Bexar tracks : the newsletter of the Bexar Audubon Society, Vol. 14, No. 02

• Main Author: Bexar Audubon Society
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: San Antonio, Tex. : Bexar Audubon Society, 1996
• Subjects: Birds > Conservation > Texas > Periodicals.; Ornithology > Texas > Periodicals.; Nature conservation > Texas > Periodicals; Clubs and Organizations; Science and Technology; Alabama; Archer; Austin; Bowles; Bradshaw; Dillon; Eubanks; Flint; Gonzalez; Gorton; Grande Valley; Greenwich; Kerr; Lynch; Meredith; North Star; Ortega; Pacific; Reeves; Rodger; Spring River; Watchers; Alaska; Skrei
• Online Access: http://digital.utsa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15125coll10/id/7976

Bexar Tracks began with Vol. 4, no. 1 (January 1986). It continues Newsletter (Bexar Audubon Society). Volume XJV. No. 2 February, 1 996 BEXAR AUDUBON E so~ L-- . UlSf\ Ubrar "'e. Why Did President Clinton Veto the Interior Appropriations Bill? And why hasn't the media focused on it? Other than mentioning that Clin­ton is concerned about the environ­ment along with the other issues on the table, there has been little coverage of just how bad the bill is. Even the San Antonio Express News has editorialized against the damage the bill would do-but hasn't bothered to waste space detailing exactly how. Tacked onto the budget bill are rid­ers which are among the ·worst ever passed by Congress. Following are highlights of these riders and anti-envi­ronmental provisions: • The Tongass timber rider will ele­vate subsidized Tongass clearcut­ting above all other uses. It will lock in place for two years a timber plan which allows 44% more logging, prevents the Forest Service from adopting a new land management plan needed to maintain fish and wildlife, and includes "sufficiency" language which allowsillegal tim­ber sales to proceed. • A moratorium on the listing of en­dangered species and designation of critical habitat will devastate al­most 400 plants and animals in need of protection-likely driving some to extinction and adding to the cost and difficulty of recovery for others. • The bill allows some 370 "patents" of public lands, 110,000 acres, by mining companies to move for­ward, continuing the giveaway of our public lands and minerals. • The bill cuts funding for the gray wolf recovery program in Yellow­stone National Park by 33%. • The bill cuts endangered species programs by 17%, the North Ameri­can Wetlands Conservation Fund by 24%, land acquisition funds by 40%, and funding for the National Wetlands Inventory by 48%. • The bill cuts the Forest Service re­search program by $15.5 million, closing down 7 facilities, yet in­creases the environmentally de­structive road-building budget. · • A moratorium on grazing regula­tions will undermine administra­tion efforts to achieve balance on · our public lands. • Section 314 will undermine the ad­ministration's Interior Columbia Basin project by subverting sound science, eliminating measures in­tended to protect salmon and trout habitat, and restricting the ability of the Forest Service and BLM to con­sult with other agencies about im­pacts of proposed actions on threat­ened and endangered species. • A provision rejecting the current scientific protocol for identifying marbled murrelet nesting sites will open up nearly 4.5 million acres of Ancient Forests in the Pacific Northwest to clearcutting and sig­nificantly threaten this endangered species as well as Northern spotted owl and coho salmon whieh share the same habitat. • A moratorium on energy efficiency standards and cuts in energy con­servation funding will subject the environment to d;unage, while ig­noring the many benefits of energy conservation. • The Clearwater National Forest ri9,er eliminates interim protections for old-growth stands and the envi­ronmental health of the forest re­quired by a 1993 court settlement and overrides the Court's attempt to manage the Clearwater for mul­tiple use, rather than solely for tim­ber harvest. • It cuts the Office of Surface Min­ing's enforcement of environ­mental regulations by 28%,and places a moratorium on r'egulations intended to stop the export of logs from western states. • It overrides efforts to protect Mon­tana's Ancient Forests from the sham "salvage" timber rider. • and several other travesties we don't have space for. What To Do Republican presidential candidate, Bob Dole was quoted as saying, "The only one objecting to the Interior bill is Vice President Gore. [Pres. Clinton] ought to sign that today and send Gore out to lunch." Tell Clinton that while you appreci­ate the veto, he has to hang tough, something he rarely seems to do. Tell him to keep vetoing this bill until the riders are removed. President Clinton, email: presi­dent@ whitehouse.gov; comment line: 202 456-1111. Call Congress toll free: 800-962-3524 or 800-972-3524 - De1111is Schvejda Co11servatio11 Chair N] Chapter Sierra Club BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY P. 0. Box 6084, San Antonio, TX 78209 210-822-4 503 . Chapter of the National Audubon Society The Chapter's primary goals are to pro­mote species and habitat conservation, and environmental education in the community. OFFICERS AND BOARD President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Susan K. Hughes 531-1331: fax [phone] Harriet Wiygul 5 34-7505 Bill Sain 408-7731 Anita l. Reeves 308-9154 Walter Barfield 736-0355' Claire Drenowatz 5 99-41 68 Jim Garriott 695-9510 Patty leslie Pasztor 814-113 5 Katie Nava-Ragazzi 804-1116 Richard Pipes 181-1451 Bill Woller 696-3 I 86 COMMITTEE CHAIRS Birdathon Marge Lumpe 545-1811 Conservation Richard Pipes 181-1451 Earth Day Dana Bohne 738-1341 Education Katie Nava-Ragazzi 804-1116 Hospitality Harriet Wiygul 5 34-7505 Membership Dan & Kristy Davis 609-5678 Natural Initiatives Harriet Wiygul 5 34-7505 Outings Patty Leslie Pasztor 814-113 5 Programs Chris Dullnig 818-40 I 7 Publicity Susan K. Hughes 531-1331 Ways & Means Bill Sain 408-7731 Bexar Traclzs Editor Claire Drenowatz 599-4168: fax[phone] CompuServe 73131,506 Bexar Tracks is your newsletter. We welcome your contributions. Next paper (hard copy, fax) deadline 2/24, electronic (diskette, email) deadline 3/01. Please send fax or email to Claire Drenowatz, as above; diskettes and hard copy should be sent to Claire at P. Q. Box 63137, San Antonio, TX 78247. Bexar Audubon Society ge11eral meeti11gs are held on 3rd Thursdays at 7:30 pm, at the_. Ruble Center, 419 East Magnolia; board meet-i~ tgs usually 2nd Thursdays at 7:00. · ltttroductory memberships to NAS, including AUDUBON Magazine, cost only $20. Great gift. Send check to BAS (payable to NAS) at address above. Note chapter code W19, and name, address, and phone number of new member. USEFUL NUMBERS: 800-659-2622 NAS Actionline 210-733-8306 Rare bird alert number. 210-227-6143 To report local water waste. 800-453-SMOG To report smoking vehicles February 1996 (License #, date, time & location of sighting are requested). Beneath The Gavel In my opini9n, Jim Stinebaugh, Senior Resident Agent for the Law Enforcement Division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service here in San Antonio, brought just the right message to our January meeting. Jim engrossed and amused us with stories from his years in wildlife law enforcement, and sprinkled in with those tales were some simple, but valuable messages for anyone working to protect the environment and its inhabitants: • maintaining a good attitude is fundamental; • if things are bad here, they're OK somewhere else; • times were simpler then; • education is the best work we can do; • reason is the only thing that will help-we must convince people what is right; • conserving habitat, keeping water dean-things such as these just have to be right. Jim described his job as that of trying to change attitudes while enforcing the law. It is the primary job of us all to endeavor to change attitudes. Sometimes we are frustrated and it is tempting to be angry and confrontational, but in my experience this seldom achieves that goal. Changing attitudes is an art, not a science. We change attitudes • by example; • by seeking calm and imposing structure and reason on an argument; • by making the effort to understand "where the other fella's coming from" . and sometimes that's not a place we wanted ever to go; • by providing the perspective of time and place, experience and . circumstance. , • by making it possible for people to see beyond the moment.by ensuring that basic human needs are met, so the future seems some­thing one can realistically and necessarily care about. Most importantly, we change attitudes by acting honestly, by basing those actions on good information, and by demonstrating passionate commitment. There are times when things are bad, and it is hard to imagine it ever getting better-or that we'll last long enough for conditions to improve. But it is critical that we maintain our optimisim. For without optimism, there is no-future in our imagination. Without imagination, we cannot discover our options. Without options, we fall victims to tunnel vision . to attitudes of darkness and despair. Of course, I am concerned about our environment and the onslaught it is enduring now. But I am optimistic. I believe th~re is much work-hard work-to be done. But! believe that if each of us works to change attitudes in a positive way and lives our own life as a demonstration of concern for the earth, we will make the important-the critical-difference. Join me in optimism for 1996. Let our concerns-and our hopes and expectations-be heard by phone, e-mail, letter, and testimony. • Make a commitment to write a letter a month to your legislators, to the White House, or to the editor of a magazine or newspaper. • Make phone calls once a month or more-to Washington, to City Hall, to respond to an item in the newspaper or on the radio. • Talk to a friend or neighbor about your personal commitment and help them learn about the issues and the underlying concerns. • Start planning now to participate in the political process this year. Volunteer to help a candidate who shares your values and is willing to voice them (you can help this happen). continued on page 3 2 Bexar Tracks Gavel, Cont'd • Encourage your family and friends to learn about the issues and vote from an informed position. • Contribute your ideas and let all the candi­dates know what you believe is right. Join formutualsupportand inspiration with others who share your commitment by attend­ing meetings of Bexar Audubon, the San Antonio Environmental Network, or our Second Satur­day program. Enjoy the out-of-doors by partici­pating in an outing or going hiking at Friedrich Park or another of our Texas natural treasures. Volunteer to help with an education project, a com1nunity-outreach event, or another commit­tee of the organization. And be sure to make a place for wildlife in your own day-to-day life by "wildscaping'' your yard or caving out a refuge in a corner. Our next "wildscape" workshop will be held in March, so make plans to attend. A final note. In answer to a question from the audience, Jim provided these figures, which, in my opinion, should startle you: there are only 14 USFWS law enforcement agents in Texas, only 208 in the entire US, including Hawaii and Guam. US Attorneys, who prosecute the cases brought by these agents, are spread thin, too. I believe that, as citizens, we should make it clear to Congress and the Administration that enforcement of wildlife laws and effective prose­cution and punislunent of violators are impor­tant and deserve high priority within the system. Of course, this means we must also en­sure that the Endangered Species Act is not weakened as it goes through the reauthorization process this year, too. Remember, "optimism" is our catchword for 1996! - Susan Hughes Kids + Resta + Birds = Fun! Calling All Closet Arts And Crafts Types! BAS has been invited to participated in the Childrens' Festival, an official Fiesta event held at the Institute of Texan Cultures on Saturday, April20, 1996. What an opportw1ity for exposure for our chapter! Some 10,000 kids and grown-ups are expected at the Folk Tales-thei'ned festival. We need several volunteers to help invent a participatory activity and carry it out on the 20th. Please call Katie Nava-Ragazzi at 804-1226 soon, so we can confirm our participation. Bexar Tracks CHAPTER NEWS February Meeting: Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation The February meeting of Bexar Audubon will feature Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, a nationally recognized organization founded in 1977 by Lynn Cuny. The purpose of the organization is to provide rescue, rehabili­tation, and release of orphaned, injured, and displaced wildlife. The organization also provides sanctuary for wild animals who are not releas­able. Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation has grown from Cuny's backyard to a 4-acre site, and now to a 21-acre location north of San Antonio. Today, the organization provides large, natural, captive habitats for non-releas­able animals, including 3 timber wolves, 13 mountain lions, 4 jaguars, 3 black bears, and 21 primates, in addition to many species of non-releasable migratory birds and non-indigenous reptiles. They rescue over 5,000 wild animals annually: squirrels who find their way into homes, raccoons in attics, and bats trapped in commercial build­ings, as a sample. Our speaker, March Lynch, is a member of the board and one of the many volunteers who work with the wildlife and operate the 24-hour, 365-day-a-year wildlife emergency hotline,698-1709. Lynch will discuss the rescue work of the organization and provide a brief history of the animals in their care, past and present in her illustrated presentation. Conservatio11 Committee: meeting at 6:00 pm at the Ruble Center. Specifics: monthly meeting of Bexar Audubon Society, Thursday, February 15, 1996, 7:30 pm. Free and open to the public. Refreshments available prior to the meeting, at 7:00. Come early to socialize. For more information, call 822-4503. Locatio11: Ruble Center, 419 E. Magnolia (between McCullough and I-37). Nearest freeway exit is North St. Mary's, off Highway 281. Public Ttmrsportatio11: VIA Route 5 (St. Mary's-McCullough-North Star Mall) to Magnolia Street. February Outing: Matagorda Island Dates: Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25. On Saturday, we will head down to Port O'Conner to spend the night in an area motel. On the way down, we may stop in Victoria to visit the Victoria Zoo. At 8 am on Sunday we will take the ferry over to Matagorda Island State Park and Wildlife Management Area. After an introduction to the area, we will travel by bus 20 miles to observe the whooping cranes in their winter habitat. Bring lunch, water, and insect repellent-and your binocs and cameras, of course. Cost of the Sunday Matagorda trip is $16 plus Texas Conservation Passport. Motel cost is still to be determined. The number of persons on the trip is limited to 16, so call Patty Leslie Pasztor at 824-1235 soon for reservations and details. 