New York has two. Pennsylvania is working on its second. Wisconsin just finished their first.
And finally, Minnesota—with its major continental flyway along the Mississippi—will join the other 47 states that have a comprehensive Breeding Bird Atlas. The six-year project gets underway this spring to assess how many breeding bird species there are, and where, across the entire state. It will also provide baseline data to monitor changes in their populations.
NRRI is leading the scientific data-gathering and analysis portion of the project. And it’s familiar work for NRRI ornithologist and scientist Jerry Niemi. For many years, Niemi provided leadership for the institute’s long-term bird monitoring program in the Chippewa, Superior and Chequamegon national forests.
"This atlas project is consistent with the methodology we’ve used on the national forests," said Niemi. "We’re taking our scientific approach and going statewide."
Over the next five years, NRRI’s newly hired and highly trained birding team will listen and watch for breeding birds in every township in Minnesota—some 2,300—for three 10-minute counts. This summer is the trial run to figure out how long the process actually takes.
By 2016, Minnesota will have scientifically observed and documented data on the estimated 225 to 250 bird species that breed here each spring, along with maps, charts, and graphs.
A second part of this extensive study will incorporate the findings of almost 1,000 volunteer birders across the state. Minnesota Audubon is seeking bird enthusiasts across the state and will coordinate the data collection from them. Because of the inconsistencies in volunteer skill levels, time, and numbers, Niemi said NRRI will use a limited amount of the volunteer information in their study.
"No state that I know of has used the scientific point count approach that we use, but the ones I’ve talked with said they wished they had," Niemi said.
NRRI’s funding will also allow Niemi to send observers to areas that are very remote, like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Red Lake Peatland.
Baseline data on breeding bird populations is critical for measuring the health of bird populations, ecosystems, and understanding how people affect the landscape. NRRI’s project is funded by the Legislative-Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources.