Hi Folks,

Saw this in the Tri-City Herald, and thought that it was likely of interest
to the group.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net
----- Original Message -----
Audubon aims to educate land planners

This story was published 9/20/2001

By Kristina Lord
Herald Valley bureau

Bird enthusiasts already know areas around the Mid-Columbia are crucial to
supporting large bird populations.

Now they're hoping planners and regulators will take note, too.

Audubon Washington recently published Important Bird Areas of Washington in
an attempt to educate regulators to divert development from areas where
birds live.

Descriptions of the 53 sites listed in the book are intended to help
developers and others learn where the birds live. They hope to improve land
use and management decisions. The areas are deemed crucial to bird life.

The book identifies potential threats and addresses conservation issues at
each site. Among the important bird areas in the Mid-Columbia are the
Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve, Hanford Reach, Yakima River
Delta, North Potholes Reserves and Potholes Reservoir, Toppenish Creek and
Yakima River Oxbows, Walla Walla River Delta, Yakima Training Center and
Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

"To be an important bird area, a place has to be extraordinary," said Tim
Cullinan, director of science and bird conservation at Audubon Washington in
Olympia.

About 2,000 copies of the 170-page book were published this summer.

"Had we known what the demand would be like, we would have printed more,"
Cullinan said.

The Benton County Planning Department received an unsolicited copy of the
book a few months ago, said Adam Fyall, associate planner.

"It's good to have on the shelf. Will we use it a lot? I doubt it. Have we
used it yet? No," Fyall said.

The book would have been better if it included information on endangered
species, a better map, or if Audubon had met with the regulators to address
their needs, Fyall said.

"In the future they need to work a little more closely with the target
audience," Fyall said.

More than 1,200 copies have been distributed, and Audubon is investigating
doing a second printing with private funding so it can sell the book.

A state grant helped pay for the book's initial printing, so Audubon isn't
charging a fee.

With the documentation of the areas, the state joins a worldwide effort to
identify key places with significant bird populations. The state provides
habitat for more than 350 species of birds.

"The (Yakima River Delta) provides a type of habitat that doesn't occur in
many places in that corner of Washington. It's mostly dry, upland
landscape," Cullinan said.

The area supports five species that are either listed as threatened or are
candidates for listing, 30 species of waterfowl and up to 12 species of
birds of prey.

The Hanford Reach supports a high concentration of wintering bald eagles and
waterfowl. Cliffs provide nesting sites for swallows, owls, hawks and
falcons, and the fish inhabiting the Reach feed American white pelicans,
gulls and cormorants.

Copies of the book are available at libraries and upon request on a
first-come, first-served basis. For more information, write to Audubon
Washington, P.O. Box 462, Olympia WA 98507 or call 360-786-8020.