| Summary: | Bexar Tracks began with Vol. 4, no. 1 (January 1986). It continues Newsletter (Bexar Audubon Society). 1 '( I Inside Tracks Beneath the Gavel . 2 Bird Tales . .4 Local News . 5 Environmental Issues . 6 Calendar . 8 April Meeting Last month, ow: program moved us into our own back yards. This tnonth we'll get closer to the soil, and look at some inhabitants: fire ants. M. A. Maedgen, Jr. will tell us about controllh1g fire ants with bugs. Want to know more? Come and learn. Who should atte11d? Anyone who has ever been bugged by a fire ant. Specifics: Monthly meeting of Bexar Audubon Society, 7:30, Thursday, April20. Refreshments will be available at 7:00 pm. Come early to socialize. Free and open to the public. For more information call822-4503. Co1tservatio11 Committee: Come at 6:00 pm for a joh1t meeting of BAS & Sierra Club conservation committees. Location: 'Ruble Center, 419 East Magnolia. Nearest freeway exit is North St. Mary's, off Hwy 281. Public Trausportatio11: VIA Route 5 (St. Mary'sMcCullough- North Star Mall) to Magno1ia Street. BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIElY CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY 210-822-4503 - TIJe Chapter's primary goals are to promote sfiedes and habitat conservation, and e11vironmental education in the community. olume XIII, No. 4 April1995 Alt lvanUc7e,5~= ;,~tlfenfalls the Greenhouse ~'Is the Earth Really Getting Warmer?" live cooperatively within them suddenly asked a recent Reader's Digest article, and leave-which happens if there's a rise of a concluded Jlo, it is not. A few weeks later degree or two in water temperature. came a New York Times headline: "Global If the algae stay away long enough, the Warmh1g Resumed h11994." corals die. In the 1980s corals were bleachh1g "Give 'us a break!" I can hear people all over the tropics. , Durh1g the Pinatubo groanh1g. "Would the experts please go fight cooling, they colored up agah1. Last summer this out over h1 a corner and stop botherh1g the bleachh1g reappeared~ us until they figure out what's going on?" The February 5 issue of Science contains It's an understandable reaction, but it's a report by ecologists who found h1 Monhnpractical. By the thne the last coal-com- I terey Bay, California, some pany scientist is convinced, global warming ' \ / / brass bolts left in the sea-will be far advanced. Climate change takes '(;)· ~ bed by a biological decades to become apparent and "'""':'- r-. ~ team that did a probably - ~ survey in the centuries '-.A _ ~.,.,-. 1930s of the snails, to reverse. ""- ~A. ~ · ' barnacles, anemones, and other , To spot it in ' "\: forms of sea life. time to avoid it, we need to look Because of the bolts, the study for early warning signals. So I keep a could be repeated in the same place 60 folder labeled "Global Warming Evi- }'\ears later. It revealed great dence," h1to which I drop clippings. It's changes. Species that nor-getting disturbingly thick. mally occupy a more For example, the New York Times piece southern range have said 1994 was the third or fourth warmest greatly increased. Cool-year since 1880, when relia.ble temperature water species have declh1ed. The measurements began. (The warmest was whole marine community seems to 1990-1994 tied with 1987 for third/fourth). have shifted northward. That means the "Pinatubo cooling," Northward shifts have also been docu-which began in 1991 with the eruption o'f the men ted at a field station in Michigan that has Philipph1e volcano Ph1atubo, is over. The · been recordh1g wildlife populations for over dust has literally settled. 80 years. The deer mouse, the grayling fish The Reader's Digest article did not pick up and the calypso orchid have left for Canada. a warming trend because it relied on satellite Southern species, such as the ebony spleendata begiimh1g h1 1979. Fifteen years is not wort fern and the orange-spotted sunfish, loug·enough to show climate change,.espe- , have appeared. Throughout the United dally since the last few years were biased States mockingbirds, armadillos, and cardi-downward by Ph1atubo. · nals are ·moving north. Thomas Goreau of the Global Coral Reef David Norton of Barrow, Alaska, tells Alliance tells me he ·saw the arrival and de- me that willows growing along Alaskan rivparture of the Pinatubo cooling in the ers are advancing north. oceans. Corals turn white if the algae that continued Oil page 3 It's Spring! And we should all be enjoying the renewing wonder of nature. Watch the birds, look for brandnew butterflies, see the geckos and anoles emerging from their coldweather hidh1g places, wonder when the friendly toad who comes from nowhere each spring will make its first appearance. Revel in the array of buds, flowers, and the bright green of newly bursth1g leaves. It's this love of nature that is our common link with one another, our raison d' etre for an Audubon Society. This love of nature is also the reason we must · be spending some of our time right now watchh1g what is happening at the state and national legislatures-and even more than that, to fonu an opinion and , express it to your elected representatives about some of the actions that are being taken in these