| Summary: | Bexar Tracks began with Vol. 4, no. 1 (January 1986). It continues Newsletter (Bexar Audubon Society). I ( l l \ r ( BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY Volume XIV, No. 3 March, 1996 -8-EXAR TR CK San Antonio Texas Reforming The Magnuson Fisheries Conservation & Management Act What is the Magnuson Fisheries Act? The Magnuson Fisheries Conservation & Management Act is the key federal law that protects and manages our living marine resources. Enacted by Congress in 1976 to curtail foreign overfishing near U.S. coasts, the Magnuson Act created federal authority to manage the nation's fisheries, and claimed the area out to 200 miles from shore as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the U.S. While the Act successfully Americanized our fisheries, it has been less successful in conserving the fish. Today, of the nation's conunerciallyvaluable fish species whose status has been assessed, 57% are overfished. Entire historic fisheries have collapsed with the Act in place, devastating fishing communities and damaging ma-rine ecosystems. · Overfishing is compounded by the problem of "bycatch" -the catching and killing of non-target fish and other marine wildlife (which in some fisheries results in 80% of the catch thrown back dead or dying) and by the destruction of essential fish habitat such as wetlands and estuaries. Making History This year we have an unprecedented chance to turn all of this around-in fact, we are halfway there. Just last October, the strongest-ever reauthorization of this law came out of a Congress that many consider to be Conserving the Ocean's Bounty environmentally hostile. As a result of almost three years of intense and organized grassroots pressure on Congressional lawmakers to strengthen and reform the Act so that it works for conservation (Audubon played a major role in this effort) the House passed tough new overfishing, bycatch, and habitat ' lan~e in their bill, HR 39. ~.·· ·- "'- -~ "' . - . -~·'t . ~. ( "-·-- -·:.!_-- --~ . - isla tor listens when he/she hears that if our fisheries were rebuilt and managed for long-term sustainability, they would contribute 300,000 fishery-related jobs, and $25 billion to the overall economy of the natim1. While the economic fallout from overfishing and the waste of fish was of necessity a central part of our message, we also reminded lawmakers that fish are an integral part of complex oc;ean ecosystems, and their depletion may have far-reaching and unknown consequences for both marine and 1mman environments. But as we celebrate the only envi- . ronmental victory to come out of this Congress to date, our exuberance is tempered by an awareness thatthe battle is only half over. The Senate is now writing S 39, its version of the Magnuson bill, and we are concerned that without a strong show of support for retaining the tough House languge, our victory will be short-lived. Special interests that would benefit from maintaining the status quo are putting pressure on Senators to weaken the new Magnuson conservation language. Key provisions of this revolutionary bill include language that, for the first time, defines and prohibits overfishing, explicitly defines bycatch and requires that bycatch be reduced (an amendment added on the House floor closes a loophole that would have exempted Gulf of Mexico shrimpers from new bycatch reduction language in the Act that applies to all other fisheries), and adopts an aggressive national fish habitat protection program. -Why Is This Important To You? Why Did Congress Do This? Because there is a clear link between healthy fish populations, jobs, and the econo.my, and that is a connection this Congress understands. Even the least environmentally sensitive leg- The Gulf of Mexico supports the second largest commercial fishery in the United States. Shallow reef and reef-like hard bottom sustains snapper and grouper, while expansive salt marsh wetlands and shallow estuarine areas nurture shrimp, the basis of an coiztinued on page 3 . BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY P. 0. Box 6084, San Antonio, TX 78209 210-822-4503 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 531-1013 Harriet Wiygul 534-7505 Bill Sain 408-7731 Anita L. Reeves 308-9154 Walter Barfield 73 6-0 3 55 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 696-31 86 COMMITTEE CHAIRS Birdathon Marge Lumpe 545-181.2 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 814-1135 Programs Chris Dullnig 818-40 I 7 Publicity Susan K. Hughes 531-1331 Ways & Means Bill Sa in 408-77 31 Be.xar Tracks Editor Claire Drenowatz 599-4168: fax599-3545 CompuServe 73131.506 Bexar Tracks is your newsletter. We welcome your contributions. Next paper (hard copy, fax) deadline 3/23, e~ectronic (diskette, email) deadline 3/29. Please send fax or email to Claire Drenowatz, as above; diskettes and hard copy should be sent to Claire at P. 0. 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 meeti~ tgs usually 2nd Thursdays at 7:00. I11troductory memberships to NAS, including AUDUBON Magazine, cost only $20. Send check to BAS (payable to NAS) at ad. dress 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 (License#, date, time & location March 1996 March Meeting: Kills and Spills Texas Parks & Wildlife Battles Pollution Jack Ralph is the Field Response Coordinator for the Kills and Spills Team at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In this capacity, he helps coordinate the agency role and response during major fish kills and pollution events throughout the state. , Ralph will discuss the teari1's duties, in addition to pollution issues in Texas and the differences between professional and public perception of pollution problems. Ralph earned a BS in aquatic biology and MS in chemical limnology from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. He has served 17 years with the agency: as a regional pollution biologist, director of the agency analytical laboratory, and, as part of his present job, restitution coordinator. ' He is past chair of the American Fisheries Society Pollution Committee, coauthor of the fish kill counting guidelines used by more than half of the states in the U.S., and author of numerous articles and reports. Meeti11g Specifics: Monthly meeting of Bexar Audubon Society, Thursday, March 21, 7:30pm. Free and open to the public. Refreshments available prior to the meeting, at 7:00. Come early to socialize. For more information, call822-4503. · ' Co11servatio11 Committee: meeting at 6:00pm at the Ruble Center. Locatio11: Ruble Center, 419 E. Magnolia (between McCullough and !