3 February 1996 LOCAL AND CHAPTER NEWS San Antonio Environmental Network to Talk Trash Recent news stories have reported more and more businesses are recognizingthatthe larger their waste stream, the lesser their profits. Whether the waste is office paper, hazardous solvents, or wooden pallets and packing materials, it is a resource and should not be casually discarded or the process producing it ignored. In our cities, waste products are a special challenge because there are so many sources, so many kinds, and so little place to put it. Uncontrolled, it becomes a blight and a health hazard and the waste material drops out of the resource cycle. ' On Tuesday, March 5, at 7pm at the Witte Museum Auditorium on Broadway south of Hildebrand, the San Antonio .Environmental Network will talk "trash." The program is free and open to the public. The SAEN program, coordinated by Bexar Audubon Society, will feature three speakers: Tra~y Tiller, president of the Corporate Recycling Council; Laura Bradshaw, coordinator of San Antonio's Annual"Bas~ra Bash" on the San Antonio River, and Edna Ortega, who will discuss the City's Curbside Recycling Prognhn). The Corporate Recycling Council of San Antonio, whose motto is "environmental responsibility means business," comprises members from governmental agencies and private and public businesses of all sizes. Members represent interests Bexar Audubon Election lime Again Below is the slate of officers presented by. the Bexar Audubon Society (BAS) Nominating Committee. The election will take place at the BAS general meeting on Thursday, February 15, at 7:30pm. Please be there to make your interests and concerns known, and to take an active role in the future of BAS. If you cannot attend the meeting, but, wish to vote by mail ballot, please mark and cut out the ballot and mail it in time to be received by February 14. , You are encouraged to write in your own candidates for any position. Write-in candidates must be current members of BAS. BaUots with write­ins must be accompanied by a statement signed by' the candidate indicat­ing willingness to serve if elected. Your name and address as it appears on your newsletter label must be clearly marked on the outside of your mailing envelope in order to valida~e your vote. However, to protect your privacy, it doeS)lOt have to appear on the ballot itself. If you wish, you may enclose your ballot in another envelope inside your mailing envelope. , Mail Ballot to: BAS Teller, P 0 Box 6084, San Antonio, TX 78209. Grde proposed candidates or write in your own: President Harriet Wiygul write in --- ­Vice president Katie Nava-Ragazzi write in --- :--- Secretary Joyce Pipes write in ~ --- ' --- Treasurer Bill Sain write in ________________ _ Board member Chris Dullnig write in ________________ _ Board member John Langam write in --- ' --- ­Board member Genevieve Kerr write in ________________ _ February 1996 4 at all points along the circle of resource purchas­ing, use, and reuse, and influence the acquisition and disposition policies of business entities throughout the City by providing information and the benefit of experience. The Second Annual "Basura Bash," sched­uled for Saturday, March 9, focuses citizen clean­up power on the San Antonio River. This year's event, bigger and better than ever, will expand its scope to include informational booths on en­vironmental topics, as well as an opportunity to wo,rk and improve an important part of our City's history and present. San Antonio's Curbside Recycling Program, while stilhelatively new, is considered a genuine success. Learn more about this important pro­gram and its plans for the future. , M~mberships in the San Antonio Environ­mental Network are $25 per year for organiza­tions, $5 for individuals. For more information, contact Bexar Audubon Society at 822-4503. Martins on the Way As San Antonio Express News columnist (and Audubon member) Maury Maverick has re­minded us, it's time to get ready for the return of purple martins to the San Antonio area. The scouts will be here soot1. The first two week'> in February mark the first returns to the region for those martins trav­elling over land routes, but the waves of return­ees will continue for eight to twelve weeks. For an excellent guide to being a good mar­tin landlord, get a copy of James D. Ray's $5.00 booklet, "The Purple Martin and Its Manage­ment in Texas," published by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (PWD BK W7100-254) in April1995. ' Contact the Nongame and Urban Program of TPWD at 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744 or call800-792-1112. , Bexar Tracks LOCAL AND CHAPTER NEWS Landscaping Workshop· A Landscaping for Wildlife Workshop will be held Saturday, March 16 at the San Antonio Garden Center. Learn how you can design a water-saving Ia ndsca pe to attract a variety of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Like to see more wildlife out your kitchen window? Think birds and butterflies might add a little color to your life? Want to improve your landscaping and save water in the bargain? Those attending the workshop will: • learn how to make their yards, front or back, friendly habitats that attract birds, butter­flies, and other valuable urban wildlife. • receive practical and detailed information on designing a landscape plan to attract wildlife, to reduce water and pesticide use, and to use plants that look good, attract specific kinds of wildlife, and grow where you want them to. • learn how their yards can qualify as an offi­cial "Texas Wildscape" habitat. For registration information, call Judit Gowen or Rufus Stephens at 349-2174. Natural Initiatives is a program of the Bexar Audubon Society, Bexar County Master Garden­ers, Native Plant Society, San Antonio Botanical Gardens, San Antonio Coalition of Neighbor­hood Associations, San Antonio Water System, and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. -Harriet Wiygul Education Committee Needs Your Help Poring over Betty Minyard's wealth of files on BAS Education activi­ties, as the new Chair for this committee, I see all the work done under Betty's leadership, the stellar materials and support from NAS, and the urgency of environmental issues all around us that we want to turn kids of all ages on to, and I have to say, Wow! Do all our Bexar Tracks readers know that BAS currently sponsors some 60 area classrooms so that they receive six annual sets of high-quality, reader-friendly materials on environmental topics? Audubon Adventures is an ongoing success, ai1d we are fortunate to have Betty still at the helm of this exciting program. Do you know any teachers that would like to participate? Or, better yet, people, groups or companies that would sponsor a class for next fall? Contact Betty through the BAS number. This first in what will be a series of updates on our Chapter's Education Committee is a call to action more than anything. I have some ideas- • bilingual programs and materials; • perhaps resuming a scholarship program to send local teachers or members to inspiring and state-of-the-art ecology NAS workshops; • finding out what's being done in environmental education in our area and seeing how BAS can best contribute. Bill Sain is interested in expanding our chapter's education program, and we need YOU, too! I know everyone is as busy as a bee, and yet the Education Committee needs fresh ideas and folks to make 'em come to life: Please give me a call! Maybe a friend, neighbor or colleague of yours would like to get involved along with you. Investing time in educating kids of all ages about the wonders and the vulnerability of nature is one