Upper Savannah River Basin designated as Georgia IBA

The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program of Georgia recently designated the Upper Savannah River Basin, which is owned and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah Districe, as an IBA.

"The designation is a great example of the Corps' ongoing management and environmental stewardship," said Jeff Brooks, districe wildlife biologist.

The site, which encompasses approximately 100,000 acres of land and water on the Georgia side of Lake Thurmond and three waterfowl management ponds at Lake Russell, provides a nesting and feeding haven for ducks, bald eagles and migratory birds.

The IBA Program is a major conservation effort of the National Audubon Society in association with BirdLife International to save essential habitats of North American birds. More than 2,000 areas in the U.S. have been determined to be IBAs and Georgia currently has 47 of them. The Upper Savannah River Basin is the 48th site in Georgia to be designated as an IBA and the first IBA to be managed by the Savannah District.

A site is recognized as an IBA only if it meets certain criteria, based on the occurrence of key bird species that are vulnerable to global extinction or whose populations are otherwise irreplaceable.

Brooks said that the nuber of waterfowl and bald eagles that frequent the area played a major part in the nomination being accepted.

"Georgia-side of Thurmond was probably designated because we typically have three active eagle nests in that area each year," said Brooks.

Brooks said the designation will not have any impact on the public's use of the area or require any additional funding or actions by the Corps.

"There is no regulatory authority that places restrictions or limitations on the public's use of the property," said Brooks. "The Corps will continue managing the site as it normally does."

For more information about designated IBA areas across Georgia or to find criteria on how to designate an area, please visit the Atlanta Audubon Soceity website at www.atlanta audubon.org/aaswww/iba/iba.htm.