitat features, in an effort to engage them in implementing and promoting bird-friendly landscaping at the site.
Audubon IBA Helpers Trail Clearing, 22 January 2010 - Lower James River IBA, VA. Coordinated by Mary Elfner/David Bryan. Approximately 25 people participated in this family-friendly event, organized in partnership with HandsOn Richmond as a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Participants took part in clearing an access trail, picking up trash, enjoyed a bird walk, and learned of the importance of bird conservation in Virginia.
Restoration at Trumbo Hollow, 17 April 2010 - Upper Blue Ridge Mountains IBA, VA. Coordinated by David Bryan/Mary Elfner. At this event, hosted in partnership with the National Park Service, participants learned about the Upper Blue Ridge Mountains IBA, its significance for species such as Cerulean Warbler, and the threats faced at the site. Approximately 20 volunteers took part in activities,focused on the eradication of invasive species that have taken over the site, like garlic mustard, autumn olive and multiflora rose, which have reduced biodiversity and quality of bird and wildlife habitat.
Restoration at Chicago Lakefront, April 2010 - Chicago Lakefront IBA, IL. Coordinated by Judy Pollock. Summary to come...
	Removing Invasives at Valle Crucis Community Park, 5 May 2010 - near Amphibolites Important Bird Area, NC. Coordinated by Curtis Smalling. Partnering with Blue Ridge Conservancy and High Country Audubon Society, Audubon North Carolina organized this event, which focused 16 volunteers on pulling and removing invasive garlic mustard from within Valle Crucis Community Park, an area adjacent to an Important Bird Area. Through these efforts, 45 bags full of garlic mustard were removed, to help increase biodiversity of the wetland system in the area.
Restoration, stewardship, and outreach at Tanque Verde Wash, 8 May 2010 - Sabino and Lower Bear Creek Important Bird Area, AZ. Coordinated by Scott Wilbor . Held on International Migratory Bird Day, volunteers participated in a variety of activities during this event, led by Tucson Audubon Society. Stewardship volunteers surveyed and mapped "IBA stressors", including Giant Reed patches and raptor territories throughout the wash area. Restoration volunteers removed invasives such as Arundo and Giant Reed, while outreach volunteers distributed information about the project to local landowners and others interested. An educational brochure about the value of riparian ecosystems will be distributed to landowners of Pima County eventually as part of this project. Partners involved in this event included Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists and SAHRA-University of Arizona.
Bird Monitoring Series at Mountain Important Bird Areas in North Carolina, Various dates throughout May-June 2010 - Wilson Creek/Linville Gorge IBA (Pisgah National Forest); New River Corridor IBA; Plott and Great Balsams IBA in North Carolina. Coordinated by Curtis Smalling. Throughout this series of events, spread out over nine days in May and early June, 49 volunteers conducted 75 point counts and area search counts within three Important Bird Areas in the mountain region of North Carolina. Approximately 580 volunteer hours were spent collecting data, entering data, and traveling for this event in total. In addition to being a Volunteer Day, these monitoring efforts were also part of the Adopt an IBA program in North Carolina, contributing to an increased understanding of the birds and the conservation pressures they face at these Important Bird Areas. Primary partners participating in these activities included High Country Audubon Society, Elishah Mitchell Audubon Society, Carolina Field Birders, and Forsyth Audubon Society.
Additional Volunteer Days at Important Bird Areas Activities at Tuzigoot Important Bird Area, 24 April 2010 - Tuzigoot Important Bird Area, AZ. Coordinated by Tice Supplee. Activities were held in conjunction with the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival at Deadhorse State Park.
See Photos and Location of Volunteer Days

Updated 17 June 2010