The Important Bird Area (IBA) Program is an integral part of the Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Strategy. IBA programs started in Europe and have been completed in many areas of the world. In the United States, Global, Continental, and National IBA's are designated by the American Bird Conservancy. State IBA's are identified by the National Audubon Society (see Oregon's Important Bird Areas).
The identification of IBA sites is based on scientific criteria and is essential to establish habitat-based priorities in conservation. An IBA site provides important habitat to large concentrations of birds or one or more species of birds of special concern and/or has substantial research value.
An IBA designation does not provide any protection to a site because the IBA program is not regulatory and has no legal land-use authority. IBA's may provide a voluntary means of local conservation only if land-owners agree to participate.
Lincoln County has two of the five Global or Continental IBA's that have been designated so far in Oregon and five State Important Bird Areas (Salmon River Estuary, Siletz Bay, Yaquina Head, Yaquina Bay, and Alsea Bay). It is easy to take local areas for granted, but the Global IBA status for Yaquina Head and the Continental IBA status for parts of Yaquina Bay help put the importance of these local sites into perspective.
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (YHONA) was designated as a Globally Important Bird Area in 1997 by the American Bird Conservancy because of its many nesting seabirds including Western Gulls, Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, Brandt's Cormorants, and Pelagic Cormorants. On 8 September 2004, it is not listed as a Globally Important Bird Area in Oregon at http://www.abcbirds.org/iba/oregon.htm, but Robert Chipley (Director of the American Bird Conservancy's IBA Program) emailed me on 9 September 2004 that Yaquina Head is still a Globally Important Bird Area, but is not among the 500 listed on their web site and in their book.
YHONA may be the best place for the general public to see nesting seabirds along the Oregon Coast. The observation deck west of the Lighthouse provides excellent views for observers with binoculars. The best time to see nesting birds is during late May through July.
YHONA is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and is open dawn to dusk. There is a Recreational Fee for motor vehicles.
YHONA is also a State Important Bird Area.
Some of the tidelands and submerged lands downstream Toledo Airport were designated as a Continental IBA in October 1998.
The estuarine area included in this IBA provides habitat for Continentally important numbers of Western Gulls and Nationally significant numbers of Black Brant, Whimbrels, Western Grebes, Sanderlings, Mew Gulls, and Caspian Terns.
Another qualifying criterion for IBA status is the presence of a research or educational facility, so the presence of the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) was a factor in the Yaquina Bay IBA designation. Besides having many researchers studying Yaquina Bay and other coastal areas, the HMSC has also been recognized as only one of seven Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers in the nation.
Areas not included in the Yaquina Bay IBA are those zoned for heavy development (e.g., bayfront to the shipping terminal, South Beach Marina, and the north shore from Coquille Point to River Bend) and Flesher, Johnson, McCaffery, Parker, and Poole Sloughs.
Part of Yaquina Bay has also been designated a State Important Bird Area.
The Salmon River Estuary in Tillamook and Lincoln County is a State Important Bird Area, with totals of >1000 shorebirds (mostly Western Sandpipers) regular here in spring.
Siletz Bay is a State Important Bird Area, with at least 100 Brown Pelicans, 5,000 waterfowl (in marine estuarine habitats), 1,000 shorebirds, and 50 Caspian Terns in season.
Alsea Bay is a State Important Bird Area. This IBA includes all tidelands and submerged lands in Alsea Bay from where Drift Creek flows into the Alsea River downstream to the river mouth. Bird numbers exceeding IBA criteria thresholds include counts of >50 Caspian Terns (K. Merrifield unpubl. data), >100 Brown Pelicans (Endangered) (R. Bayer unpubl. data), >1,000 shorebirds (Page et al. 1992, K. Merrifield unpubl. data), and >5,000 waterfowl (USFWS unpubl. data). On 24 August 2004, the Audubon Society of Portland held a press conference in Waldport about the Alsea Bay IBA; the Newport News-Times newspaper had an article: Alsea Bay designated as 'Important Bird Area' on p. D4 of the 1 September 2004 issue (the online edition does not include one of the 2 photos). The Alsea Bay Historic Interpretative Center is located near the south end of the Alsea Bay Bridge.