SWAROVSKI BIRDING
COMMUNITY E-BULLETIN
DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE NORTH AMERICAN SWAROVSKI BIRDING COMMUNITY
*Information,
communication, and inspiration on birds, wildlife, and nature*
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June 2005
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AFTER
SPRING MIGRATION
Migration
has slowed down and nesting has begun. It's also time for another
Swarovski E-bulletin, bringing you news of birds, birding, and bird
conservation.
This
E-bulletin is distributed as a joint effort between Swarovski Optik
of North America (SONA) and the National Wildlife Refuge Association
(NWRA). You can access an
archive of past E-bulletins on the NWRA site.
If
you wish to distribute all or parts of any of the E-bulletins, we
only request that you mention the source of any material used.
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RARITY
FOCUS
A pair
of Flame-colored Tanagers at Madera Canyon, southeast Arizona, appeared
in mid-April, and the birds have been reported there off and on
since.
Flame-colored
Tanagers have been found in the U.S. more than a dozen times since
the first report in 1985 in Cave Creek Canyon, in the Chiracahua
Mountains of Arizona. The species normally ranges from northern
Mexico to Panama. Since the mid-1980s time, individuals and pairs
have been found in varied canyons of the "sky islands" in southeast
Arizona, including the Santa Ritas and the Huachucas.
In
the spring of 2003, a male Flame-colored Tanager was observed periodically
along the road near the Madera Kubo Bed and Breakfast in Madera
Canyon, in the Santa Rita Mountains. The next year, a pair nested
in an oak just across the way from the Madera Kubo. And this year,
the tanagers are usually observed high above the cabins in the sycamores
across the road from the Madera Kubo Gift Shop.
The
occurrence of Flame-colored Tanagers in the United States is complicated
by the tendency of lone male Flame-colored Tanagers to pair with
female Western (and even Hepatic) Tanagers, producing a vexing situation
with the potential of hybrid individuals . There have been at least
three known such these cases.
The
current status of Flame-colored Tanagers is described in the most
recent issue of LIVING BIRD (Spring 2005) in an article by Paul
Zimmerman. You can also find a nice review of the hybrid situation
well on the Southeast
Arizona Bird Observatory website.
And
speaking of hybrids, don't miss the current issue of BIRDING, dedicated
to the fascinating and complex field- identification of hybrids
among birds.
This
year's tanager pair at Madera Canyon was still being reported feeding
at least one young bird as recently as the end of May.
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HIGHWAY
BILL PASSES SENATE; CONSERVATION CORNERS INTACT
Congress
passes an enormous Transportation Bill about every six years, chock-a-block
full of largess for the states and the transportation industry for
road and bridge building and other associated construction. In the
past, the bill has been viewed, with no small justification, as
a mega-pork delivery mechanism.
Recently,
however, transportation legislation has included some important
conservation elements, not unlike the earlier evolution of the Farm
Bill, with conservation elements existing alongside subsidies.
In
April, as the transportation bill was being considered, a number
of bird-oriented groups wrote letters to key Senators requesting
support for important conservation elements in the Senate version
of the bill - for Transportation Enhancements, Scenic Byways, and
Refuge Roads in particular. These groups, mostly operating through
the Bird Conservation Alliance, included, among others, the American
Bird Conservancy, the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences,
New Jersey Audubon Society, Illinois Audubon Society, Defenders
of Wildlife, Tennessee Ornithological Society, Wisconsin Society
for Ornithology, and the National Wildlife Refuge Association.
Then,
on 17 May, the Senate passed H.R. 3, the Safe Accountable, Flexible,
and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005 (SAFETEA), also
known as the Highway Bill. The legislation includes significant
provisions for transportation enhancements (including rails-to-trails
and birding-trail support), scenic byways, refuge roads (vital to
address a $2.1-billion backlog), and other creative elements, including
funding for the elimination of non-native invasive plants along
roadways.
