Bald eagles, great blue herons and king rails make their homes in Western Pennsylvania, but their habitats are in danger.

In Butler County, three Important Bird Areas protect those habitats from pollution, development and other human activities.

The IBAs include 2,500 acres of state game lands in Cherry Township; 16,400 acres spanning Moraine State Park, Jennings Environmental Education Center and parts of Armstrong County; and 10,000 acres in southern Butler County and Armstrong County that encompass the Audubon Society's 176-acre Todd Nature Reserve and multiple contiguous private sites.

Administered by the National Audubon Society in the United States, the IBAs provide essential habitat for one or more species.

“People sometimes think these are important bird watching sites, but they're actually places that are important for the birds themselves,” said Sarah Sargent, Audubon Pennsylvania's Northwest Pennsylvania Important Bird Area Coordinator.

There are 85 IBAs in Pennsylvania, including those in Butler County. The program is international with about 10,000 sites.

To qualify, sites must meet at least one of the following criteria, Sargent said.

The site must support a species of conservation concern, restricted-range species, species vulnerable because their populations are concentrated in one general habitat type, or species or groups that are vulnerable because they occur at high densities due to their congregatory behavior.

The ultimate goal is to protect and maintain these sites for long-term conservation.

“This is not a legal designation, but what it can do is attract attention and funding, for example, grants and programs through the state,” Sargent said, noting many already are protected as state parks or game lands.

“We want to make sure that we know which places are important in case there are threats and problems for these areas down the road.”

Habitat is rapidly being lost, so it is essential to maintain IBAs, agreed Dan Bickel, Moraine State Park manager.

“The great blue heron is a species of special concern. They haven't found any nests in proximity of the park but it has nested here before,” Bickel said. “That's the key: We're trying to maintain good habitats so that these species will nest here again in the park.”

Conservation efforts at Moraine include a management plan that monitors Lake Arthur's water levels, he said.

“The sedge wren are very susceptible to changes in the lake level where they're nesting,” he said. “We're very careful about the lake level and making sure it's not too high, where it would flood out their nests.”

Another successful venture was to provide nesting platforms for osprey, he added.

Protection also makes sense from a financial standpoint, as many tourists visit the area to bird watch, Bickel said.

The park office offers a birding brochure to interested visitors.

“A lot of people canoe and kayak on the lake and watch the osprey: You can see them from the McDanel's area,” he said.

The Bartramian Audubon Society is responsible for monitoring the eight IBAs in Butler, Mercer, Lawrence and Venango Counties, according to Gene Wilhelm, who sits on the society's board of directors.

Many of the society's 500-plus members volunteer to watch the IBAs for changes, Wilhelm said.

“It's very important to know the ecology and relationships that these birds have with the different habitats,” Wilhelm said. “What you are looking for is not only the birds themselves, but how the habitats are doing from year to year.”

Threatened species like the bald eagle and osprey are associated with wetlands like the (Cherry Township game lands called the) Glades, he added.

“We just don't have the right attitude and values associated with those wetlands, but they're very important,” Wilhelm said. “Our rarest birds for these four counties are wetlands birds.”

To achieve IBA status, landowners must apply to the Audubon Society, which monitors the sites periodically to assess ongoing eligibility.

In addition to participating in these efforts, concerned citizens may create bird and butterfly sanctuary areas on a smaller scale, said Wilhelm.

The Bartramian Audubon Society established the Certified Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary Program in 1977.

Pending approval from the BAS, any public or private landowner may enroll in the program to encourage wildlife, improve natural habitats and promote biological diversity.

“Most of these people are in typical suburban homes, maybe even in the city proper,” said Wilhelm. “They've committed themselves to planting green, not using toxic chemicals and to put in native plants. By that, they will attract the native butterflies, hummingbirds and so on.”

On a large or small scale, Wilhelm said it is vital to protect these areas.

“By destroying the habitat, you kill the species,” Wilhelm said. “That's why Audubon has an important role to play.”

<B>Buffalo Creek Valley</B>This 10,000-acre site includes the Audubon Society's 176-acre Todd Nature Reserve in the Buffalo Creek drainage of Sarver along with contiguous privately owned land in the areas surrounding Buffalo Creek, Little Buffalo Creek, Cornplanter Run, Rough Run, Snipes Run, Patterson Creek and Marrowbone Run.Considered a mixing zone between southern (yellow-throated warbler, cerulean warbler, yellow-throated vireo and Acadian flycatcher) and northern (magnolia warbler, brown creeper, purple finch) fauna.<B>Moraine State Park and Jennings EEC</B>A 16,400-acre site managed by the DCNR; also includes some of Armstrong County.Lake Arthur is a key migratory stopover for waterfowl in interior northwestern Pennsylvania. Representative birds include more than 30 species of waterfowl, osprey, sedge wren, pied-billed grebe, Virginia Rail, American coot, Northern saw-whet owl, long-eared owl and common snipe.<B>The Glades — State Game Lands 95</B>The 2,500-acre Cherry Township site managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission is known for its high diversity of species and habitat types, especially the marsh and swamp habitats.More than 200 species of birds are represented, including the bald eagle and sandhill crane in small numbers, pied-billed grebe, common snipe, Virginia rail, sora, hooded merganser and wood duck.Directions: From Butler, take Route 422 West to Route 8 North, to Route 308 North to Moniteau.Source: www.pa.audubon.org.