-37, Hwy 281). Nearest freeway exit i.o:; North St. Mary's, off Hwy. 281. Public Tra11sportatio11: VIA Route 5 (St. Mary's-McCullough-North Star Mall) to Magnolia Street. March Outing Almost Full On March 23 & 24 (Saturday & Sunday) we will head to Val Verde County, north of Del Rio, to explore Devil's River State Natural Area. We will visit the Devil's River springs and possibly see some Indian pictographs. Trans-Pecos Texas should be beautiful this time of year! The bunkhouse where some of us are staying is just about full. We have a few slots available for camping out. Conservation passport is required. Call Patty Leslie Pasztor soon at 824-1235, to sign up or be ~laced on a waiting list. •••••••••• leon Valley Earthwise living Day: Fun for All On Saturday, February 24, several BAS volunteers staffed our booth at the very popular community environmental fair. Thanks go out to our dogged helpers Cathy Newman, Marcus Beyerle, Ann Atwell, Dori::; Townsend . Together we handed out hundreds of newsletters, kids' activity handbooks, diverse brochures, and sold a few fundraising items. Many families and teachers stopped by our booth to chat about recent bird sightings, with questions on wildlife-friendly gardening, and asking about our ed ucatim1 activities. We hope to see some of the faces we met that day at future meetings and events, and on outings. It was a real pleasure participating in such a well-planned, upbeat, and fascinating fair. Join us next time! 1 -Katie Nava-Ragazzi Education Chair Bexar Tracks I l ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Magnuson Act: cont'd from page 3 industry worth approximately $400 million per year. Mackerel and other coastal pelagics (fish that migrate through the open ocean), drum, croaker, and spiny lobster are other commercially important Gulf species. Unfortunately, overfishing and inadequate management, compounded by a high level of fish bycatch in the shrimp fishery (more than 4 pounds of nontarget finfish to one pound of shrimp), have severely depleted many populations including king mackerel, bluefin tuna, red snapper, Nassau grouper, jewfish, red drum, and pink shrimp. The diverse, once-productive ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico are in tr_ouble, and a united effort is necessary to preserve this system for this and future generations of naturalists and fishermen alike. Fixing the Problem To reverse these problems, it is critically important that the landmark provisions in the Hous.e bill (HR 39) be retained by the Senate in their bill, S 39. Texas Senators need to hear that their constituents want thriving fisheries and healthy marine habitats. Call or write your Senators asking them to stop overfishing by using ecological and biological information to set catch limits, and to pass the same language passed in the House regarding over~shing, time limits for rebuilding of depleted fish populations, and the definition of optimum yield; torequire each fishery management plan to include measures to reduce/ prevetlt bycatch of nontarget . and prohibited species and to provide incentives for gear modifications that promote clean .fishing; and, to protect essential fish habitat by ensuring that alt' life stages of fish governed by the Magnuson Act are protected. . We believe the Magnuson Act is the single most important piece of marine environmental legislation that will come out of Coi1gress in this decade, and the time to move on'it is now! With adoption of strong provisions that address the problems plaguing our fisheries, S :w will become a solid bill and will help tn conserve our diverse · ocean life, create jobs for thousands,'provide healthy recreation for millions, and sustaili coastal communities for generations. Write to Hon. Phil Gramm & Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison, United ·states Senate, Washington DC 20510; phone 202-224-3121. Senator Hutchison's e-mail address is senator@hutchison.senate. gov (Gramm doesn't have email). - Marilyu Englaud Living Oceans, National Audubon Society, 550 South Bay Ave, Islip, NY 11751; e-mail: mengland(rl)audubon.org Support Ginton's Vet9 As the budget debate heat.:: up again with the Continuing Resolutions expiring on March 15, a critical ·element is still being ignored by the media-the fact that the funding bills that President Clinton has vetoed all include back-door dismantling of our environmental laws. The greatest number of threats to the laws that Auduboners care rrwst about, habitat prote~tion laws, occur in the Interior Approprjations hilt Please write, call, or e-mail the President, while 'he is considering reaching a deal on the Interior Appropriations bill. Contact the White House by phone: 202-456-1111 (9am - 5pm EST), fax: 202-456-2883; or email: president@whitehouse.gov; or by mail, President Bill Clinton, The White House, Washington, DC 20500 Bexar Tracks Rshy Facts Aside-from the effects on humans, the fishing industry affects birds and other wildlife: Overfishing · • The Aiaskan pollock fishery leads the world in volume of fish caught in a single fishery. Pollock is the main ingredient in "sea legs," a crabmeat substitute. It is also the num her one food item of Steller's :;;ea lions in· the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. Steller's sea lion populations dedined 85% between 1960 and 1992 . • During the 1980's, Arctic terns on the Shetland Islands experienced wholesale breeding failure season after season, with young birds dying of starvation. Overfishing of sandeels, their primary food source, was implicated as a cause. Bycatch • h) the world's conl.mercial fisheries, one of every four animals taken from the sea is "unwanted." In 1992in the Bering Sea, fishers· discarded 16 million red king crabs, keeping only about 3 million. • The shrimp fishery is among the world's most' wasteful. In the Gulf of Mexico, shrimpers catch more than 4 pounds of finfish for every one pound of shrimp: 35 million red snapper, 5 millionpounds of Spanish mackerel, 4 billion longspine porgy, and 13 billion Atlantic croaker, wasted each year. Only 16% of each hourly catch is shrimp! (Source: National Marine Fisheries Service) • In the Pacific longlir\e fisheries, albatross are killed in tremendous numbers because they frequently grab at bait on longlin'es set for tuna. Such losses threaten the survival of several species. Habitat • In the Pacific Northwest, loss of habitat to abusive logging and agricultural practices, and destruction of spawning streams by dams and diversions are primary causes of the decline and extinction of salmon populations. The Timber Salvage Rider-logging without laws-which would increase cutting in some ·coastal forests, poses a significant threat to currently healthy salmon spawning and rearing streams. March 1996 CHAPTER NEWS President's Annual Report to Members Another successful year for your chapter is now history. Ylmr board hopes you will review this report and that you will continue to participate in ensuring the preservation and enjoymentofnature during the coming year. Challenges continue to loom large, but the benefit._o:; easily outweigh the costs. Programs, Outings, and Education Chris Dullnig provided infonnative and entertaining programming. Topics were infrastructure develop- 111et1t, Planlt Texas, backyard habitat, an informal dialog on takings, naturaland cultural-based resource planning, the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, rap tor migration, Texas horned lizards, the Mexican wolf reintroduction plan, the forgotten landscap~ of San Antonio, and our annual holiday member slide-show. Door prizes were awarded at all program meetings. Our annual planning meeting was held in August. Outings organized by Patty Leslie Pasztor included visits to the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area, Last Chance Forever Bird of Prey Conservancy, Cibolo Wilderness Trail, the Audubon watercolor exhibit in Houston linked with birding on the Katy Prairie, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado · Bend State Park, Mitchell Lake, Hawk Watch at Hazel Bazemore park in Corpus Christi, Golden-cheeked warbler walk at Friedrich Wilderness Park, and butterfly migration on the Frio River. In Birdathon news, the chapter again mounted a successful fund-raiser under the direction of Marge Lumpe. Proceeds from Birdathon benefit the Southwest Regional Office and support Audubon Adventures classrooms. The Audubon Adventures curriculum reached more than sixty classrooms this· school year, an increase of about 20 percent over 1994. Special contributions from members, as well as memorials, contributed to our ability to increase support. Katie Nava Ragazzi has assumed chairmanship of the committee from Betty Minyard, who, we are happy to report, continues to work March 1996 with the Audubon Adventures program. Sp~akers were provided this year to schools, as well as community groups, on topics from backyard habitat and birding to takings legislation. BAS continues its monthly Second Saturday programs at Friedrich Wilderness Park, under the leadership of Bill Woller, with subjects such as herpetology, archaeology, butterflies, native planlo:;, star gazing, bats, and endangered species. The BAS telephone, which provides callers a recording about outings, programs, community events, and other information about birds and wildlife, moved this year, but the number remains the same. Thanks to Thelma Nungesser for being the "voice of BAS" for many, many years. Conservation and Communication Conservation, under the direction of Dick Pipes, was again concerned with national, state ~ and local issues. Locally we dealt with water and air quality, drainage, water reuse, Mitchell Lake, tree preservation, open space, trat:tsportation planning, Camp Bullis uses, Kelly restoration, City Public Service generation planning, environmental justice, and more. Many people dedicated many hours of their personal time to represent your interests on these issues. The Texas Legislature was in session, and BAS commented on issues such as Edwards Aquifer management, wildlife license plate bill, ad valorem tax exemption for wildlife management, water quality, pesticide regulation, canned hunts, and other issues at the state level. Members turned out for a "Stand Up for Texas" rally in Austin, and members of the board held a meeting with the editorial board of the Express-News on the takings issue. Nationally, we continued to monitor issues such as the Endangered Species Act (members attended the House hearings in Boerne), the Magousson Fisheries Act, takings legislation, wolf reintroduction (members attended Austin hearings), and the like.lt seems 4 there are so many opportunities for speaking out. We again had twelve actionpacked issues of our excellent newsletter, Bexar Tracks. Thanks to our editor, Claire Drenowatz. Putting out a monthly newsletter is an enormous job, and we truly appreciate her efforts, as well as those of the volunteers who do the labels and prepare the mailings. At Work in Coalition The chapter sponsored a day-long workshop entitled "Property Rights and Takings: an Urban Perspective," which featured a national slate of speakers on this troubling and confusing topic. The workshop was co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The Natural Initiatives program continues apace with many activities in 1995. Coordinator Barb DeLuca departed San Antonio this year, but left a broad-based initiative with considerable momentum. This communitybased public-awareness program for the San Antonio area promotes urban habitat creation and represents the cooperative efforts of many local groups. A very successful full-day workshop and yard tour was held in the fall, and the group also received kudos for landscaping at the two Parades of Homes. Offering technical assistance on "wildscaping" to a builder for the traditional Parade of Homes resulted in awards for best site design, best land- · scape, and people's choice. In December, the group ·volunteered to landscape a yard in the Eastside Parade of Homes. With volunteer labor and donations of materials from a wide array of vendors, the Natural Initiatives crew garnered best site design and best landscape honors and provided the new homeowner a wildlife friendly yard to be proud of, and to set an example for the neighborhood. BAS, with leadership from Jim Garriott, sustained the San Antonio Environmental Network, spearheaded so many years by Susan Rust. SAEN contitmes to provide' valued services to the local environmental community. Last Bexar Tracks LOCAL & CHAPTER NEWS President•s Annual Report, Continued year's program topics were the Mitchell Lake wetlands, sustainable building, the Kelly AFB pollution prevention program, and air quality. BAS members participated in the Rangeland Environmental Issues Forum, fostering cooperative efforts to address rangeland, habitat preservation, and endangered species issues. I spoke at the local meeting of REIF in a discussion on common grouhd. BAS participated, in community events including Viva! Botanica, the ' Leon Valley Earth Wise Living Day, Earth Day kick-off at Whole Foods, a11d Earth Day itself. Harriet Wiygul and Bill Sain were particularly influential in ensuring Earth's Day's success in its first year as an official Fiesta event. The Bexar Land Fund was merged with the Hill Country Foundation. Planning and Funding A long-range planning commith;e ·, inet put its work is not yet complete. Once again, we have an excellent board and dedicated committee chairs and other volunteers . but more are needed to help us implement programs and projects that remain on our" wish"· list for now. We surveyed the members and learned valuable information from those who responded. We sent new members questionnaires in September and will continue periodic surveys. The chapter held a yard sale in the . fall to raise money for operating ex- . penses. The World Wildlife Fund provided a $1000 grant to offset the expenses of the property rights conference, and the Wray Trust awarded the chapter two grants at the dose of the year: $2000 for operating expenses and · $500 for a rancher-environmentalist colloquium, which is planned for later in 1996. Through the Audubon Foundation of Texas the chapter received a grant to assist board members participating on the CompuServe network, as well as a new answering machine for the chapter. BAS members participated actively in Audubon Council of Texas, holding Bexar Tracks offices of Conservation Chair (Dick Pipes), and board members at large (Pipes and Hughes). In September I was elected president of ACT, Dick Pipes was elected Vice President, and Bill Sain was elected to an at-large position on the ACT board. Our official chapter delegates to ACT were Claire Drenowatz and Harriet Wiygul. BAS member Barb DeLuca did a 2-day leadership training program for ACT on presentation skills. Members of the board attended meetings as ,part of the strategic planning process, including the NAS board of directors meeting in Kearney, NE, and multiple meetings in Austin. I participated in a worJsshop to determine the strategic direction of the NAS population program at the Audubon Ceriter in Greenwich, Connecticut. 'The BAS board had an inf<1rmal meeting with NAS Population Program Director Pat Waak, here jn San Antonio. Passing the Gavel Many of you attended meetings, enjoyed outings, and volunteered to help. MaJ1 y of you faithfully read Bexar Tracks and take action on items where citizen support is needed. We appreciate each and every one of you and urge you to continue to support the chapter at whatever level you can-with your membership, your additio'nal contributions, your time, your energy, and your cm1m1itment to ' the hatural world we all treasure. This is my Jm;t message to you as . presidei1t of BAS. It i1as be~n my privilege to serve you for two very busy years. I now pass the gavel to my friend Harriet Wiygul.with my hopes that she will find this position as stimulating and gratifying as I have. As a parting note (though I don't intend to wander far from BAS), I want . to share with you the preamble to the NAS 1995 Strategic Plan. Carry them with you, please, through 1996 . . . and beyond. If we can achieve this, we will have achieved 111,uch: - Susan K Hughes March 2, 19961 5 Pre,amble to NAS Strategic Pla11, 1995 The mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve andrestore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. Yet transcending this mission is an ideal: a world where the conservation ethic is automatic, not coerced. Conservation cannot be limited to a few individuals or organizations. To preserve the biological diversity of this planet-hmilanity's ecological inheritance, which is being so rapidly dissipated-conserva- , tion must be an attribute common to all -people. We