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The Grange Insurance Audubon Center is an agent of conservation. The Scioto Audubon Metro Park is housed in the Scioto River-Greenlawn Important Bird Area (IBA). This designation requires us to protect and enhance the ecosystem to sustain critical bird species.

The Important Bird Program:

Started in Europe in the late 1980s by BirdLife International, the Important Bird Area Program has been a powerful conservation tool, protecting millions of acres of habitats. The National Audubon Society has taken the initiative to identify Important Bird Areas throughout the United States. The goal of the Important Bird Areas (IBA) program is to identify and establish a network of sites to be protected or managed for the conservation of birds. IBAs are identified using standardized criteria in accordance with BirdLife International-sponsored programs in the U.S. and other parts of the world, including Africa, Europe, Asia, Canada, and Central and South America. Audubon Ohio is coordinating the program in Ohio.

The IBA Program in Ohio serves as a catalyst for local, community-based action to ensure the long-term stewardship and conservation of the state’s diverse natural resources. Through a public nomination process and the use of scientific data, a 16-person IBA Technical Committee comprised of some of the best experts on birds and their habitats in Ohio determines the list of IBAs. The Ohio IBA nomination process attracted more than 200 nominations resulting in 65 sites (as of October 2007) being identified, researched, and documented. The state-wide IBA Technical Committee continues to prioritize monitoring and conservation planning on different sites. Workshops to recruit and train volunteers for surveying birds on IBAs have been conducted across the state. Community partners are receptive and actively engaged in the program. Advocacy for IBAs at risk to development has been effective.

Site Criteria

The Scioto River-Greenlawn IBA has historical importance as a breeding area for Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, a high conservation priority species. It also provides habitat for high priority species that use riparian corridors such as the Pied-billed Grebe, American Bittern, Northern Pintail, Osprey, at least 10 species of gulls and terns, Prothonotary Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, and many other warbler species. It provides habitat for Neotropical songbirds, is a migrant trap for warblers, and is a nesting site for Prothonotary Warblers. It functions as a hunting ground for Peregrine Falcon. At least 212 bird species have been recorded at this IBA. It is made up of a critical riparian corridor habitat.

Conservation Goals:

• Reduce invasive exotics
• Increase Riparian Corridor
• Restore Riverine Floodplains
• Increase Scioto River Water Quality