of the most important things I can think of doing. Let's do it together!" -Katie Nava Ragazzi Education Chair Natural Initiatives· and the Eastside Parade of Homes A remarkable event took place in San Antonio the weekend of December 9 and 10. The Eastside Parade of Homes wa:-; held. Natural Initiatives wanted another chance to show the beauty and benefits of wildscaping. Our efforts at the house did not go unnoticed. The yard was awarded Best Site Design and Best Landscape of the show. The house had many visitors, some just to ask about the landscaping. Information on landscaping for wildlife was enthusiastically received, and the public became a little more aware that wildscaping doesn't mean creosote bushes and scrub. The statement by itself doesn't sound like much, but the event repre­sented years of effort by the dedicated and determined members of the Coli­sewn- Willow Park Neighborhood Asso­ciation, and the capitulation of city government to the residents' request for a safe and clean neighborhood. An area of badly deteriorated and abandoned housing was demolished, developers and builders were solicited, and new homes replaced the decay-a promise of revitalization for the area. Since wildscape had been so well received at the spring Parade of Homes, Bexar Tracks A builder did agree to wildscape a yard, but the implementation was up to Natural Initiatives. A landscape plan was donated to the group, but the work was going to be strictly volunteer. The grassroots response to calls for donations and volunteers was gratify­ing, and it all came together December 2nd and 3rd when we gathered to land­scape and plant the yard. · It was two days of labor-intensive work, yes, but in return we had the pleasure of seeing the yard come alive. ·Sunday afternoon we were exhausted, aching, but beyond satisfied with the weekend's work. 5 If you have not participated in a Natural Initiatives project, I encourage you to do so. As with any volunteer effort, you always receive more than you give. If you want to learn more about wildscaping, I encourage you to attend the Natural Initiatives Workshop on March 16. -Harriet Wiygul February I 996 BIRD TAlES A New-Year•s Day Backyard Birding Encounter Just outside the kitchen window is my homemade fish pond, a little bit of nature to enjoy-mostly in the 'Yanner seasons. As I began working on breakfast for my still-sleeping holiday guests,' I glanced out of th~ window. Within ten feet of the window stood a stately great blue heron. Having looked at many of them through binoculars, mostly in coastal .or inland water birdwatching, I had no doubt. There was no other pos­sibility, due to the size if nothing else. But what was it doing jn my yard, looking intently ahead at my small fish' pond? Living at this northwest S.A., hill country location for nearly 14 years now, I had never seen a heron of any kind near here-r-no mystery since bod­ies of water are few and far b,etween. · Black bellied tree ducks, who have colonized manyofSanAntonio's neigh­borhoods, and hang out down at the neighborhood park pond, are the only water birds I have ever seen. What the heron was doing became, immediately obvious, as he (an imma­ture, so sex is only a guess) stepped up on the rock rim of the pond and charac­teristically watched for some edible water life. I became a little concerned, since a couple of beautiful Koi inhabit my pond. However, he soon left the pond, and moved over to the swimming pool, i1ow algae ridden and harboring some. frogs and othei· critters, since I 'hadn't had time to keep it up since the end of the swiniining season. By this time, I had started taking photos through the win­dow. As he walked around the pool, he stopped ijnd seemed intently interested in some­thing. Slowly, he moved his head down to the water, sudde11ly darted forward, then came up with a frog, expertly trapped in his long beak. He opened his wings, and with a couple of flaps landed on the other side. of the pool, February I 996 where he -downed the freshly caught meal. As I busied myself with the morn­ing chores again, having snapped sev­, eral photos of my unexpected guest, he once again came over to the kitchen window spot. I again watched as he began to "fish" my pool. Again I became concerned abut the possible loss· of my few fish remaining in the pool after my "Yinterizing cleanout, although not too seriously since I thought the pond deep enough .for the fish to keep out of the way. I was not concerned about the Leopard frogs, which had become so ~ much at home over the last several years since . they discovered my pond that they were a bit overcrowded, and needed some natural population con­trol- by my assessment anyway-and I would not have misse~ the remaining Poeciliids (semi-tropical mollies, and· other small fish) which still . occupied the pond. · Well, as the heron tlu:ust h_is large head anq beak into the water, he again made a catch-this time a sizable fish. But thiS was a brown spotted fish, not a Koi. He took his catch away from the pool into the yard. Through my binocu­lars I could see in his beak a 6- or 7 -inch Plecostomus.l'd pla'ced three of them in the pool as algae control in U1e begin­ning of the summer and hadn;t seen them since. But 'there he was, and a Pleco that - large is wortlrsoni.e bucks to replace at the fish store. Miridful of the heron's nutritional needs, but also unwilling to sacrifice this healthy scavenger, I made a quick 'decision. As the heron dropped my fish on the ground to ponder how to swallow it without iJl!paling himself on its firmly erect defensive spines, r ran out a\1d re.trieved the Plecostomils, and returned him apparently m;1damaged talus pool. The heron flew into the J1earby ce­dars, maybe never to return after my , rude behavior. 6 But toward evening, again he was there hunting the swimming.pool. Then I realized that he could soon clean out my fish pond-of course clev- ' erly waiting until I was away at work, leaving my charges defenseless. I quickly rigged up some fencing over the pool surface as darkness approached, to protect the Koi when I wasn't home. Will he be back? I doubt it, since the . food supply in my yard will be so lim­ited, eveh if he finds a few more Rana ~pedes . · But the experience was a unique one, which provokes thought for us , "nature watchers". . Wildlife, like the human species, only needs a home-habitat, a place to live, find shelter, find food, drink or live h1 unpolluted w~ter, breed, and raise young and continue their species. In maintaining (which includes ignoring) my limited property, I try to leave, or . create1 habitat for wildlife. It's so simple. But worldwide, due to the pressures of an exploding world · population, greed, and politics (as with our nation's congressional leadership), the struggle for existence of many spe­cies is coming to a rapid end, as forests are felled, swamps drained, .waterways polluted, ground water depleted, pro­tective funding slashed, and endan­gered .species legislatiol1 attacked. Many wildlife species cannot sur­vive- unless we let them. ·Many will con­tinue to dwindle in numbers and disappear in the near future. Which and how many can be saved? Our heron is not an endangered species. And due to its mobility and widespread habitat, will probably not be soon. But it'> cousin,,the Great Egret, was nearly brought to extinction, and other water birds, such as the Wood Stork (of Florida and Texas) are dramati­cally reduced h1 _num:bers due to habitat loss. · Can we, as a species, change our course to protect some of the environ­ment (and its inhabitants) for the fu­ture? Do we want to? I do hope so. -Jim Garriott Bexar Tracks BIRD TALES Hawk Talk From the Intemet, a slightly different look at predators: We've had a winter visitor who sits near'ly all day in our plum tree or next to our birdfeeder waiting to eat our juncos, house finches, gold­finches, white-c.rowned sparrows, or house sparrows. We have a sling shof and since we've never hit anything at which we've .aimed, we feel pretty secure in trying to scare the hawk away. However, he comes back within hours and we're pretty sure he's never tqo far away. The only good part of this is that we've saved a lot of mOJley on birdseed this winter . ·. Does anyone have any ideas of how to scare the hawk away without hurting it or do we just wait fo,r spring? -Maia Dear Maia J You are artificially supplementing the diet of your seed-eating visitors by putting out bird seed for then~. 