Lake George, Moreau `bird areas'.(Capital Region)

Byline: CANDICE CHOI Associated Press

ALBANY - Audubon New York outlined on Monday an updated list of 136 "important bird areas," used by legislators to designate bird conservation sites across the state.

There are now 30 bird conservation areas listed statewide, created under the New York State Bird Conservation Area bill passed in 1997.

The legislation was sparked by the Audubon's Important Bird Area program, which initially listed 127 important bird areas. Since then, 12 areas have been delisted and 21 new areas were added, bringing the total to 136.

"New York definitely set the bar on the issue, and now other states including Ohio are …