envision a world where 1mmankind accepts the obligations of being part of nature, especially the obligation of stewardship. We seek to shape a culture in which the violation of nature is socially, politically, and morally mi.acceptable. In short, we seek a culture of conservation and an environmental ethic. Audubon works toward a future in which public policy and individual choice are framed by environmental consciousness and sensitivity. We work toward a future where environmental conflict and divisivene::;s are supplanted by cooperation ~nd respect; a future where debate and dialogue are shaped by environmental literacy, not by political rhetoric and dogma; a future where economic strategies are not simply sustainable but environmentally restorative as well; a future where nature is a common, not a special, interest; a future distinguished by the harmony of environmental, social, and economic concerns. We recognize that this culture of conservation is only a concept, a vision. A true cultural transformation may be decades in the evolution, but we are not afraid to begin. We aspire, therefore, to germinate and nurture a global society bound together by a commitment to resource conservation and a passionate respect for natur.e. Toward this end-toward speeding t11e birth of a . culture of conservation-we invest our hopes, our labors, and our dreams." March 1996 Backyard Watch Carolina Wren During one of our frequent visits to the Big Red Nature Store, we came home with a new bird feeder to add to our collection. We had, in the past, used only black-oil sunflower seeds and were very successful in attracting a wide variety of birds. Our new Birdola Feeder was an attempt to diversify. It holds Birdola Bird Feed Cakes which contains sunflower oil seeds, safflower, peanuts, and white proso millet held together in a block by gelatin. Within a few days we started seeing a number of new birds in our yard. One of these new birds had a distinctive call, often described a several variations of"teakettle, teakettle, teakettle, tea". I heard this call and looked out to see a Carolina wren sitting on our rear fence, happily singing away. It is amazing how such a loud sound comes from so small a bird.' According to "The Birds of Texas," by John Tveten, " . as many as 40 different versions of their song . " have been reported. Pairs often sing in duet and nearby wrens may join in. The Carolina wren is described in various field guides as large as a small sparrow. It has a rufous or rusty red back and huffy below. It also has a white throat and a distinctive white stripe above and behind the eye. They do not migrate so can be found in the area year-round. They are territorial and their nests can be found in a variety of locations. These include trees, in matted vegetation close to the ground, stumps, roots of fallen trees and man-made structures. Their nests have been found in a number of strange locations, including hanging baskets of flowers, barbecue grills, tin cans, mail boxes, and (according to the National Audubmz Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Eastern Region) in pockets of coats hanging on clotheslines. " Next time you hear something calling for a teakettle, grab your binoculars and head for the window. There is a Carolina wren visiting and may be eyeing your laundry as a potential homesite. -Bill Sain Vote! March 1996 BIRD TALES Audubon On-Line -New Texas Lists Thanks to Phil Schaefer (NAS-NY) and Ted Eubanks (our regionallyelected Board member) we now have two list-servers for Texas. The first is for conservation information and environmental legislative communications. You simply send a message to sign up, and then you will receive everything that is posted on the list server. This will take the place of Texas news in the Compuserve SW Regional Business Forum, and we will post the Electronic News and Muse items there. To suscribe, send a message to majordomo@igc.apc.org Do not put anything in the subject area (or if your program requires a subject, place a period (.) only), and in the message say "subscribe audubon-texas" AND-TexBirds is now on-line, an electronic way to di.'ltribute Texas rare bird alerts and bird sightings and to discuss birding topics in Texas. 'fexBirds is devoted exclusively to conversations about birds and birding for Audubon members in Texas. The listservercan distribute rare bird alerts and updates almost instantly throughout Texas. To be added to the list, send an email message with the subject line blank (or as above) to majordomo@igc.apc.org and the message as follows subscribe audubon-texas-birds Backyard Noises Heard a strange sound in my yardJast week (I do not pretend to be very good at bird calls-yet-but I do know the soundsof the regulars at my feeders). There was a small flock of dark birds scouring the lawn near the tray feeder, and at first I thought they were starlings. But they didn't sound right. They were just as argumentative, but chirrupy, too. So I checked again an hour later. It must be ·spring. They're redwingedblackbirds, the ones with both yellow and red shoulder patches, chowing down on the black oil sunflower seeds, everyone's favorite. The blackbirds are almost as exuberant at bath-taking as the starlings, who arethe champs around here. Back when the weather was down to 20 degrees and the birdbath froze solid, I put out pans of water on top of the ice and kept changing them as they froze. MOST birds just came in for a drink. Not the starlings. They cavorted and splashed as noisily and enthusiastically as if it were 100 degrees outside. - Claire Drenowatz 6 Bexar Tracks LOCAL & CHAPTER NEWS Plan Ahead for Earth Day I 996 Plan now to spend Saturday, April20, in San Pedro Springs Park, at the annual Earth Day Celebration, featuring • Food and drink • Games • Music • Informational booths • Special fun for kids • All-species costume parade • And a whole lot more. Volunteers interested in helping on the day of the event should attend a volunteer organizational meeting on Thursday, Aprilll, at fi::\0 pm, at the Ruble Center, 419 E. Magnolia. Help spread the word. Pick up tiny flyers printed on recycled paper and post them on bulletin boards all over town. They're available at Whole Foods Market, and at the Bexar Audubon generalmeet}ng on March 21. Related activities Monday, April!, 8 am- 10 pm, 5% day to benefit Earth Day at Whole Foods Market. 5% of all sales will be donated to help pay Earth Day expenses-the more you spend, the more they donate! Saturday, April5, 11 am-4 pm, 3rd annual Green Day .at Whole Foods Market. Special guests will represent local environmental organizations. Live music, children's activities, information, free samples, and fun. Free 1995 recycled 1995 Earth Day T-shirts to the first 200 customers after 11 m~1. To hook up with Earth Day, call Chair: Dana Bohne, SAWS, 704-7323 Publicity/M~dia: Genevieve Kerr, Whole Foods, 699-6400 Booth Registration: Debbie Reid, Tx Ag Extension Service, 828-:\292. Educational News A Committee with Big Ide'as Several upcoming events might tantalize BAS members with a budding interest in our environmental education activities. To put our heads together on the Big Picture, a gathering will be held at the home of Education Chair Katie Nava-Ragazzi, on the evening of March 20, at 7 pm. Call for details. The 27th of March we're , throwing a reception for our Audubon Adventures teachers at the Botanical Center, hoping to offer to the teachers more assistance and the opportunity to become more involved in our chap.ter. Twice recently I've had the pleasure of appearing on a cable tv interview, touting the activities and mission of BAS . we're trying to get the word out in English AND Spanish! For our interactive booth in the Fiesta Children's Festival on April 27, we are still looking for more volunteers to lel1d a hand. Call Katie Nava-Ragazzi, Education Chair, at 804-1226 for information, to sign up, or to volunteer to help! · Wanted TPWD Tour Program Starting The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is teaming up with private businesses and landowners to offer an array of nature tours beginning in the spring. Texas Passport Adventures, the first such state-sponsored nature tour program in the nation, is aimed at the growing popularity of outdoors- oriented travel that conserves the environmental, social and cultural values of the area being visited. Working with a dozen tour operators and more than 75 other businesses and landowners, the wildlife agency is offering 65 different tours in 10 categories. The tours offer trips centering on adventure, fly fishing, water sports, naturalist, heritage, Hill Country, photography/art, shooting sports, · mountain bike/road tour, and Mexico. The tours cater to smaller groups, eight to ten people, and offer a personal, hands-on experience than most traditional tours. The tours primarily are extended weekend outings that include two nights lodging, meals, on-site transportation, and guide services. Among the offerings are five different fourto six-day trips to natural areas in northern Mexico, indluding the reserve across the river from Big Bend National Park. The tours begin in mid-March and run through September, and range in price from $85 to $225 per day, depending on amenities. The wildlife department this month is sending out 28-page catalogs about the offerings to holders of Texas Conservation Passports and other targeted consumers. To request a catalog, call800-841-6547 or contact a local travel agent. Kudos! BAS founding member Susan Rust was voted recipient of the annual Floyd Potter Award of the Animal Committee of the Texas Organization for Endangered Species. Susan's long-term dedication to conservation- related issues in Texas earned her the award. -Reported in TOES News & Notes Fall1995 HEARTY individual(s) or couple to monitor and protect Texas' most important bird rookery islands. Extended island stays . . . outstanding wildlife. Lots of sun. Nothing but obstacles. Computer literacy useless . common sense indispensable.The kind of work that can make you . or send you back to get your MBA. Reply to Scott Hedges, Texas Coastal Sanctuaries Manager, 101 N. Shoreline Drive #325, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 512-884-2634 or email shedges@audubon.org Bexar Tracks 7 March 1996 ENVIRONMENTALISSUES . Farm Bill Threatens Bird Habitat During hurried debate on the farm bill (S 1541), approved by the US Senate on February 7, Senator Brown (R-CO) attached an amendment that seriously threatens habitat for threatened and endangered birds in the Big Bend reach of the Platte River. The Brown Amendment The potentially sweeping Brown amendment would change the Forest and Rangelands Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. This law authorizes the Forest Service to attach conditions to permits for water project~ located on Forest Service lands in order to mitigate adverse effects on the environment, including downstream wildlife habitat. The Brown aniendment would prohibit the Forest Service from imposing any requirement on project operations to address downstream wildlife needs. The Effect On Platte River Wildlife A number of endangered and threatened birds, including the whooping crane, interior least tern, bald eagle, Eskimo curlew, and piping plover depend upon Platte River habitat in Nebraska. These birds are threatened with extinction in part because of extensive water development throughout the Platte River basin, which includes Colorado. This development has drastically reduced river flows and, as a result, has degraded the river's habitat value for birds that roost and feed in and along the Platte. Audubon members have fought long and hard to wotect Platte River