In breaking away from NAS, the Iowa Audubon Board realized that we could not have the expanded program that we had when Paul Zeph was our director. The Board decided to focus on the Important Bird Area [IBA] program as our signature program. Ric Zarwell has been leading our efforts with the IBA. The Iowa IBA program is recognized on the national level as one of the better-run state programs. Currently, Ric and the IBA Technical Committee have identified 70 sites across Iowa which are critical habitat for migrating and nesting birds. The Iowa Audubon Board feels that we can support a minimal program with IBA as our focus.