bodies. A great team of Audubon members and others have been working over the past eight weeks to bring some of these legislative actions to the attention of our membersl1ip and the citizens of the San Antoi1io area. The result was~ very successful forum: Property Rights a11d Taki~ tgs: A11 Urba11 Perspective, which was held on April!. · , I enthusiastically express my shlcere thanks to BAS leaders Katie NavaRagazzi, a full parb1er h1 putth1g this forum together; Bill Sah1, Harriet Wiygul, Claire Drenowatz, Dick Pipes, and Chris Dulh1ig for all their help in plannhlg and providing services .the day of the forum; Brian Johnson, who worked so hard to ge~ the word out to mari.y different communities, pass out flyers, make phone calls, and help me stay enthusiastic, despite a depressing political climate; Bob Orr, who helped ·us structure the day's presentations and format and served as a very able facilitator for Every man holds his property. subject to the general right of the community to regulate its use to whatever degree the public we.lfare may require it. - Theodore Roosevelt April 1995 BENEATH THE GAVEL the event; Ginny Stowitts of the Bexar County Women's Polilical Caucus, who lent her enthusiasm for the event and with her students helped put together the meeting packets. All our speakers were superb: Jerome Ringo, John Echeverria, Gary Varner, Sue Barham, Mary Kelly, Russ Hyer, Tony Arnold, and Ted Eubanks, who also helped formulate the concept. Thanks to National Wildlife Federation and National Audubon Society for their financial support; League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area for their co-sponsorship with Bexar Audubon; and HEB Grocery and FasClampitt, who contributed refreshments and paper, respectively. Thanks also to Bill Blair and the staff of the Barbara Jordan Center, and to the American Resources Infom1ation Network and the Land and Water Fund, who provided their excellent materials for the attendees. Of course, no event can be successful without the attendees. It was a small but attentive and h1terested group who gave their Saturday to learn more about this complex issue. They understood that this issue has the potential to change the lives of all of us in ways that sometimes-oftentimes-defy reason and bring goosebwups to the skh1. They left with a sense of resolve to take action and make a difference in keeping these destructive bills from being passed h1to law in our state and our nation-today and in the future. I have to wonder why the attendance was not greater, given the enormity of the issue. Everyone is busy, of course. But somethues we have only one chance to effect change; or one chance to prevent erosion, or obliteration, of the · improvements in air, water, and species conservation for whjch we have worked hard for the past quarter of a century. This may well be one of those times h1 the history of our nation. Takings legislation in the U.S. Senate could make it hupossible to impose ANY regulations in the future. Sound absurd? It is. But it's true. Some of these legislative issues are being pushed through so .fast that the legislators who are supporting them aren't even familiar enough with the bills' provisions to understand what they really mean. Responsive and responsible are not words that come to mh1d in these instances. And the impacts are not only on our environment, but they also fall disproportionately on poor people and communities of color. We are living in an America that is _ seeing a shift in its priorities~ If this is not ~n agenda you believe in, now is the thne to act-and to act firmly. If you have questions about any of the legislation that threatens our ability to protect the environment-and there are many such bills both h1 the U.S. Congress and in the Texas Legislation- please call me and, if possible, I will find out what you want to know. In the meantime, here are some of my oph1ions about takh1gs legislation and why you may wish to take action to help defeat it. The Bottom Line on Takings The issue of takings is 'covered by the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. It has worked for more than 200 years, with suits beh1g settled on a case-by-case basis. New takh1gs laws at the state and national levels are oftwo kinds: red tape bills that add layers of bureaucracy in order to enforce regulations; and compensation bills that will cause the government (us) to pay people and corporations to comply with regulations. Takings bills are budget-busters. There is not enough money to pay everyone who is required to con1ply with regulations that place restrictions on private uses of property in order to protect the common good. The solution? Eliminate the regulations; which in most cases were put in place h1 order to protect health and welfare and quality of life for all citizens. Takings bills could have the effect of lining the pockets of those with power and influence at the expense of the common taxpayer. Most takings bills are so poorly written that the Bexar Tracks t i GAVEL, Cont'd amounts of and limitations on compensation required are not defined and are virtually open-ended. They would be impossible to budget for. The basis for compensation