wildlife from the adverse effects of water development throughout the basin, including the successful effort to block the Two Forks dam in Colorado. Today, over 300 existing water projects in Forest Service lands are scheduled for review by the Forest Service under the Endangered Species Act. Already, the review process for a few projects has been completed and changes to those projects imposed by the Forest Service include financial contributions to habitat acquisition and restoration efforts in the Big Bend reach in Nebraska. The effect of the Brown amendment would be to stop this process in its tracks and prevent the Forest Service from addressing downstream wildlife needs in its permitting decisions. In addition, the amendment would prohibit the Forest Service from requiring increases in water flow in South Platte tributaries for the benefit of fish and wildlife in Colorado. Thus, Audubon members imd other conservationists throughout the Platte Bash'l have a conunon interest in removing the Brown amendment fro-m the final version of the Farm bill. What You Can Do The House bill, HR 2854, contains no comparable provision, but Rep. Allard (R-CO) will likely seek to attach a similar amendment. Urge your Members of Congress to oppose the Allard amendment on allocation of water use which he may seek to add to HR 2854. Also, let your Senators know that you disapprove of the Senate's action and that you want the Senate to drop this provision in conference. This is particularly important for the Nebraska Senators;Kerrey and Exon, to hear. Senator Brown obtained acceptance of the amendment on the Senate side arguing there was no opposition. Audubon members need to register their oppositions. Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121. Honorable_, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515; U. S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510. March 1996 8 Family Planning Jeopardized Efforts are underway to reverse Congressional action severely limiting funding for international family planning programs. Activists may recall that in order to prevent another federal government shut-down, Congress passed an omnibus continuing resolution, HR 2880, in January. Opponents of family planning were successful in including extreme restrictions on the US international family planning program in that legislation. Specifically, funding for US population assistance was reduced from last year's level of $547 million to $72 million in this fiscal year. Furthermore, funds will be withheld until July 1. At that time, funds will be available at a monthly rate ot"approximately $26 million. · In effect, that means the program will be without funds for the first nine months of the fiscal year, and will receive only a pitiful sum for the remaining three. The result is likely to be devastating for women, children, families. It will have a profound impact on efforts to stabilize population growth which is critical to long-term global protection of wildlife habitat In the words of anti-abortion Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR) "The family plannh1g language in [the CR] is not pro-life, it is not pro-woman, it is not pro-child, it is not pro-health, and it is not pro-family planning. It inflicts the harm of a profound misconception on very poor families overseas who only ask for help in spacing their children through contraception, not abortion." Activists are encouraged to contact their Representative and Senators and urge them to restore funding for international family planning programs by whatever means possible. Jf they tell you they are concerned about abortion funding, remind them that under existing law, no US funds can be used to pay for abortion abroad and that the best way to reduce the demand for abortion is to provide access to voluntary family planning services. Activists who would like copies of recent newspaper articles and editorials on this issue should contact Lisanne Nelson at (202) 547-9009, or by e-mail: inelson@audubon.org Attend your precinct tmeli1f9S after Voti1f9. Get invoCved. Bexar Tracks ], ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Operation Game Thief Bird-banding Courses Offered The Operation Game Thief (OGT) Committee raised the maximum reward for callers who report fish and wildlife law violations from $:l00 to $1,000, effective October 10, 1995, and taken other steps to support conservation law enforcement and enhance awareness of OGT. OGT, which allows callers to remain anonymous, operates a toll-free, 24-hour phone hotline (800-792-GAME) and offers rewards to callers whose information leads to the conviction of fish and wildlife law violators. It also provides benefits to families of game wardens killed in the line of duty. Since its inception in 1981, OGT has been an unquestionable success in Texas. More than 17,600 calls from concerned citizens · have resulted in more than 6,000 criminal cases filed against fish and wildlife law violators. About 98 percent of these cases have resulted in convictions for which courts assessed more than $778,780 in fines. However, according to Bill Olson, publisher and editor of Texas Outdoors Joumal and a recent appointee to the OGT committee, Texas still has "[one of] the lowest call-in rates of any state with a similar anti-poaching program. We hope the new reward schedule will help change that." Are you looking for new birding frontiers? The world of bird banding awaits you! Banding is a fantastic opportunity to see birds up close; learn about their plumages, molt sequences, and life habits; and, by participating in established banding programs, contribute in a direct way to their conservation. Imagine capturing a bird and knowing that it traveled to Latin America and returned to the exact spot at which you banded it the year before! Holding and then releasing such birds is an