Conservation planning is a critical component of the Important Bird Area (IBA) program, providing Audubon, landowners, land managers, and other stakeholders with a strategic, science-based approach for future conservation and habitat management activities. An IBA conservation plan identifies threats, defines actions to address the most important needs for an IBA in order to maintain and protect key species, outlines opportunities to engage landowners in the conservation of the IBA, and provides interested people with opportunities to become involved in conservation, monitoring, and outreach activities at the IBA.
Audubon Connecticut is currently seeking proposals from colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, consultants, or qualified individuals to develop an Important Bird Area (IBA) conservation plan for East Rock Park in New Haven, Connecticut.
East Rock Park was identified as an IBA in 2001. This 426-acre urban park and traprock ridge, owned by the City of New Haven Parks Commission, is an important island of habitat in an urban environment and is one of the most important landbird stopover areas in Connecticut in the spring. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded in the park and on a good day in the spring, over 20 species of warblers are easily observed. The Park also hosts a Peregrine Falcon nest and its deciduous woodlands are important to forest nesting birds.
The plan should utilize the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (www.conservationmeasures.org) developed by the Conservation Measures Partnership. Using Miradi adaptive management software, the Open Standards provide a framework for planning, implementing, monitoring, analyzing, learning from, and adapting conservation projects. The plan should be no more than 20 pages* and should focus on:
- What makes the sites an IBA and which areas are important to birds of conservation concern or large numbers of birds
- Threats to the IBA and the birds it supports
- Special considerations (such as landscape scale considerations, non-avian endangered or threatened species to consider, and any particularly relevant historical information)
- Identification of conservation targets and goals
- Conservation actions that will reduce threats to conservation targets and allow goals to be reached
- Which metrics to use to measure the success of the plan in reaching the conservation goals
The East Rock Park conservation plan should also seek to:
- Outline the habitats and key biotic and abiotic resources present at the site
- Identify and engage all groups with a stakeholder interest in the IBA
- Determine strategies to protect and enhance function as stopover habitat for migratory birds
- Determine strategies to protect and enhance key areas for forest nesting birds. A Forest Bird Habitat Assessment (ct.audubon.org/forest-birds) will be performed for East Rock this summer; recommendations from the report should be included in the conservation plan.
- Determine ways to balance sustainable recreational uses with conservation at the IBA
- Identify opportunities to engage volunteers in conservation, education, and monitoring at the IBA
- Communicate with key stakeholders in the development of the plan and coordinate with the landowner, the City of New Haven Parks Commission
- Examine potential grant sources for funding habitat management
*Additional information may be included in the appendix.
The selected firm, organization or individual shall have experience in natural resource planning or a related field, and experience working with the general public, nonprofit organizations, and governmental agencies.
Expected products include electronic (Microsoft Word or equivalent) copies of the draft plan, hard and print ready electronic (Microsoft Word and Adobe .PDF or equivalent) copies of the final conservation plan, and a Miradi file. The plan should include maps of the IBA, (including boundaries, landuse and landcover, topographic, adjacent and proximal protected open space, key habitat features), digital orthophotos of the IBA, and any other media deemed necessary to portray the important natural resource features of the IBA. Digital versions of all maps included in the plan should be provided at the completion of the project.
Proposals including all attachments should be postmarked by March 31, 2016 and include price quote, project budget, schedule for completion of plan (first draft by no later than September 15, 2016), and qualifications of key personnel involved with the project. An applicant will be selected by April 15, 2016.
The selected contractor should be prepared for three rounds of review of the draft plan:
- Initial review by Audubon Connecticut
- Review of a revised draft by Audubon Connecticut and City of New Haven Parks Commission
- Final and peer review by Audubon Connecticut and an expert reviewer
Contact Information
| Corrine Folsom-O’Keefe | cfolsom-okeefe@audubon.org |
| Audubon Connecticut | Office: (203) 405-9116 |
| 185 East Flat Hill Road | Cell: (203) 233-0535 |
| Southbury, CT 06488 | Fax: (203) 264-6332 |
Project Schedule
| Proposals postmarked: | March 31, 2016 |
| Consultant selection: | April 15, 2016 |
| Project start date: | April 30, 2016 |
| Peer review draft due: | April 1, 2017 |
| Final plan due: | May 1, 2017 |
