Dream aquarium windows 10 crashes4/17/2024 ![]() Portions of the Important Bird Area are within the Pisgah National Forest, Mount Mitchell State Park, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, which affords the lands some degree of official protection from the state and federal governments. The site is one of the most significant examples of high-elevation forest and natural communities in the southern Appalachians. Six peaks within the Black Mountains have elevations over 6,004 feet. Sitting just northeast of Asheville, the key feature in this IBA is Mount Mitchell, which, rising 6,690 feet from sea level is the highest point in the United States east of the Mississippi River. Additionally, the National Park Service conducts regular Northern Saw-whet surveys to ensure their continued wellbeing.Įncompassing nearly 100,000 acres of high-elevation forests above 4,505 feet, the Black and Great Craggy Mountains in Buncombe and Yancey counties may be the highest IBA of Audubon North Carolina. In order to plan fitting conservation tactics for the Plott Balsam Mountains, bird populations are monitored through annual bird counts conducted by Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society volunteers and Carolina Field Birders. Widespread private development has also proven to be of significant detriment to the flora and fauna species that call the mountains home. Acid rain, meanwhile, continues to pose a threat to the high-elevation, spruce-fir forests in the region, weakening the trees and making them susceptible to the balsam wooly adelgid, small wingless insects that infest and kill firs. Much of the lower-elevation forests within the Plott Balsam mountain range have endured severe damage from aggressive logging practices. During daylight hours, members of this owl family can be found roosting quietly in dense foliage and at these times, according to the National Audubon Society, the birds have been discovered to be so extraordinarily tame that one may approach or even handle them! ![]() The Northern Saw-whet Owl, a nearly entirely nocturnal species, is also a staple of this habitat. ![]() It is also among the state’s most important sites for Alder Flycatcher, Black-capped Chickadee and Red-breasted Nuthatch. These ecosystems provide excellent homes for high-elevation species such as the Red Crossbill, Black-throated Blue Warbler and Brown Creeper. As part of the southern Appalachian Mountains, this Important Bird Area covers several popular, highly trafficked hiking and rafting destinations, as well as several federally protected expanses of wilderness. The Plott Balsam IBA stretches across 120,000 acres of beautiful, mountainous Northern hardwood forests, spruce-fir forest and bogs along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As part of the society’s mission to preserve and protect wildlife and natural ecosystems, EMAS is closely involved in the care and maintenance of three Important Bird Areas - Plott Balsam Mountains, Black and Great Craggy Mountains and Bull Creek. These three IBA’s provide essential protection for numerous bird and plant species specific to high elevation habitats. The Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society (EMAS) leads its conservation effort across a sizeable, diverse portion of western North Carolina, including urban hotspots like Asheville, and rural tourist-friendly getaways such as Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. By working with local chapters, landowners, public agencies, community groups and other nonprofits, Audubon NC aims to activate a broad network of supporters to ensure that all IBA’s are properly managed and conserved. IBA’s can be classified as sites for breeding, wintering grounds, or stopovers for migrating birds. ![]() Read on to learn more about our chapter serving Asheville.Īudubon North Carolina’s Important Bird Area (IBA) Program is a global effort to identify and conserve areas that are vital to bird populations and to biodiversity. This month, we get to know the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society. Each month will include a series of posts about each chapter including a post from our biologists that will share a unique research project that is happening in the chapter’s geographic footprint. In this special blog series, we’ll focus on a chapter each month to learn more about their history, what they are working on, and to increase the statewide understanding of special ecosystems and habitats. Audubon North Carolina has 10 amazing chapters across the state who help put a local focus on bird preservation and conservation issues.
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