Scroll down for information on current and past recipients!

Oconee Rivers Audubon Society Bird Conservation Grant

The Important Bird Area (IBA) Program is a world-wide effort to identify and conserve key breeding and feeding sites for birds. An Important Bird Area is a place that provides essential habitat for one or more species of bird, whether in breeding season, winter, or during migration. These sites are considered to be exceptionally important for bird conservation. Protection of the most critical of these sites is one important approach to the protection of many bird species. Within the United States, the IBA program is part of the larger Partners in Flight program that, in turn, is part of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. These larger programs have additional landscape and management-based approaches to bird conservation. Taken together, these approaches are designed to help ensure the survival of all bird species.

There are 49 IBAs in Georgia with 1 official IBA (State Botanical Gardens and Whitehall Forest) in Athens/Clarke County.  ORAS is working to nominate an additional IBA that includes Sandy Creek Nature Center, Sandy Creek Park, and the connecting Cook’s Trail.

ORAS wishes to support a student, individual, or group conducting research or habitat improvement on any of the 5 IBA (or potential IBA) properties or other areas that provide important habitat to birds in Athens/Clarke County.  Bird research and habitat conservation and restoration are important to protecting our birds.  Reports and results will be used by ORAS and the staff of the IBAs to direct future projects and improve the quality of bird habitat in Athens.

Amount: $300

Eligible Applicants: Any individual wishing to conduct bird research or habitat improvement in the areas within or surrounding Athens/Clarke County.

Eligible Locations: Areas within or surrounding Athens/Clarke County.

Requirements:  Successful applicants are expected to submit a report detailing findings or results to ORAS.  In addition, applicants are expected to give a 30min – 1hr presentation of their project during one of ORAS’s monthly meetings.

Application:  Please email a cover letter detailing your project and how it affects birds directly or indirectly and an intended equipment list with budget to ORAS President Vanessa Lane, president@oconeeriversaudubon.org.

Deadline:  TBD in Fall 2010

 

Current and Past Recipients

June 17 2010
Congratulations to Kerrie Anne Loyd, who is our summer 2010 recipient for the ORAS Conservation Grant. Kerrie Anne is studying the effects of outdoor cats on wildlife by attaching "kitty cams" to cats and videoing their daily wanderings. ORAS is sponsoring the purchase of one camera. If you would like to learn more about Kerrie Anne's project or donate money to her research, please email Vanessa Lane at president@oconeeriversaudubon.org, and I will put you in touch with Kerrie Anne.

September 9 2009
Congratulations to the Memorial Park Ecological Restoration Project who is our fall 2009 recipient. Susan Wilde and her fellow "Weed Warriors" are working to remove exotic invasive plants, such as English ivy, Chinese privet, and bush honeysuckle from Memorial Park. They were able to clear over 3 acres of nonnative plants in the winter of 2009-2010, and used the ORAS Conservation Grant to purchase native plant species in the restoration area. This is an ongoing project. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, please consider volunteering. We post workdays on the Upcoming page.