'Why do you begrudge this sharp­shinned hawk the food that you are attracting to that feeder? . , He/she is also a bird, tryb.1g to make it through a lean winter period. Rest assured that he/she will not wipe out the juncos, goldfinches, or other birds at your feeder; man is the only pre~ator stupid enough to wipe out the food-providing prey species. ' I als_o have a sharp-shinned hawk around my feeder this winter, and . I enjoy every sighting of her: To me it is reassuring that there is a "balanced" ecosystem in place in my yard. Predators, of which we have precious few left, are part of the natural world that we all love and are trying to protect. ' -Dave Grand Slam Bird COunt Announced ' - Cedar Hill State Park proudly announces its first annual Grand SlamofBirding on May 4, 1996 from 30 minutes before sunrise until one hour past dark. This exciting event focuses on the neotropical migration. Birding is the second largest family hobby in the United States. Skilled birders from around the State will engage in friendly competition to see which group can identify the wid­est variety of }Jirds. You may sign up in, expert or· novice categories. Bottom line: Whichgroupcanidentifythe great­est diversity of species and . the greatest number of birds in one day. This event will provide . valu­able information as to which neot- ' ropical 1birds ,reside, and migrate through, Cedar Hill State,Park. Grand prize is exclusive brag- , ging' rlghts for an entire year (plus other great prizes). · · Corpe out and compete in this worthy event. Expect to see a wide variety of birds!' Reserv!ltions are required: phone [phone],· or fax [phone]. · Anniversary Celebratipn Texas Parks and Wildlife is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Nongame and Endangered Species Stamp and Art Print program. In honor of this ani1iversary, the TPWD has developed a'new poster, a special framed and mounted Collectors Stamp Set with a Conservation Edition Print, and a Commemorative Stamp Set with a certificate. · · If you'd like a brochure detailing all the Anniversary items on sale, please write the Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Fund, Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., 42.00 St:nitl;t School Road, Austin, TX 78744. Bexar Tracks 7 Condors in the Grand Canyon? The Los Angeles Times reported on January 5 that the US Department of the Interior is inviting the public to comment on a proposal to release up to nine young endangered California condor chicks at the Grand Canyon this spring. The proposed site is at Vermillion Cliffs, on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management. Th~ USF&WS, which administers the Con­dor Recovery Program at its Ventura office, hopes to establish three populations of 150 wild _ birds to bring the animal back from the brink .of extinction. · · Releasing birds in Arizona this spring would create the third wild population. There are nowl3 condors flying free in northern Santa Bar­bara County, and biologists plan to release more birds to San Luis Obispo Coutity later this mor\th. . "By returning copdors to their historic range in Arizona, biologists hope to give' the new population a greater degree of security and isolation than they have had . in California," Fish & Wildlife Service spokesman, David Klinger said. - reported by Carole Wilmoth Prairie & Timbers AS Help Track Migratory Birds Spread the word about this electronic mail list which will track migrating song birds north this spring. Migration b1formation Songbird NETwork is named for the nearly invisible mistnet used by on\.ithologists to trap a bird long enough to put a numbered band on its leg before re­leasing it unharmed to continue on its way. Our listserve is a new . tool to gather informa­tion about migration, and birders and students throughout the 1\mericas. ·To subscribe or unsubscribe to MISTNET send e-mail to: [e-mail] Members of MISTNET who wish to post E-Mail to the listserver should send their mes­sage. directly to: [e-mail] The MIST NET WWW Home page is located at: http://www.hypernet.com/mistnet.html Please join and pass the word along. MIST­NET thanks you and so will the songbirds. February 1996 , ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES For Our Children•s Health On December 14th, Physicians for Social Responsibility released the Children's Environmental Health 1995 Final Report Card. "This holiday season, children need the gifts of clean air, and safe food and water. Instead, many members of Congress have behaved like Scrooge when it comes to protecting our kids' health from environmental haz­ards," said Ira Helfand, M.D.,, the new President of PSR. Dr. Helfand noted that the average child eats more food, drinks more water, and breathes more air per pound of body weight than an adult. These factors, comb~d with their growing bodies, make children more vulnerable to environmental' health hazards. The report ca~;d illustrates how members, of Congress voted on envi-ronmental issues that affect children in five areas: • pesti~ides and other contaminants in food; . • lead, asbestos, and second-hand smoke in homes and schools; • bacteria, lead, pesticides and other toxic chemicals in drinking water; • air pollution; • and federal health and environmental safeguards that provide gen­eral deterrents against pollution--the "green blanket." The Report Card graded every member of the 104th Congress on how well they voted.' For a hard copy of the Report Card or for additional information, such as detailed voting records for your state's Congressional delegation, contact PSR, 1101 14th Street NW #700 Washington, D.C. 20005, 202-898-0150 or e-mail [e-mail]. In the next few months, both houses will be rewriting essential food, drinking water, and clean air safeguards. Unless members of Congress improve their performance, children may face even greater exposure to environmental hazards every day. · What can the public do? Parents, physicians,, students, and everyone concerned about the health of America's children should review ·their senators' and repre­sentative's grades. If they received good grades, thank them and urge them to continue their hard work. ' Most, however, can do a far better job of protecting our children from health hazards in their environment. The San Antonio-area repre­sentatives, and our two senators, have among the worst records (with notable exception) as shown below. We've also shown the records of Texans in key positions in the House. Keep their records in mind whenever they speak about how they're "improving" environmental legislation. Name Foods Schools Water Air Blanket Overall SENATE Gramm F INC F F F F Hutchison F INC F F F F HOUSE Archer F F F F F F Armey