Differences
between the Senate and House bills still must be resolved, and the
issue of spending goals must be addressed. (President Bush has threatened
a veto if the spending goes over $284 billion.) The results surely
deserve watching.
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SEND
KAUFMAN'S BOOK TO LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
We
announced in March that Kenn Kaufman's "Focus" guide (Houghton Mifflin)
to North American birds would be released in a Spanish-language
version, GUIA DE CAMPO A LAS AVES DE NORTEAMERICA. This book is
destined to be an invaluable tool for Spanish-speakers both in Latin
America and here in the U.S.
In
fact, ABA Sales has devised an economical way for you to buy a copy
to give to a birding leader or research counterpart in Latin America
or the Caribbean. This offer is especially valuable for teachers
and researchers in nearby Mexico and the northern Caribbean where
the range overlap of the book is the greatest.
The
next time you shop at ABA Sales (1-800-634-7736) just tell them
that you are willing to buy an extra Kaufman GUIA for only $10.95.
The sales staff will charge you that amount and then expedite your
book as a contribution to Birders' Exchange. (You'll also be sent
a receipt for tax purposes.) It's an amazingly simple way to help
get the Kaufman book donated to Birder's Exchange and into the hands
of Latin American and Caribbean colleagues who may need it most.
And
while we're on the subject of Kenn Kaufman's book, you may want
to check out Kenn's
recent and thoughtful interview with GRIST, an environmental
on-line web-magazine, early last month.
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GUNNISON
SAGE-GROUSE QUANDRY
In
a potential model case for the West, Colorado state wildlife officials
are seeking landowner agreement programs to protect the Gunnison
Sage-Grouse before the species ends up on the federal Endangered
Species List. At the same time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
is under a court order to propose a rule in September aimed at protecting
the species. The USFWS then has a year to solicit comments and make
a final ruling whether or not to list the species as Endangered
or Threatened.
Since
2000, the Gunnison Sage-Grouse has been recognized as a separate
species from the Greater Sage-Grouse. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is
found in only 10 counties in the southwestern part of Colorado and
a few areas of Utah. We have previously written about the situation
concerning both sage-grouse species in 2004 - June, July, October,
and December - and in February 2005.
Currently,
state and federal wildlife officials are attempting to secure plans
that would make the listing of Gunnison Sage-Grouse unnecessary.
Its numbers in Colorado are currently estimated at 3,200. Over the
past century, its habitat, which once included New Mexico, Arizona,
and larger parts of Utah and Colorado, has been greatly altered
by agriculture, suburbanization, mineral extraction, fire, water
diversion, and various other means.
"From
a biological point of view, this bird warrants being listed," said
Jessica Young, an associate professor of biology at Western State
College in Gunnison. "It is a globally red-listed bird, meaning
it is endangered." "But", Young added, "there are significant social
and economic considerations that go into the decision." Those considerations
were part of the message sent to landowners by the Colorado Division
of Wildlife (DOW), to prepare for six meetings held in May to explain
why the federal government is considering listing the grouse, what
it might mean for property owners, and how a voluntary habitat protection
plan might work.
The
key points of this voluntary program are:
- The
Colorado Division of Wildlife would evaluate the property to determine
its suitability for Gunnison Sage-Grouse habitat.
-
If the property contains suitable habitat, then the DOW would
write a management plan and would make recommendations about what
parts of the property should remain unchanged and where improvements
should be made. (Improvements would not be at the property owner's
expense.)
- Property
owners who agree to the plan would sign a 20-year contract and,
in return, the owner would be assured that no other regulations
would be imposed on the property if the Gunnison Sage-Grouse is
later listed as a threatened or endangered species.
What
this plan would do is to allow the landowner to engage in a way
that would protect sage-grouse habitat while being allowed to continue
ranching or farming. One can only hope that this approach works.
For more details see, click
here.
