Meeting Set to Discuss Proposed Bird Conservation Area

COON RAPIDS - The public is invited to a meeting to discuss the proposed designation of an area of public and private land encompassing a 20 mile stretch of the Middle Raccoon River in Guthrie and Carroll counties as a state Bird Conservation Area (BCA). The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, October 24, at the City Council Chamber in the Coon Rapids Municipal Building, 123 3rd Street, Coon Rapids (corner of Main Street and 3rd).

Creating Bird Conservation Areas is a high priority for the Iowa DNR. The proposed Raccoon River Savanna BCA is a unique area offering a variety of habitats to a host of declining bird species, said Bruce Ehresman, biologist with the Iowa DNR's wildlife diversity program. "From grassland birds like bobolink and grasshopper sparrow, savanna species such as red-headed woodpecker and barn owl, to woodland species like bald eagle and wood thrush. The Middle Raccoon River and its surrounding uplands provides a perfect setting for what could be Iowa's tenth Bird Conservation Area," he said.

The BCA concept is focused on all-bird conservation at a landscape scale, and the program's success is dependent on partnership between public agencies, private conservation organizations, and private landowners. Each BCA consists of at least 10,000 acres consisting of one or more core areas of permanently protected bird habitat surrounded by large areas of privately owned land that also is good bird habitat.

The main core area for the proposed Raccoon River Savanna Bird Conservation Area is a large tract that Whiterock Conservancy will manage long-term "to preserve and enhance the area's natural resources through protecting and restoring diverse native habitats," Ehresman said. The land is now owned temporarily by Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation while Whiterock Conservancy's incorporation is being approved.

"The DNR is excited about a partnership with Whiterock Conservancy and other area landowners. This is a great example of how habitat can be well-managed for birds without extensive government ownership of land," said Doug Harr, state coordinator for the wildlife diversity program.

For more information, contact Harr at 515-281-4815 or Ehresman at 515-432-2823