D- F F F F F DeLay F F F F F F Fields F F F F F F Laughlin F F F D- F F de la Garza D- .A D C- c c Gonzalez B+ A B+ B+ A A-Smith F F F F F F Bonilla F F F F F F Tejeda C- F D D D C-February 1996 8 Legislative Update Congress reconvened on January 22. Some legislation of immediate concern includes: HR 2745, filed by Elizabeth Furse (D-OR) and Connie Morello (D-CA) will seek to either repeal the "logging without laws" bill or at least remove the most damaging sections from the act. Action needed: ask your congressman · to sponsor HR 2745 and push for a repeal of the en tire act. HR 1977, Interior Appropriations Bill, ve­toed by President. Clinton. The House will try again to oveuide the veto or will pass a revised version which will contain riders (amendments) which are anti-environmental. Action needed: call or write the President and ask him to veto any bill containing the environ­mentally damaging riders (see separate article 011 page 1). ' ESA Gilchrest Bill: Offered as a "moderate" substituted for the Young-Pombo bill, it would gut the ESA. It fails in every area from listing procedures to financing and is absolutely unac­ceptable. Action needed: Ask your Cougressman not to sponsor the bill or vote for it. Ask President Clin to to veto the bill if it reaches his desk. If you need information concerning these bills or others, call the NAS Action Line at 800- 659-2622, or locally c~ll Susan Hughes at 532- 2332 or me at 281-2452. - Richard Pipes Conservation Chair Easement Workshop Maintaining Private Lands Through Conser­vaticm Easements is a workshop to be held Thursday afternoon, April11 and Friday morn­ing, April12, at the Doubletree Hotel in Austin. The workshop will have two concurrent educational tracks: • for landowners and land managers, and • for landowner advisors. Topics include definition; conservation tools; conserving farms, ranches, and family lands; financial benefits; primer; and land man­agement considerations. The workshop is sponsored by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Registration in­formation is available by calling 512-389-4779 or 512-327-4119, faxing 512-389-4469, or writing to Carolyn Scheffer, Texas Parks & Wildlife Depart­ment, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744. Bexar Tracks ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Texas Ranked among Top Ten Endangered Ecosystems in U.S. Eudaugered Ecosystems is the title of a new scientific study that ranks the ten most endangered states of the U.S. The report, released December 20 by De­fenders of Wildlife, warns that many ecosystems right here are just as endan­gered- or more endangered-than the well-publicized Amazon rainforest. Florida, California, and Hawaii are tied for first place, followed by Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas in another tie. South Carolina and Virginia are tied in next place, and finally Alabama and Tennessee are tied at the next tier. The report was written by scientists F. Reed Noss and Robert L. Peters. It amplifies the conclusions of a U.N. Global Biodiversity Assessme11t, re­leased in November, as they apply to the U.S. According to Defenders' President Rodger Schlickeisen, "We're at an eco­logical crossroads. The battle for the ecological health of at least ten states will be won or lost by actions taken over the next decade. This study enables us to foresee where the endangered spe­cies 'trainwrecks' will occur and to un­derstand that the casualties will extend · beyond wildlife over the long term be­cause our own life-support systems are at risk. We hope this study will help steer Congress away from the collision course it is now taking by trying to dis­mantle the Endai}gered Spe<;ies Act and other laws protecting wildlife, public lands, and other habitat." The report assigns each state an over all risk index, according to how many e!1dangered ecosystems it con­tains, and also identifies how many im­periled species each harbors and how much development it faces. Most of the states are those in which rapid growth is occurring In Florida, for example,, the rate of development is so rapid that the amount of developed land·increased 35 percent in the decade from 1982 to 1992. If this rate of increase were to continue for the next 100 years, and if 100 percent were really possible, all of the state, in­cluding agricultural land, would be cov­ered by houses and concrete. Bexar Tracks The magnitude of decline is indi­cated by many statistics for the nation . and state-by-state. For example: • the nation has lost 117 million acres of wetlands-more than 50 ·percent of what we started with; • the Northwest has lost 25 million acres-90 percent-of its ancient forest; • California alone has lost nearly 22 million acres of native grasslands. Even acres preserved as public lands are becoming increasingly frag­mented: • Our national forests alone contain nearly 360,000 miles of roads, more than eight tin1.es the mileage of the Interstilte Highway System. • In the West, 270 million acres of public rangelands are affected by livestock grazing-nine of every ten acres. The report's assessment of Texas is a cause for genuine concern and action. • Overall Risk to Ecosystems: Ex-treme • Number of Listed Species: 72 • Number of Candidate Species: 325 • Number of Imperil~d Vertebrates: 43 • Number of Imperiled Plants: 222 • Population density, 1992: 66.28 peo­ple per square mile • Percent change in population den­sity, 1982-1992: 15.21 • Percent of state developed as of 1992:4.8 • Percent increase in developed land, 1982-1992:20.5 Here are the facts on Texas:· • 99.9 percent loss of prairie in Texas; • 85 percent loss of natural longleaf pine forests in Texas and Louisiana since 1935; , • 89 percent of 3.5 million acres of virgin forest in Big Thicket, Texas lost by 1960s; • 95 percent loss of native habitat in lower delta of Rio Grande River, Texas'-what remains is highly fragmented; • 93 percent loss of seagrass mead­ows in Galveston Bay 9 • 52 percent loss of w~tlands in Texas from 1780s to 1980s To receive a copy of E11da11gered Ecosystems: A Status Report 011 Amer­ica's Va11ishi11g Habitat a11d Wildlife, a 132-page illustrated report, send $15 to Defenders of Wildlife, 1101 Fourteenth St., Nw, Suite 1400, Washington, DC 20005, or phone [phone] ext.333 to place an order and be invoiced. Defenders' President Schlickeisen noted, "Ti1e challenge of protecting eco­systems at this point is more political than scientific. The Endangered Species Act is under direct attack even though its first stated purpose is 'to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which threatened and endangered spe­cies depend may be conserved."' House Resources Committee Chairinan Don Young (R-Alaska), Sen­ate Wildlife Subcommittee Chairman Dirk Kempthorne (R-Idaho ), and Sen­ate Interior Appropriations Subcommit­tee Chairman Slade Gorton (R-Washington) have introduced bills that would make this law essmtially volutttary. Moreover, the FY '96 Interior Ap­propriations bill that the President ve­toed December 18 would require a continuing moratorium on all new spe­cies listings and critical habitat designa­tions under the ESA. Dr. -Robert Peters, co-author of the report, pointed out that ecosystems not only provide shelter for wildlife and generate tourism income, but also pro­vide basic ecological services such as water recycling, creation of soil, waste filtering, and oxygenation of air and water. As you contact your senators and representative about the ESA, you may wish to use the data provided in this report to illustrate the reasons for your concern