Our April Program is cancelled due to the Covid 19 outbreak.
June is our next scheduled meeting. Decisions about this meeting will be made based on Health Department Guidelines at that time.
Program 1: Important Bird Areas of NC
Presenter: Curtis Smalling, Director of Conservation for Audubon NC
Date: Monday, February 10, 2020
Curtis will give an overview of the Important Bird Area Program, its history, status, and how the network of places is used for conservation planning and bird protection, with a special emphasis on IBAs in the western part of the state. He will discuss ways you can help through community science and advocacy as well as touch on how the new forest plan revision for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forest effect our Important Bird Areas.
Curtis is the Director of Conservation for Audubon North Carolina and has worked with Audubon since 2000, where he began his career doing Golden-winged Warbler surveys.
A graduate of Appalachian State University, he has overseen the Important Bird Areas Program for Audubon NC since 2005. He has been a primary researcher on several species including Golden-winged Warbler, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Wood Thrush.
He serves on numerous committees and working groups including the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group, International Wood Thrush Conservation Alliance, NC Black Rail Working Group, and was recently named to chair the avian committee of the NC Scientific Council.
He grew up in and resides in Boone with Mary his wife of 38 years, and they have three children and three grandchildren.
