In 1979, discussions about the first breeding bird atlas
projects began circulating at bird banding meetings and at the
handful of bird observatories in the Untied States. Atlases
had been completed in Europe; and atlas projects were underway or
in planning stages in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.
New York, Vermont, Illinois, and a few other states were
researching Atlas requirements.
When Raccoon Ridge Bird Observatory was asked to consider sponsoring an Atlas
Project for New Jersey, it wasn't a difficult decision to make. Planning
for the five-year project began almost immediately.
Dorothy Hughes, RRBO founder and Executive Director, and Laura Obiso [Socha],
Atlas Project Director (current RRBO Director), attended the historic Northeastern Breeding Bird Atlas
Conference held November 6-8, 1981 at the Vermont Institute of Natural
Science in Woodstock, Vermont. Representatives from 14 states and provinces
attended the Conference, which was organized by Sally Laughlin, Chan Robbins, and Doug Kibbe.
The
proceedings were published by VINS.
The first Atlas Conference produced the standard for Atlasing in the United States.
The five basic decisions determined from the European atlasing models were:
- the atlas should be a five-year study;
- project organizers would adhere to 1/6 of a U.S. topographic map quad
sheet (approx. 10 square miles);
- avoidance of quantitative assessments and counts;
- coverage of all atlas blocks; and
- using a block-busting method for blocks not assigned to atlasers
It was generally agreed that breeding bird atlases should be repeated at
10-year intervals for comparative data analysis.
Organizing the Atlas
Following the guidelines established at the Atlas Conference and from Atlases
already completed in Europe, New Jersey was divided into three districts:
northern, central, and southern. Coordinators in each district organized
regional meetings, recruited volunteers, distributed atlas materials, collected
data, verified reports, and determined latitude-longitude listings for every
observation location (this, in the days before the personal computer and GPS
unit!).
The 172 USGS topographic maps for NJ were divided into the standard, 1/6
grid, commonly known as the Atlas "block." Each block was assigned a
five-digit number; the first three digits for the topo map; the second two for
the designated block; 01 - 06. This proved to be a computer-friendly
system for block identification.
RRBO designed a field kit for all participants and also published a monthly
newsletter. During the non-breeding season, pot-luck suppers, seminars,
informal meetings, and other events helped keep the volunteers interested and
enabled them to share their field experiences.
Although the protocol for map size and field data collection were
standardized for all Atlases, many other aspects of running an Atlas Project
were very much on a learn-as-you-go and trial and error basis. One of the areas
that were revised several times during the NJ Atlas was the field data card.
The original data card was modeled after those used in the British Atlas, but
was revised several times after volunteers complained of the small print and
size.
Volunteers and Field Work
The NJ Atlas was a project of monumental proportions. NJ is not a large
state, but it is known worldwide for its great numbers and diversity of bird
species. Although good records were available for locations made popular
by local bird clubs and various birding organizations, never before had anyone
attempted to cover the entire state.
Raccoon Ridge Bird Observatory, by comparison to some other organizations
with financial backing and lots of press, was rather unknown and probably seemed
a bit obscure to some folks. However, having thoroughly researched all
aspects of Atlasing, and having the chutzpah to commit to the project, RRBO was
also confident that the needed volunteers would come forward - and they did.
More than 200 volunteers and 30 organizations worked on collecting the field
data. At the end of the allotted five-year time period, all of the atlas
blocks had received coverage and the field work was completed using the
procedures and mapping grids of the standard Atlasing protocols.
The results of the NJ Breeding Bird Atlas were published as New Jersey's
Breeding Birds. Volume I was published in 1995 and will be republished
in 2007. Vol. II and III are being revised and should be available
soon. Atlas data has been made
available in various forms to researchers and environmental organizations.
NJ Audubon conducted a second
NJ Atlas Project - a four-year study from 1994 to 1997.
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