and the need for a strength­ened, not weakened, ESA. Why would our representatives and senators vote for environmentally damagin'g legislation? See next page for one possibility. February 1996 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Grazing PACs Get Their Money's Worth Some 265 million acres of Western federal lands are devoted to graz­ing. Cattle and sheep ranchers now pay grazing fees of about $1.61 per "animal unit'' per month (that equals one cow or five sheep), as much as seven times less than they pay on private lands. Parts of the original bill were inserted in the budget reconciliation bill, but then withdrawn. Without holding any new hearings, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the new bill, the Public Rangelands Management Act of 1995, by voice vote on November 30. Grazing interests historically give about half of their campaign contri­butions though PACs and half through individual donations of $200 and above. From January to June of this year, grazing PAC's gave $158,150 to congressional candidates. Of that, nearly a third-$44,300-went to the Senate. . Over a full six-year Senate election cycle plus the first half of 1995 Ganuary 1989 to June 1995) grazing PAC's gave $397,348 to current sena­tors, 73 percent to Republicans. The average contribution to the new bill's 13 co-sponsors was $7,985, over twice the average contribution to senators in general. · Texas senators received: Hutchinson $24,474; Gramm $23,500. Since Hutchinson hasn't served the full six years since 1989, her 'total is even hig~1er than Gramm's. NAFTA an Environmental Failure The North Americai'! Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has failed to fulfill the promises of its backers to improve public health and the environment along the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, there is evidence that , the treaty is actually exacerbating damage to the area, says a report released by Public Citizen, the . Washington, D.C.-based consumer watchdog group. Predictions that the treaty would result in improved public health and a cleaner environmer\t were based on assumptions that, under NAFTA, the concentration of factories along the border would decrease, that citizens and local governments would prosper, and. that strong NAFTA institutions would improve enforcement of en­vironmental laws. On the contrary, says the group, since the treaty was ratified the workforce along the border has increased 20% ,leading to increased industrial concentration on the bor­der. This, in turn, has intensified air and water pollution, dumping of hazardous waste, and the rate of disease associated with environ­mental degradation including hepatitis A, cholera, and birth de­fects. An executive summary of the report, NAFTA's Broken Promises: The Border Betrayed, is available at http:// www.citizen.org/public _ citi­zen/ pctrade. From C&E News, January 22, 1996, (copyright American Chemi­cal Association) - reparted by Dave Rintoul Northem Flint Hills AS Manhattan, Kansas NAS \XIild Birds Screen Saver BOCASoft Inc. proudly introduces the Na­tional Audubon Society Wild Birds screen saver for Windows/95 and Wh1dows 3.1. Wild Birds is a dazzlh1g multimedia experi­ence of beautiful images, amazing animations, and wondrous sounds of birds in their natural surroundings. Packaged using recycled paper, the software h1cludes support for US Environmental Protec­tion Agency standard Energy Star compliant "green" monitors, which enables them to con­serve energy and minimize electronic emissions. "Wild Birds Lc:; really beautiful, and it's fun and informative", said Tina Robinson of Nation­wide Insurance, "plus whenever someone stops by myo{fice and asks me about the birds, I feel like I'm really helping spread the Audubon mes­sage." • Animated habitat scenes feature graceful birds flying across your screen. • Listen closely-you may hear the wind as it blows over the mountains h1 the distance, the frogs and h1sects of the wetlands, or maybe the far-off bell of a seashore buoy. · • Listen to your favorite songs and calls, and learn to identify birds by their sounds alone. • Learn about Audubon Sanctuaries and the National' Wildlife Refuges, their programs, and the birds and habitats they protect. "This product really is for everyone. It's en-tertaining and informative for anyone from the expert bird watcher to the casual observer," ex­plained Brian Mealey, Director of the Bird of Prey Center, Miami Museum of Science,"My fa­vorite part is the animated habitats." Wild Birds is a complete standalone product and does not require other software to run on Windows 95 or Windows 3.1. For users of After Dark, the Wild Birds modules are compatible and can be run from your After Dark configuration. Call 800-433-BOCA for information on where you can purchase the National Audubon Society Wild Birds screen saver. FREE Demo and After Dark module avail­able in the BocaSoft forum! GO BSOFT. Go to the BocaSoft library sec­tion and download AUDDEMO.ZIP and AUD­SEA. ZIP At the Mexican Wolf hearings in Austin last October 16, some of the ranchers protested that they (th.e ranchers) were the true endangered species. A representative of Earth First responded that if ranchers were .indeed an endangered species, they should be rounded up to the best extent possible, their numbers estimated, as many as possible tagged so their movements and activities could be tracked , etc . etc. Then, if the Sweet Home decision is overturned, the next time they go to Mexico on vacation. their houses will be bulldozed I February 1996 10 Bexar Tracks CHAPTER & MISCELLANY Audubon Flocking to the Rio Grande Valley Both the National Audubon Society's Board of Directors and the Audubon Council of Texas will meet at McAllen, Texas' Doubletree Inn in March. Audubon's Board of Directors will meet from Thursday, March 7th through Sunday, March lOth. The Audubon Council of Texas will meet Friday and Saturday March 8th and 9th. This is an excellent opportunity to meet our board members, and engage in discussions about the implementation of Audubon's exciting new strategic plan. Both groups will enjoy area field trips and all meetings are open to everyone. The Audubon Council will focus on the Rio Grande Wildlife Corridor and other priority issues. There will be a small registration fee to attend the Council meeting to cover meeting costs. Field trips are planned for the Sabal Palm Grove, Friday PM and Santa Ana NWR, Saturday AM. NAS's strategic plan implementation committees on Field Structure, Audubon Centers, Communications, Education and Membership will present their implementation plans for the new Audubon. ACT may also schedule meetings, activities and training for chapter leaders, as we have a small stipend available to help bring people to McAllen for leadership development. There is a block of rooms reserved at the Double Tree in McAllen, ($59 single, $69 double includes breakfast and a cocktail), but they have to be reserved through the Southwest Regional Office. This is Spring Break . season, so early reservations are a must. More detailed information, including agendas, map, list of area hotels, and the registration costs will be available in early February. For more information on the meetings, please contact the Southwest Regional Office at 512-327-1943 or [e-mail]. Ted Eubanks and Sandra Skrei have also put together birding tours before and after the meeting for the NAS board members as a fundraiser for the Southwest Regional Office. There may be space available for the four-day Gulf Birding Trip ($475 plus most meals and