Audubon, state join forces for bird program

PHOTOGRAPHER: Sara Foss

A new program aims to promote bird conservation in New York’s parks.

The program, called Audubon in the Parks, is a partnership between Audubon New York, the state chapter of the Audubon Society, and the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Audubon New York executive director Al Caccese said that budget cuts have made it more difficult for the state to fund bird conservation efforts, but the new program will mobilize volunteers to fill in the gap.

By joining forces, the parks office and Audubon New York will “further our goals in ways that neither organization could accomplish alone,” according to the Audubon mission statement.

Audubon in the Parks will focus on restoring and enhancing habitat in the state’s Bird Conservation Areas and Important Bird Areas. Statewide, there are 52 Bird Conservation Areas, 20 of which are located in state parks, and 136 Important Bird Areas.

The conservation areas are part of the New York State Bird Conservation Area Program, which was created in 1997 under former Gov. George Pataki with the goal of protecting the state’s birds, while the important bird areas are a designation given by Audubon New York. A number of parks in the Capital Region have been designated Bird Conservation Areas, including Thacher, Saratoga Spa, Moreau Lake and Schodack Island state parks.

“We want to try to help the Bird Conservation Areas,” Caccese said.

Audubon New York will also promote outreach and education, Caccese said.

Bird walks previously restricted to members of the Audubon Society will now be open to the public, and data collected on these walks be sent to eBird.org. The group also plans to work with members and other groups to help remove invasive species from Bird Conservation Areas and plant native species.

By opening up its activities and doing more education and outreach, Audubon New York hopes to increase its membership, Caccese said.

The state’s bird population is declining, and grassland birds have been especially hard hit, largely as a result of development, Caccese said. But the other big threat is climate change, he said. “Right now, that’s the number one cause of bird declines.”

In a statement, Lucy Rockefeller Waletzky, chairwoman of the state Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said that “this collaboration will be enormously helpful in restoring and protecting the many significant and unique bird habitats located in state parks throughout New York.”