These are sites that provide essential habitat for one or more species of birds and that make a significant contribution to the long-term viability of native avian populations in New Jersey.  These may include sites for breeding, wintering, and/or migrating birds.  They may include public or private lands, may be protected or unprotected, and may range in size from a few acres to thousands of acres.  They are determined not by size or ownership, but by their significance to bird species. 

Thanks to the hard work of countless volunteers, we have  over 150 nominated important bird areas.  We are now looking for sites that may have been overlooked by the initial nomination phase.  Specifically, we have identified gaps in Salem and Gloucester Counties, an area dominated by some of New Jersey's last remaining agricultural grasslands. 

Before nominating a site, FIRST view the maps of approved and nominated important bird areas to see if you site is already recognized:

                 Approved Important Bird Areas

                Nominated Important Bird Areas

Important: The IBBA nomination documents below are in Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document Format (PDF).  To view these files you will need Acrobat Reader, which is free software available from the Adobe Website at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

After downloading the software, FIRST print and read the Bird Area Nomination Form Guidelines from the link below:

Important Bird Area Nomination Form Guidelines

SECOND - Read the Important Bird Areas Criteria:

Important Bird Areas Criteria

THIRD - Open the Important Bird Area Nomination Form document below and complete and submit it online:

Important Bird Area Nomination Form

You may also need the documents below printed and available while you are completing the nomination form:

Species Lists and Population Estimates:

NJ Species of Conservation Concern

NJ Responsibility Species

NJ Population Estimates and Thresholds

Other Nominator Resources:

Map of NJ Bird Conservation Regions (JPG file)

Sources of Information

Working with Landowners

Finding Your Way With Map and Compass (USGS)

Topozone Example Page