is not defined and theoretical highest ec01wmic use may be considered, e.g., I was going tv build a shopping mall in that swamp, therefore I claim to have lost $300 million a year for the next 21J years. A taking could be clahned on multiple occasions for the same piece of property each thne the owner came up with some new inappropriate scheme for use of the property that would be prohibited by regulation. Takings legislation h1 the U.S. Con. gress would require government agencies to pay compensation for takings out of current operating funds, and this compensation would. take precedence over other programs or purposes of the agency. It could shut down government programs that benefit us all h1 order to pay a few individuals. Takings legislation in Congress would compensate property owners 'if there is a loss of economic potential to even a small portion of their property. Some proposals would require a takings impact assessment on every regulation and could prohibit the promulgation of any regulation that would result in a takh1g--even one. What would that mean? No new government regulations. While many regulations need to be reviewed and revised, it is surely not the case that we need none. Write: President Bill Clh1ton, The White House, Washington, DC 20500 The Honorable Phil Gramm, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, US Senate, Washh1gton, DC 20510. The Honorable ________ , US House of Representatives, Washington, DC20515 The Honorable , Texas Senate, PO Box 12068, Austh1, TX ~8711 The Honorable , Texas House of Representatives, PO Box 2910, Austin, TX 78769 - Susa11 K Hughes Bexar Tracks • ADVANCE NEWS, Confd At the opposite pole, just two kmds of flowering plants can survive the harsh Antarctic climate, and both of them are spreadmg. Average summer temperature h1 AJJarctica }1as gone up by ahnost 4 degrees. The growing season has lengthened by two weeks. In Tasmania tree rh1gs show that 700-year-old ph1es have been growh1g with uncharacteristic speed since around 1965. Tree rh1gs from Canada and Alaska indicate a gradual warmh1g SlllCe 1840. In the 'U.S. Midwest average temperature has gone up and average precipitation down over the past 95 years. Lake Mendota h1 Wisconsh1 now thaws h1 spring an average o~ 12 days sooner than it did between 1900 and 19f'9. Wh1ter snow cover h1 the northern hemisphere has beeri receding since 1972. Glaciers are shrh1king all over the planet, many at rates exceedh1g 30 feet per year. Average water temperature at Toolik Lake, Alaska, has gone up more than 3 degrees F. m the past 15 years. The surroundmg tundra is be ghmh1g to thaw, dry out, and oxidize to carbon dioxide-and that is the scariest piece of evidence in my folder. Tundra is normally a carbon smk. Mosses and other · plants grow h1 the Arctic summer, absorb carbon dioxide, then freeze, entombhlg, the carbon m layer after layer of pem1afrost. If warmmg starts to reverse that process, we begh1 a vicious circle. The tundra then releases carbon di- . oxide, which is a greenhouse gas · that creates still more warming, more thawh1g, more carbon release, and so forth. To give you an idea of the possible size of this runaway process, human fossil fuel burning releases about 5 billion tons of carbon h1to the atmos-phere each year. Arctic The surrounding tundra is beginning to thaw, ilry out, and oxidize to carbon dioxide-and that ·is the scariest piece of evidence in my folder. soils store more than 180 billion tons of carbon. Another piece of evidence caused a sensation in December at an American Geophysical Union meeting. Engineer David]. Thompson of Bell Labs found a way of readh1g a new signal from 300- year temperature records from England and other places where measurements go back that far . . The signal, related to the thning of the onset of each season, began to look · strange about the middle of the 20th century. "Changes m carbon dioxide resulthlg from human activities are causing large and readily observable changes both h1 the average temperature and in the seasonal cycle," Thompson said. People who, for financial or ideological reasons, do not want to believe in global warming will pomt out, correctly, that none of this evidence proves a global warmh1g. Cautious scientists will say that there is no doubt that greenhouse gases are mcreash1g h1 the atmosphere, that they trap heat, and that a normal noisy variations of the weather. And then there are peo-ple h1 touch with the p Janet's living systems and leading indicators, to whom it seems that the earth could hardly be sendh1g a clearer signal if it were jumph1g up and down and yellh1g,"Hey, I'm changh1gl" - Do11ella H. Meadows Adjuttct Professor of E1tviromne11tal Studies, Dartmouth College via the Ozo11e Actio11 Network Aprill995 3 Haikus Barn swallows feasting on bugs buzzing wildflowers along Texas roads. Cliff swallows nesting on highway overpassestheir man-made cliffsides. To fly like swallows would be worth a whole lifetime of eating insects. - Claire Drmowatz Bluebird Festival The community of Wills Point, Texas, will celebrate its second amwal Bluebird Festival the weekend, of April 20 through 24. The festival is sponsored by the Wills Point