hotels) leaving Houston on Monday, March 4th, and to UT/Brownsville's Rancho del Cielo ($600 including housing and most meals) in Tamaulipas, starting in Brownsville Sunday evening, March lOth and returning Thursday, March 14th. We hope to see you in McAllen in March. The Rio Grande Valley has more than 330 species of butterflies, 450 species of birds, and 1200 species of plants-the greatest biological diver­sity anywhere in North America. If you attend the McAllen meeting, you will have the opportunity to experience this natural abundance. Also, you may see firsthand the pollution, the overcrowding, the poverty, and the lack of infrastructure since the explosion of industries along both sides of the Rio Grande River. Do You Like Old Bird Books The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Library Auction is a great opportunity to purchase the hard-to-find, out-of-print books you've been wanting. All books are in good second-hand condition. To receive the current book auction list, which gives complete bibliographic information and book dealers' prices, write to Tim Dillon, Library, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850. Bexar Tracks II NAS Job Opportunities Audubon camps are operated at sites in Maine, Connecticut, and Wyoming by the NAS to provide adults with a relaxed educational setting in which to learn more about the natural world around them and the ways in which peo­ple are interacting with that world. Natural history instructors and student as­sistants are needed to staff these camps. Qualified individuals with teaching experi­ence in a wide range of natural science subjects and ecological disciplies can become part of the prestigious staff at one of the camps or work­shops. The programs run for approximately eight weeks from mid-June to late August and the positions include salary plus room and board. Students assist in the kitchen or as mainte­nance assistants in making the programs work. In ret~rn they are provided with an opportunity to participate in the program throughout the summer, room and board, and a salary commen­surate with the position and camp season. If you are interested, send your resume to Audubon Ecology Camps & Workshops, Na­tional Environmental Education Center, Na­tional Audubon Society, 613 Riverside Road, Greenwich, CT 06831 Clearcut as Day Au I11ternet Excha11ge Just received a copy of the recently-publish­ed book Clearcut: The Tragedy of Industrial Forestry. It's a damning indictment of today's log­ging/ timber industry and was co-published by Sierra Club Books/Earth Island Press. Anyone else seen/read this coffee table-size book? Any reactions? This was published, of course, well before the "logging without laws" rider. - Ala11 Gregory Co~ty~tgham, PA The logging industry's reaction was to pres­sure libraries in Northern California so that they wouldn't carry the book. Same for Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. -]ymDyer Berkeley, CA My thanks to Susan Hughes for getting the January newsletter out, after all heck broke loose around my house and I couldn't do it myself. - Claire Drenowatz, Editor February I 996 WINTER/SPRING PLANNING CALENDAR * Bexar Audubon Event § More Information Inside RECURRING EVENTS First Saturday at Friedrich Park, guided gen­eralnatural history hike, free. 698-1 05 7 for reservations. Second Saturday at Friedrich Park sponsored by Bexar Audubon. $2 donation requested. 698-1 05 7 for reservations. Second Saturday: Beginners Bird Walk at Alamo Heights Nature Trail. Georgina Schwartz of SA Audubon Society 342-2073. Fourth Saturday: Birding morning at Mitchell Lake with Ernie Rooney. Meet at ML at 8 am. 733-8306 for more info. FEBRUARY 7 Sierra Club Wednesday evening walk at Eisenhower Park. Meet 'at Pavilion #I at 6 pm. Free. Marsha Meredith 675-4097. 8* BAS board meeting, 7:00pm. I 0* Second Saturday at Friedrich, 9-1 I am, Archaeology of the Texas Hill Country, with Herb Uecker. Arti­facts (including an atl-atl) of the re­~ ion's early residents. I 0 'Stargazing" evening at Friedrich Wilderness Park from 6:30-9 pm. Bring lawn chair and snack. 698- 1 05 7 for reservations. 15* BAS General Meeting, Ruble Center, 7:30 pm, Wildlife Rescue & Rehab. 16-18 17th Annual Bald Eagle Conference, Klamath Falls OR. Ralph %KBAS, PO Box 354, Klamath Falls, OR 97601:541-883-5732 (day) or 541-882-8488 (eve). I 7 -I 8 Sierra Club Pedernales Falls State Park overnight backpack trip. $2 members. $3 non, plus park fees. Tom Dukes 828-3721. 24 Leon Valley Earthwise Living Day. Fun for the family, BAS partipation. February Meeting . ·3 February Outing . 3 Election Notice . .4 Bird Tales . 6 Environmentallssues . S Printed on acid-free, 50% post-consumer waste paper. Community oriented environmental fair, with speakers, booths, food. Katie Nava-Ragazzi 804-1226. 24- BAS outing to Matagorda Island 2 5*§ State Park for Whooping Crane Tour. Patty Leslie Pasztor, 824- 12 3 5, for info and reservations. 27 Native Plant Society of Texas, 7-9 pm,1ion's Field Clubhouse, 2809 Broadway. Roscoe Creed on photo­graphing flowers and tips on captur­ing the beauty of nature. Free and open to public. MARCH 2 First Saturday, General Natural His­tory Hike, 9-1 I am. Free. 698- 1 05 7 reservations. 2 Friedrich Interpretive Guide re­fresher course, 9-1 I am. 698-1 05 7 for info and reservations. 5*§ San Antonio Environmental Net­work, 7 pm, Witte Museum Audito­rium, 'Talking Trash." 7* BAS board meeting, 7 pm. 7 -I 0§ NAS Board of Directors Meeting, McAllen. 8-9§ Audubon Council ofTexas Meeting, McAllen. 9 Basura Bash. city-wide trash cleanup. Join your neighbors from all around San Antonio in this city­wide river clean-up. Contact Robin Raquet at 224-4541, or Katie Nava­Ragazzi, 804-1226. 9* , Second Saturday at Friedrich, 9-1 I am, illustrated lecture on the "Poi­sonous Plants of Texas," by bota­nist Hilhnar Bergman. 9 Sierra Club Map & Compass Exer­cise, Guadalupe River State Park. Classes, or run the course yourself. $3 members, $4 non. Lee Dodge 64 7-02 16, Tom Dukes 828-3721. 14* BAS General Meeting, 7:30pm. Bexar Audubon Society. Inc. P. 0. Box 6084 San Antonio, TX 7 8209 · Address Correction Requested I 5-1 7 Spring River Conference, Kearney, NE, as the sandhill cranes fill the Platte River bottoms on the their spring migration north. Claire Drenowatz 599-4168, or March Bexar Tracks, for more info. 16 Warbler Walk at Friedrich Wilder­ness Park, 8-10 am. Seek out the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. Free. 698-105 7 reservations. 23-24*BAS outing to Devil's River State Natural Area. Stay in bunkhouse or camp. Call Patty Leslie Pasztor for details & reservations, 824-1235. 26 Native Plant Society ofTexas, 7-9 pm, Lion's Field Clubhouse, 2809 Broadway. Dr. David Bowles, TPWD conservation scientist, on plants and animals which live in wet­lands and how they are being re­stored and preserved. Free and open to public. JUNE . 8-11 Audubon's America, NAS Conven­tion 1996, Washington DC. More info in March Bexar Tracks. For reg­istration packet, write ~udubon Con­vention Office, 4 I 50 Darley Ave­nue Suite 5, Boulder, CO 80303; phone [phone]: fax [phone]; email conven­tion@ audubon.org. Other conservation organizations: please add Bexar Audubon to your mailing list if we're not already 'on it, and we'll be glad to include your events in our calendar each month. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers many nature activities for annual Texas Con­servation Passport Holders ($ 2 5 per year). Call for event listings: 800-937-9393. Non·profit Organization U. S. Po•tage Paid San Antonio, TX Permit #590