ATLAS 2000 is a statewide project to determine the distribution
of the breeding birds of the state. In the early 1980's
the Federation of New York State Bird Clubs (now the New York
State Ornithological Association) worked with the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation and other groups to
map the distribution of breeding birds in a state Atlas.
The results of that huge effort were published as The Atlas
of Breeding Birds in New York State (Andrle and Carroll 1988).
The data have proved to be of great value for conservation purposes
and environmental reviews. It is time now, 20 years later,
to repeat the project in order to learn how breeding bird distribution
has changed.
The state is divided into about 5000 blocks of about 3 miles
on a side (25 square kilometers). Volunteer field workers
go into those blocks and record the birds found during the
breeding season. They are not required to find nests;
rather they are given certain criteria by which a species
can be rated as a possible, probable or confirmed breeder.
The methods used in the first Atlas will be followed so that
direct comparisons can be made.
Under the leadership of Renee Davis, the Sullivan County
Audubon Society has worked hard on the second Atlas, and many
of the blocks have been visited. Summer 2003 marks the
4th field season, and our intent is to visit every one of
the over 100 Sullivan County blocks by the end of this summer.
You can go to the Atlas
website to see the progress of the project and to view
the results of the first Atlas project. If you know
the breeding birds and their songs and calls, and are interested
in working on the Atlas in Sullivan County, we are part of
Region 9, coordinated by Michael Bochnik. |