FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] National Audubon's Mississippi Birding Trail Press Release

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

June 14,  2007  
Here is a work in progress that will  become a great source for birding along 
the Mississippi River. New  sites and more info will be added as information 
and time  allows. 
The National Audubon Society has made this  press release. I picked up this 
info from Nick  Winstead, Mississippi's State Ornithologist,in  a post to 
MSBIRD. 
Good Birding !!!
Jeff R.  Wilson / TLBA
6298 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN  38135 
NEW WEBSITE HIGHLIGHTS MISSISSIPPI RIVER BIRDING  HOTSPOTS   
Audubon Launches Resource for Discovering Birds, Wildlife and  Americaâ??s 
River     
Vicksburg, MS, May 31, 2007 â?? The Mississippi River  corridor is rich in 
birds and wildlife, and Audubonâ??s new Great  River Birding Trail website 
enables 
birders and others to discover  many of the best places to see them. It offers 
in-depth information  on parks, refuges and other natural areas, including 
site  descriptions and photos, driving directions, and lists of species  
visitors 
may spot at each site.  
â??Our new website makes it easy for people to get out and  enjoy the 
incredible variety and beauty of birds on the  Mississippi,â?? said Bruce Reid 
of Audubonâ??
s Mississippi River  program. â??The Great River Birding Trail is more than a 
terrific  resource for birders, it can help people everywhere discover the  
importance of the Mississippi River ecosystem and the need to keep  it 
healthy.â?? 
Audubon is leading an aggressive ten-state initiative to  address the 
multiple conservation challenges facing the Mississippi.  Problems include loss 
of 
wildlife habitat, declining bird  populations, and water quality degradation.   
Public involvement and concern is making a difference.  Program successes 
already include completion of a $1 million marsh  restoration project at 
Audubonâ??
s Rainey Sanctuary in southwestern  Louisiana. A Mecca for birdlife, the 
sanctuary is Audubonâ??s oldest  and one of its most ecologically significant. 
Improvements were made  with essential help from the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric  Administration, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, and 
 the 
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. A written agreement with  the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers to promote sound management of  lands and waters along the 
entire river has been completed and  collaborative projects are beginning. 
Audubon has begun conservation  work within focal watersheds covering more than 
2 
million acres  along the river and launched a targeted Gulf Coast conservation 
 initiative. 
â??Birders and others who visit our new website and ultimately  travel the 
trail will be showing their support for Americaâ??s River,  and that's the kind 
of 
support our partners and all Americans who  cherish the Mississippi need to see,
â?? added Reid.   
"The  Great River Birding Trail is a good overview and guide to areas that  
the Mississippi River firmly anchors, featuring selected sites  along the 
greatest flyway in North America,â?? said Jeff Wilson of  Bartlett, Tennessee, 
one of 
the most experienced birders along the  Mississippi River. â??The  website 
highlights some birding locations little known or  greatly under utilized by 
the 
general public. Interested  birders and wildlife enthusiasts will find it a 
quick and useful  guide to new outdoor adventures."   
The Great River Birding Trail was born in 2000, when Audubon  began mapping 
birding sites from the Mississippi River's headwaters  in northern Minnesota to 
the riverâ??s mouth at the Gulf of Mexico in  Louisiana. Currently, website 
visitors can view birding locations in  Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and 
parts of Louisiana. Work is  underway to add additional sites up and down the 
river. Mitsui &  Co., Ltd. is primary sponsor of the project, with additional 
support  from Arkansas Delta Byways, Entergy Mississippi, the Mississippi  
River 
Parkway Commission, Mississippi State University, the  Mississippi Division of 
Tourism, the National Fish and Wildlife  Foundation and the Tennessee 
Wildlife Resources  Agency. 
â??Every partner on this project can be proud of the hope it  offers for the 
Mississippi, after all, its conservation and  protection are critical for our 
entire nation,â?? said Roger Still,  Audubonâ??s vice president for Mississippi 
River Programs. â??Together,  we can preserve Americaâ??s River for future 
generations to enjoy.  Through outreach projects like the Great River Birding 
Trail  
website, Audubon is inspiring environmental stewardship of the river  and its 
floodplain, and the wildlife that depends on  them.â?? 
To view  the Great River Birding Trail website, go to 
_http://www.greatriverbirding.org/_ (http://www.greatriverbirding.org/) .   


http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/
What is this feathered thing  that lifts my heart to the heavens.




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