SHERIDAN, Wyo. (AP) - The Ucross Foundation ranch has been designated as an Important Bird Area as part of a program to help save birds that are at risk of losing their habitat.
The distinction is granted by the National Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy as part of a voluntary program to identify, monitor and conserve areas for birds and the public.
The Ucross Foundation ranch is a 20,000-acre working cattle ranch located a few miles from the foot of the Big Horn Mountains. Since its founding in 1981 by Robert Plank, an oil and gas pioneer, the foundation has attracted nearly 2,000 composers, writers, photographers, painters and members of the public to enjoy the wild countryside.
Part of the ranch’s draw for artists is its connection to nature and the surrounding expansive landscape, said Sharon Dynak, president of the Ucross Foundation. The other draw is the thousands of species of birds that pass through the area.
There are currently about 44 sites known as IBAs in Wyoming and 8,000 worldwide on private and public land, according to the national group. The program is voluntary, but it can lead to acquisitions or easements, establishing voluntary best practices and management agreements.
The campaign for the designation near Sheridan started when bird expert Jackie Canterbury retired from teaching at Sheridan College last year and she decided to get more involved with the local Audubon, the Casper Star-Tribune reported (https://tinyurl.com/kjhprhh).
For land to qualify for the IBA label, information has to be collected showing the type and number of birds in the habitat in a given season. There must be evidence showing whether the birds live in the area year-round or only during migratory pit-stops. Ultimately, a case must be made for the value of the area’s conservation.
Canterbury found about 20 bald eagles, six great blue herons, three bobolinks and other threatened species call the ranch home. The ranch is also crucial to owls and rare birds such as the greater sage grouse and the Swainson’s hawk that summers at the ranch after migrating from Argentina.
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Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, https://www.trib.com
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