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POSSIBLE
EL YUNQUE WILDERNESS IN PUERTO RICO
The
House Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee held a hearing on 11
May on Resident Commissioner Fortuno's bill to designate 10,000
acres of the 29,000-acre Caribbean ("El Yunque") National Forest
as a "Wilderness Area."
The
Caribbean National Forest Act of 2005 (H.R. 539) was approved by
the House Resources Committee a week later.
A companion
bill (S. 272) introduced by Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and
Chares Schumer, both from New York, has already been approved by
the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Although
all of the House testimony was favorable, and though the measure
has passed through two committees, this is the ninth year that Puerto
Rico resident commissioners have attempted to get the bill approved.
It has never passed both houses of Congress in previous attempts.
Protective
status for the overall forest dates back to 1824 under a royal Spanish
proclamation. The forest has more species of trees than any other
forest in the U.S. National Forest System - 240. The forest's watersheds
provide water to more than 800,000 Puerto Ricans, and the area receives
almost one million visitors a year. The island legislature established
a greenbelt of agricultural lands to surround the Caribbean National
Forest almost 30 years ago, but the buffer is being chipped away.
Wilderness status of 10,000 acres is intended to protect core biodiversity
of El Yunque. The area is also known to birders as home to the endangered
Puerto Rican Parrot and the endemic Elfin Woods Warbler.
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ANILCA:
THIS SUMMER'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY
June
is probably the most popular time to go birding in Alaska, and that
gives us the opportunity to recall WHY we have so many great places
to bird in the state. In many cases it has to do with the Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA).
Next
month, former President Jimmy Carter will join many others for a
major celebration for the 25th anniversary of ANILCA. This celebration,
which will be held on 6-7 July in Anchorage, will commemorate the
Act, signed in 1980 by President Carter and protecting federal lands
in Alaska. ANILCA doubled the land in the nation's national wildlife
refuge and park systems and tripled the amount of land designated
as Wilderness.
Because
of ANILCA, we have 104.3 million acres of National Wildlife Refuges,
National Parks, and other protected units in Alaska. We now enjoy
such wonders as Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (the
nation's largest national park), Gates of the Arctic National Park,
and Selawick, Koyukuk, Nowitna, Innoko, Tetlin, and Yukon Flats
National Wildlife Refuges, among others. In addition ANILCA substantially
enlarged areas for such places as Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
(increased by about 9 million acres), Denali National Park, and
the Tongass National Forest. ANILCA designated Wilderness in the
Tongass National Forest, Wild and Scenic Rivers, the Steese National
Conservation Area and the White Mountains National Recreation Area.
Visit
the web site of the Alaska
Conservation Foundation to learn more and to register for the
ANILCA celebration.
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BIRD
& WETLAND NEWSLINK
If
you don't already read the "Migratory Bird & Wetland NewsLink,"
produced on a bimonthly basis, you may want to take a look at the
June issue.
The
NewsLink covers "wetter" themes than our E-bulletin, and concentrates
more internationally. NewsLink is sponsored by the Association of
State Wetland Managers, the U.S. National Ramsar Committee, and
the USFWS.
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We
welcome your distribution of all or parts of this E-bulletin, only
requesting mention of the material's origins.
This
E-bulletin is distributed as a joint effort between Swarovski Optik
of North America (SONA) and the National Wildlife Refuge Association
(NWRA). You can access an archive
of past E-bulletins on the NWRA site.
You
can also get other excellent bird-oriented "All about birds" information
through an Internet project between Swarovski and the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/
If
you have a friend who wants to get future copies of this North American
Swarovski Birding Community E-bulletin, that person can contact
either of us:
Wayne Petersen 781/293-9730, wayne.petersen@swarovskibirding.com
OR Paul Baicich 410/992-9736, paul.baicich@swarovskibirding.com
If
you DON'T wish to receive these E-bulletins, contact either of us,
and we will take you off our mailing list IMMEDIATELY.
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