Wilderness Society to call attention to the area's vast population of bluebirds. The event will feature guided bus tours of the community's 10 bluebird trails, and wildlife shows. Also scheduled is a wide variety of entertainment for the whole family, the festival will offer visitors the opportunity to enjoy a live raptor exhibit, an exotic bird show, a fine art show,pm1y rides, a petting zoo, arts and crafts shows, games, and more. More than 4,000 visitors attended last year's event,and larger crowds are expected to attend this year's festival in picturesque Van Zandt County in Northeast Texas. The Wills Point Wilderness Society, working with the National Bluebird Recovery Program, has coordinated outstanding efforts to preserve the eastern bluebird, whose existence once was threatened. Efforts to preserve the bluebird's local habitat led to the construction and monitoring of 179 birdhouses, which is the largest number of bluebird houses monitored by a single group in the state. These efforts were deemed successful when the National Audubon Society recently determined that the community has hosted more bluebirds than atiy other area h1 Texas for the 11th year h1 a row. Apri11995 BIRD TALES Birdathon lime Again The 1995 version of Birdathon will be held the weekend of April29-30. We ask that you joh1 h1 this effort by participathlgin a number of ways. You ca:n be a spotter, sponsor, contributor, or cheerleader. Birdathon is an annual fundraiser h1 which spotters spot birds, and sponsors pay. a specified amount for each species. Contributors usually donate a lump sum to the effort. The funds raised will help support the magazine Audubon Advetttures in classrooms from third to fifth grade. Audubott Advmtures exposes these elementary- school students to nature, a subject many hmer-city children know only from the television set. Marge Lumpe is coordinator for this year. Her number is 548-1822. Please call her and let her know how · you wish to support this worthwhile effort. Burning Birding Questions Do you have any favorite bird songs, or do your Franciscan tendencies disallow having favorites? I don't have a favorite. But it's not a matter of beh1g disallowed; my view is not based in law but in love. Like the song of English pubs, I love 'em all," the long and the short and the tall." But I was h1trigued by your question. What if I had a favorite song? An upland sandpiper quivering highh1 the sky above the prairie would ranks high if I had a list. I like the eccentric song of the day-colored sparrow, singing not at all like any other species in its genus. And then there is the coot who has a lot to say and a rather large vocabulary with which to say it. And for pure sh1e wave swe-etness you can't beat "Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody." Sometimes, however, when besieged by the cacophony of life, both civil and uncivil, I would opt for the turkey vulture, who does not sing at all. -Borrowed with permission from The Prairie Falcon Northern Flint Hills AS Dave Ritttoul, Editor 4 Dream Birds I guess all great birders have to have dreams about birds, but my dad and I seem to have the especially weird ones. I dreamt I was walkh1g home from a friend's house when I walked by these bushes in our front yard. These bushes always have zillions of birds h1 them. In the first bush there was a mourning dove who was sleeping, and who looked plenty well fed. But h1 the second bush there was a beautiful bird which I'd never seen before, This bird, who looked like an oversized bluejay with an orange wing patch,didn'tseem to mind me watching hhn. I studied hhn for a while so I could go inside and look hhn up h1 my bird book. When I got inside my dad looked . hhn up for me. The description read: "Canteloupe Jay: about the size of a hawk. Blue head with sidebums and a white face. White front and black back. Distinctive bright orange wh1g patch. Found h1 forested areas. Very rare." Next to the description there was a picture of the bird. But the bird wasn't h1 the picture. It was a picture of a tree. The caption stated: "We assure you this is a photograph of the Canteloupe Jay. Unfortunately, since the bird is rare, it is hard to get a good picture. It doesn't help when the species is camera-shy. Again, we assure you it's in this picture; it's just behind the tree." -Amy Riutoul 11-year-old daughter of Dave Ritttoul Northern Flint Hills AS I really liked Amy's bird dream. I've been listh1g all my dream birds sh1ce 1989. Got over a hundred, I think. My rule for dream birds is that you have to identify them h1 the dream itself. One of my best was of a Franklin's gull. How did I know in the I mean, why not any other black-headed gull? Easy. The gull had "FRANKLINS" stencilled on its back! -Anselm Atkins 11x? years old Atlanta AS Bexar Tracks Native Texas Plants The. April 25 meeting of the San Antonio Chapter of The NaJive Plant Society of Texas will feature a complement to our March meeting on ba,ckyardllabitat. Bob Fitzsimmons, of Schumacher's Hill Country Gardens, will speak on Usittg Texas Native Plmtts itt Your Landscape. Bob will discuss the large s·election of native plants available at their mJ.rsery, and give hints