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Issues & Action >
Issues & Action
NYS Open Space Conservation Plan
 High
quality bird habitats are featured prominently in the State's
new conservation wish list. The 2006
Open Space Conservation Plan lists more than 100 areas,
or projects, that have been identified as priorities for open
space and natural resource conservation in New York State.
Included among these projects are most of the sites identified
by Audubon as Important
Bird Areas (IBAs).
Projects listed in the Open Space Plan
are eligible for state money for protection through acquisition,
conservation easements, or other means, such as smart growth
and farmland preservation initiatives. Most of the priority
projects listed in New York's Open Space Plan were identified
by nine regional committees, whose members include representatives
of towns, counties, conservation organizations and other citizens.
Projects range from specific single properties to larger regions.
Some of the larger projects, such as the South Shore Estuary
Preserve on Long Island, include multiple IBAs.
State law requires that the State's Open
Space Plan be updated every three years. Since the release
of the 1998 Open Space Plan, which coincided with Audubon
New York's publication of the first edition of Important Bird
Areas in New York State, the number of IBAs included in the
Plan has increased, as has the acknowledgement of the IBA
program and the significance of sites designated as IBAs.
Listing in the Open Space Plan is only
the first step toward protection of these valuable habitats.
Importantly, in recent years, IBAs have been protected or
improved through dozens of Open Space Plan projects. These
and other successes are highlighted in the 2006 OSP.
For more details about IBAs in the Open
Space Plan or to view the 2006 Plan, please click here.
For more information on Audubon New York's
Open Space Plan Priorities please contact:
Graham Cox, Open Space Coordinator
Audubon New York
200 Trillium Lane, Albany, NY 12203
(518) 869-9731; Fax (518) 869-0737 |
