At 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 11,  Dr. Bruce Carr will speak  about "Important Bird Areas in Missouri and Other Developments" at Runge Conservation Nature Center.

      Carr, director of Audubon Missouri, will talk

about places in Missouri designated as special for birds and update us about other activities related to bird conservation, advocacy, and education.

      Audubon, as the partner for BirdLife International, is

identifying a network of sites that provide critical habitat for birds, known as the Important Bird Areas Program (IBA) This recognizes that habitat loss and fragmentation are the

most serious threats facing populations of birds.   IBA nominations were solicited in Missouri between December 2003 and June 2004.  In all, 55 nominations were received from Audubon chapter members, land managers, biologists, and other citizen scientists. Based upon the review of these nominations, 47 IBAs were officially identified in the summer of 2004.

      In 2006, Audubon Missouri completed the Missouri IBA Technical Report, which includes a