about their uses and ways to grow them better. · Free and open to the public, 7 to 9 pl'n at Lion's Field Clubhouse, 2809 Broadway at Mulberry. Pelagic Trips Planned Last year, trips sponsored by Mark Elwonger and Dwight Peake, members of Texas Ornithological Society and the American Birding Association, resulted ' in fourteen state records for birds seen within 200 miles of Texas shores fewer than 20 times. Their flyer announcing trips planned for 1995 sported photos of a bridled tern and a band-rumped storm petrel taken last summer: Their trips are planned on the Chip XI, a fast 65' crewboat, out of Port 0' Connor. They will go out farther than the trip Bexar Audubon sponsored last fall, spending more than six hours beyond the 200-fathomline. In deeper water, it's more likely that they will find storm pt::trels, shearwaters, pelagic terns, whales, and other marine mammals. The first trip, April20, is planned as a pre-conference frip for the Spring TOS Convention, and space is still available. Dates: • Thursday, April20 • Saturday, May 27 • Saturday, June 24 • Saturday, July 22 • Saturday, August 19 • Saturday, September 30 Call Dwight Peake at 409-740-4621 or Mark Elwonger at 512-573-5666,'or write Mark at405WestBrazos, Victoria, TX 77901 for more info. Bexar Tracks LOCAL NEWS Earth Day •gs Will the "Contract With America" succeed in reversing 25 years of environm~ ntal progress? Not if the nation's leading environmental organizations can help it. In the face of a formidable challenge to the envinmmental protections they worked so fiercely to achieve, an unprecedented coalition of national and local environmental groups such as the Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, American Oceans Campaign, and Campaigns For the Environment announced plans for a massive grassroots demonstration at a Washington rally on the 25th Anniversary of Earth Day. · The multi-nl.edianllyon the Wash., ington Mall in front of the Capitol will feature speeches by the na,tion's preeminent environmental leaders, in~luding Gaylord Nelson, former Wi!,\consin senator and governor who conceived the first Earth Day in 1970. Many of America's favorite musical artists will be performing en the main stage, including Kenny Loggis, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and many others. "The original Earth Day sent an unmistakable message to our political leadership," Nelson said. "I hope .this year's event will serve as a resounding reminder to decision makers that Americans are more committed than ever to protecting the environment. We have a duty to future generations to create a society that is economically and environmentally sustainable." In San Antonio, Earth Day activities will center on San Pedro Park. Bexar Audubon will be there, and we hope to see a gbod turnout of our members. We'll have a booth open all day, and we can always use volw1teers. And here~s an idea from Northeast Pennsylvania AS. They suggest that we celebrate Earth Day by wearing blue and green~ to demonstrate solidarity for our planet and our home: Mother Earth. From their Audubon Forum message: Displaying yellow or red ribbons, red, white and blue on the Fourth of July, or green for St. Patricks Day has become a popular way to make a statement on a particular issue or Day. ' If we all join in this simple visual demonstration of our commitment to our environment, we will surely draw the nation's attentions and the world's attention to the plight of our planet. Let's show we care about our earth and parade her colors! Wear any blue and green colors: Ribbons, tie, shirt, hat. The Rest of the Story Did you see the article in the Express News about the "hearing" in Boerne a couple weeks ago, the one with all those angry ranchers hollering about the Endangered Species Act? There's a few things the ExpressNews didn't tell you. First, this wasn't a hearing~ It wa·s a task force. I guess that's why they didn't bother to swear in their witnesses. The Express-News didn't' tell you that members of environinental organizations were not allowed to testify. Fairness? Who cares? In other words, it was a d~g and pony show, if you're feeling polite. Star chamber, if you're 1-iot. M~ybe this will explain things. An article in the Washittgtott Post reported 5 ·"following the "hearing" by the House Resources Committee ESA Task Force in Belle Chase -LA, members . dined at Armand's in ,the French Quarter of New Orleans as guests of Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, Midcontinent Oil and Gas Association, American Sugar Cane League, and Louisiana Land and Explqratiort Co. "A wee,k later, the Task Force enjoyed a similar dinner after their hearing near San Antonio, courtesy of Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers, San Antonio Farm and Ranch Real Estate Bo~rd, and Texas Association of Builders." Now I wonder why the ExpressNews didn't mention that, either. - Claire Drettowatz April 1995 Cairo Down the Tubes? The enthusiasm generated by the Cairo Conference for equitable U. S. participation in stabiizing world-wide population growth is rapidly being dashed by the new Congress. The Foreign Operations Subcommittee cut $34 million ($25 million from the UN Populations Fund and $9 million from Family Planning) in its redssian package of proposed cuts in the fiscal year 1995 Foreign Assistance Act. More ominous is a newly-introduced bill which would minimize and restructure our foreign aid by eliminating the Agency for International Development, a world leader in overseas de-velopment and democratization. . If successful, this major change would dramatically curtail our ability to remain effectively engaged as a leader for global security in today's radicallychanging world order. The bill would divert millions of dollars in humanitarian and sustainable development assistance to private banks and corporations whose ability and commitment to meet individual basic needs and natural resource protection is uncertain at best. Among all type of foreign aid, 75% of Americans (according to a recent Uni- . versity of Maryland nationwide poll) show the greatest support for humanitarian relief and development assistance. Only 1% of the federal budget is spent on foreign aid. It is this expenditure that will help bring about population stabilization and enable the emerging nations to become independent and productive. Please write your Representative and urge that he or she ask Budget Committee Chairman Kasich and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairman Callahan to support the Administration budget request of $2.34 billion for sustainable development, and to maintain the independence of the Agency for International Development. All may be written so: The Honorable , House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. -Dick Pipes, Co11servatio11 Chair Aprill995 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Join the Medicine-Bottle Campaign The Endangered Species Act keeps us healthy by safeguarding many of the species we rely upon to fight life-threatening diseases. Now we can voice our concern for the health of ourselves and the environment. Join people every-where who are sending empty prescriptipn bo,ttles to their elected offi-message that we want the Endangered Species Act strengthened to safeguard the plants and other species that protect the health of ourselves and our children. • Many of today's inlportant medicines, as well as the foundation for research into future cures, come from a full range of species from the forests to the oceans. • Nearly one quarter of the prescriptions distributed in the United States are based on substances derived from nature. • The chemical treasury of nature is literally disappearing before we have had the opportunity to assess it BAS will have bottle labels at the next meeting, and at our Earth Day booth. The stickers come in sets of four, one for y9ur representative, one to each senator, and one for President Clinton. The ones for your congresspersons should be mailed (preferably in padded envelopes) directly to them. The one for President Clinton should be mailed to the ESA Coalition, 666 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 20003. The Coalition will present these bot-tles to Clinton all at once. If you won't be at either Earth Day or the next meeting, call the ESA Coalition at 202-547-9009 (that's Audubon's number-NAS is a member of the Coalition) and ask for a set of labels to be sent to you. Or ask for a dozen sets, and share them with your neighbors. More Horror Stories Debunked Arsenic and Old . A front page story in the March 19 Washi11gto11 Post revealed that many of the "horror stories" and anecdotes used by industry to justify the risk and takings bills are out and out false hoods. The headline noted: "Truth is Victim in Rules Debate. Facts Don't Burden Some Hill Tales of Regulatory Abuse." The Post reported "Many of these purported examples have the ring of truth, but not the substance. During floor debate last month, Rep. Michael Bilirakis R-FL said 'The Drinking Water Act currently limits arsenic levels in drinking water to no more than two parts per billion. However, a regular portion of shrimp typically served in a restaurant contains about 30 parts per billion.' "Unfortunately, this is both false and misleading. Arsenic, a known lm- 6 man carcinogen, has a drinking water standard of 50 parts per billion. And according to EPA officials . the arsenic found in seafood is organic; in water, arsenic is predominately inorganic, and far more toxic." Bilirakis declined to be interviewed for the Post story. Kangaroo Rat Revisited Did you catch Eye to Eye with Coltltie Chu11g on March 30? The show with the tearful homeowner who lost his house to the the kangaroo rat? The real story was printed in the February issue of Bexar Tracks. Did you notice how the reporter skipped over the GAO report debunking the whole fabric of lies? Did you wonder what he left out of the other horror stories in the same segment? - Claire Dretwwatz Bexar Tracks I I r l 1 ~ 1 ) ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Rush Just Can•t Get It Right The following excerpts are from The Way Things Really Are: Debunking Rush Limbaugh on the Environment, by Leonie Haimson and Environmental Defense Fund scientists Michael Oppe11heimer and David Wilcove. Rush Limbaugh's best-selling · books The Way Things Ought to Be and See, I Told You So are full of statements on the environment that are misleading, distorted, and factually incorrect. Although Limbaugh likes to frame the debate as a contest between hhn and the ~'environmental wackos," it is really Limbaugh's word against the overwhelming tide of scientific knowledge. A new EDF report presents examples of Limbaugh's erroneous statements, followed by the scientific facts, citing the sources for each. Limbaugh offers little or no evidence to back up his claims. Here is~ sampling. Ozone Depletion , Rush Fiction: "Mount Pinatubo in the Philipph1es spewed forth more than a thousand times the amount of ozOI1edepleting chemicals in one eruption than all the fluorocarbons manufactured by wicked, diabolical, and hlsensitive corporations in history . "Conclusion: mankind can't possibly equal the output of even one eruption from Pinatubo, much less a billion years' worth, so how cat:~. we destroy ozone?" Scientific Fact: Lhnbaugh' s numbers ar~ completely off-base. Volcanoes emit two sorts of ozone-depleting compounds. One is hydrochloric acid, but the amount of this chemical in the stratosphere, measured before and after Pinatubo's eruption in 1991, was found · to be largely unchanged. The second, sulfur-containing compounds, acted in combination with chlorine from man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's), to increase the rate of ozone depletion by several percentage poh1ts in 1992 and 1993. Yet :nearly all the sulfur dioxide from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption has already washed out of the atmosphere, unlike CFC's, which remain in the stratosphere for up to a century. Cumulatively, Pinatubo's destructive effect on the ozone layer has been about 50 times less than that of CFC's, rather than· a thousand times greater, as Limbaugh clahns. Thtis his esthnate is off by a factor of 50,000; · The new EDF report, The Way Thi11gs Really Are: Debu1tki11g Rush Limbaugh ott the Ettviro1tme1tt, and a highly acclaimed book, Dead Heat: The Race Agaittst the Gree11house 'Effect, by Dr. Michael Oppenheimer and Robert Boyle are available FREE to members in thanks for a contribution of $25 to EDF. Send check payable to "EDF" to: EDF Publications, 2,57 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010. Four Companies that Suppo~ Limbaugh Here's an update on companies that advertise on Rush Lhnbaugh's radio program. The information comes from NOWSLETI'ER, the newsletter of the Seattle Chapter of the National Organization for Women. The names were . listed so people could write the companies and ask them to withdraw their support for the show. It did not call for an actual boycott. Snapple was one of the companies on the list, and · apparently Rush does special promotions for Snapple- beyond qrdinary advertising. Bexar Tracks The addresses of the companies are: Snapple Beveredge Company, 175 North Central Avenue, Valley Stream, NY11580. Snelling and Snelling, Inc, 12801 North Central Expressway, Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75243 Marriott Corp. Marriott Drive, Washington DC 20058 McDonalds Corp. One McDonalds · Plaza, Oakbrook, IL 60521. · · - From PeaceNet, a 11011-profit · progressive ttetwcn:ki~tg service. For more ittformatiott, e-mail peace11et. ittfo @igc. ape. org 7 Griz Featured in Special In The Land of the Grizzlies premieres April23 on TBS, at 9 pm CST. From Chma to Kamchatka to Kodiak Island, the world's bears are under seige. Darren Burrows, Northern Exposure's Ed Chigliak, examines the state of bears around the world in the upcomhlg World of Audubon special. Grizzlies are h1credible animals, as tall as ten feet, weighing up to 1,600 pounds. The largest predators walking the Earth, the most powerful land animals on the North American continent, grizzly bears are a living symbol of the Alaskan wilderness.· A barometer of the Earth's condition, the bear's survival as a species could be h1 jeopardy. Severe habitat loss due to mh1ing, oil production, farmh1g, ranchh1g, road building, off road vehicles, and most notably, logging, have threatened the bear's existence. Poachh1g ofbears for their bladders arid bile and excessive hunth1g of bears for sport has diminished their numbers dramatically. The threats that put the grizzly bear on the endangered list in the lower 48 states are being replicated h1 Alaska and throughout the world. particularly in Russia. In the Land of the Grizzlies combines spectacular hnages of the Alaskan wilderness, compelling cinematography and undercover video to dramatically depict the plight of North America's bears. The film begh1s h1 Alaska, where there are still30,000 brown and grizzly bears. But skyrocketing numbers. of hunters, devastating timber clearcutting, and the encr_oachment of man threaten the demise of this creature. ·Thn Treadwell, photographer and bear advocate, joins w i t h_.r-; ~ --- ~ oth.er ( , · ) ( \) env1 , ronmentalists -- / to show. us that ) \\ Alaska presents ( .J us with what .I could be the last opportunity to preserve grizzly bear habitat in the United States. April 1995 SPRING PLANNING CALENDAR t Bexar Audubon Event § More lnfonnation Inside TCP Texas Conservation Passport or fee APRIL I 5 Honey Creek SNA. Ethnobotany Walk, 9-1 I :30. Hike along Honey . Creek Canyon with emphasis on native plant identification and cultural uses for food, medicine, and fiber. 210-935-4012. 14-1 5 Sierra Club trip to Caddo lake-camping, canoeing (BYO). Jim g Eloise Stoker 828-0919. I 5 Honey Creek SNA, Ethnobotany Walk, 9-1 I :30. I 5 g 2 J-loney Creek SNA, Artist g photographers outing. Paint or photograph along Honey Creek Canyon. 2 I 0- 9 3 5-40 I 2 reservations. 20t§ BAS General Meeting. M. A. Maedgen, Jr., fire Ant Control Usit19 Bugs, Ruble Center, 7:30pm. 20§ Deep-water pelagic trip, 512-573- 5666 or 409-740-4621 for info. 2 I Cibolo Wilderness, Grass Workshop with Hilmar Bergmann. I 0-1 I am. 22t§ Earth Day. Celebrations all 'round town, especially at San Pedro Park. BAS will be there. Join us. 22-27 Sierra Club canoe trip (BYO) through · Boquillas Canyon (Big Bend). Deadline April 10. Mike Fox 695-2029. 2 3 Honey Creek SNA, Spring Birding Tour. 7:30-11 am, Sue Bayley of San Antonio Audubon. 2 I 0-4 3 8- 2656 for reservations. 2 5 Native Plant Society of Texas, Using Natiue Plants in Your Landscape, lion's Club Fieldhouse, 2809 Broadway at Mulberry, 7 pm. 2 8-30 Sierra Club trip to Seminole Canyon. Petroglyphs, birds, rough terrain. Cheryl Mclennan 822-1208, Sara Schwartz 229-1656. OFFICERS AND BOARD 29 Honey Creek SNA, Native Grass Identification, 9-1 I :30 am. 29-30 Bonsai Show and Sale, San Antonio Botanical Gardens MAY 5-7 MarJagit19 for Wildlife Diuersit!J in Texas. sponsored by TPWD, at SWTSU, San Marcos. Call 800-792- 1112; write TPWD, 4200 Smith 6 6 6 School Road, Austin, TX 78744. Cibolo Wilderness Trail, Volunteer Day, 9 to noon. Honey Creek SNA, Ethnobotany walk, see 4/8. Honey Creek SNA, Spring Birding . Tour, see 4/23. 6 & 27 Honey Creek SNA, Woody Plant Identification, $ 5. 2 I 0-9 3 5-40 I 2 reservations. learn to identify common woody plants of the hill country using an easy plant key that you keep. 8-13 Guadalupe River SNA Spring Science Camp for Kids. See February Bexar Tracks, or call 210-935-4012. BAS Board Meeting, 7 pm Second Saturday. Friedrich Park. Second Saturday Beginners Bird Walk. SA Audubon, Judson Nature Trails, next to Alamo Heights pool. Free, open to all. 8-1 I . Georgina Schwartz, 342-2073 for more info. 16t BAS General Meeting. Ruble Center. 19 Cibolo Wilderness Area, Grass Workshop with Hilmar Bergmann. 20 20 23 Cibolo Nature Center, Membership Walk in Guadalupe River Valley. Call for reservations 2 I 0-249-4616. Honey Creek SNA. Ethnobotany Walk (see 4/8). Native Plant Society, Plants of the Black Gap Area of the Chihuahuan Desert, Dr. William Vanauken. lions Field Clubhouse, 2809 Broadway at Mulberry. 7-9 pm. Susan K. Hughes President 532-2332; fax 532-2023 Harriet Wiygul Vice President 534-7505 Bexar Audubon Society, Inc. P. 0. Box 6084 Bill Sain Treasurer 408-7731 Anita L. Reeves Secretary 308-9254 Walter Barfield Board Member 735-0355 Claire Drenowatz Board Member 599-4168 Jim Garriott Board Member 695-9520 Patty leslie Pasztor Board Member 824-1235 Katie Nava-Ragazzi Board Member 804-1226 Richard Pipes Board Member 281-2452 Bill Woller Board Member 696-31 86 Backyard Habitat Birdathon Conservation Earth Day liaison Education Hospitality Membership Outings Programs Publicity COMMITTEE CHAIRS Barb Deluca Marge lumpe Richard Pipes Harriet Wiygul Betty Minyard Harriet Wiygul Dan S Kristy Davis Patty leslie Pasztor Chris Dullnig Susan K. Hughes Bill Sain 492-4291 657-1665 281-2452 534-7505 344-6128 647-5356 609-5678 824-1235 828-4017 532-233:2 Ways S Means 408-7731 Bexar Tracks Editor Claire Drenowatz 599-4168; fax599-3545 San Antonio, TX 78209 Address Correction Requested 27 Deep-water pelagic trip, 512-573- 5666 or 409-740-4621 for info. Beyond 200-fathom line, out of Port O'Connor. JUNE 5-9 Cibolo Nature Day Camp for 6 to 8- year-olds, 9-1 :00 daily. $60, limited to 30. 210-249-4616 for info. 19-23 Cibolo Nature Day Camp for 9 to 11- year-olds. Same as above. ONGOING ACTIVITIES Bexar Audubon Society general meetings are held on 3rd Thursdays at 7:30 pm, at the Ruble Center, 419 East Magnolia. BAS board meetings are generally held on 2nd Thursdays at 7:00. Outings are usually the Saturday following general meetings. Introductory memberships to NAS, including Audubon Magazine, cost only $20. Great gift. Send check to BAS (payable to NAS) at P; 0. below. Note chapter code W 19. and name address, and phone number of new member. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers many nature activities for annual Texas Conservation Passport Holders ($25 per year). Call for event listings: 800-937-9393. National Audubon Society's Actionline. Dial 2 02-5 4 7-9009. ask for Actionline. After hours, press 4 on a touch-tone phone. Other conservation organizations: please add Bexar Audubon to your mailing list if we're not already on it, and we'll be glad to include your events in our calendar each month. We welcome contributions. Next deadline is April22. n'.ll~== Printed on acid-free, 50% post-consumer waste L.=:.L;;;.;;.;;.;;= paper. Non-profit Organization U. S. Post"tle Paid San Antonio, TX Permit #590 J
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