experience that moves some people to tears. The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) coordinates a largescale, cooperative program, Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS), a network of about 400 banding stations throughout the tJ.S. and Canada. These stations are operated by a wide assortment of contributors, and banded birds provide criti- Battle Lines Form on Logging Repeal cally-needed information on productivity and survivorship that can help identify the causes of long-term population declines. IBP offers courses at locations throughout the U.S. during June and July. The registration fee for a one-week course i'l $400; ro.om and board is additional. Upon completion of the course, capable students will be certified as banding assistants. IBP will help place course graduates as volunteers or apprentices in banding projects near them to acquire the additional experience necessary to obtain a banding permit. Graduates are encouraged to assist at (or establish) a MAPS station in their area. For additional information and registration materials, please contact Kenneth Burton, The Institute for Bird Populations, P.O. Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956; phone415-663-2051; fax415- 663-9482. Logging in the Press Pres. Clinton's 2/24 call for a legislative fix to the salvage-logging law is getting mixed reactions from the Northwest's Congressional delegation. Sen. Patty Murniy (D-WA) has shied away from a call for a full repeal. Murray spokesman Rex Carney said she would rather replace the law with longer-term policies to expedite salvage logging while respecting environmental laws and allowing public input on logging decisions. In the House, more than 100 reps have already backed a bill to completely repeal the rider, and Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Bill Bradley (D-NJ) are expected to introduce a Senate counterpart. Rep. Elizabeth Furse (D-OR), one of the House bill's sponsors, "said she is working with Murray and with the White House, and, despite Clinton's ambiguous remarks, remains confident the administration will support her plan." Furse: "I believe they eventually will move to a full repeal." The Pacific Rivers Council and Pacific Coast Federation of Flyfisherman's Associations, backed by a new survey showing hundreds of landslides following February's flooding, on Monday urged President Clinton to temporarily halt all logging and road-building in the Northwest federal forests . They said that included old growth logging under a special rider passed last year by Congress. If passing a freestanding measure proves difficult, lawmakers could try to change the law by tacking a rider onto an appropriatim1s bill, the farm bill or an "emergency supplemental spending" bill to help flooded parts of the Northwest. And according to an aide, Senate Appropriations Cmte. Chair Mark Hatfield (R-OR) "may support some type of tweaking or retooling'' of the salvage law as part of an omnibus appropriations bill. Call President Clinton, thanking him for admitting the "Logging Without Laws" rider was a mistake and urge him to push for a nationwide repeal! White House phone 202-456-1111 (9am-5pm); fax 202-456-2883; email president@whitehouse.gov, or mail, President Bill Clinton, The White House, Washington, DC 20500. Bexar Tracks 9 Glen Spain of PCFFA said Clinton has the authority to halt the logging under his presidential emergency-declaration powers . 'J.gency officials and environmental scientists attribute most of the sediment-causing landslides to logging roads that washed out [in February] and to unstable soil in clear-cuts. A Forest' Service survey of the Clackamas River drainage, for example, found that 75 percent of the 254 slides occurred in logged or roaded areas. Numerous studies also have linked a higher level of landslides and erosion to logging roads and clear-cuts. - Register-Guard Eugene, OR, February 27 March 1996 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES State Dep't Ordered to Enforce Wildlife Laws It recently took a law suit, filed by the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, and an order by the U.S. Court of International Trade to convince the administration to embargo on all fishery products from Italy-as much as $1 billion annually-unless the Italian Government shuts down the huge fishing fleet violating the United Nations ban on large-scale driftnets. Apparently fearful of offending Italy, the State Department has consL<> tently refused to enforce the High Seas Driftnet Fisheries Enforcement Act of 1992, repeatedly ignoring evidence of flagrant violations by the Italian swordfish fleet which has been operating more than ~00 driftnet boats in the Mediterranean. This is just the latest in a long series of lawsuits filed by environmental groups against the federal government over its failure to enforce U.S. wildlife-protection laws. But maybe things are about to change. On February 16th Secretary of State Christopher announced his intentto upgrade environmental issues on the U.S. foreign policy agenda. Christopher has ordered State Deparhnent divisions to make environmental concerns part of their daily activities. Could State be listening to recent polls which report that environment is high on the public's list of concerns? -Sierra Club Legislative OfficeWashiugtou, DC If you want to join SC's email list, send email to majordomo(IIJigc.apc.org, with the following command in the body of your message: subscribe sc-action. Be it· Resolved . . . One of the things that happens at precinct meetings is developing ideas for the party platform, to be voted on later in the year. Here are some suggestions for starting points: Whereas a healthy, biodiverse, sustainable planet is necessary for the future health and· safety of all Americans, and, Whereas the unregulated action of one individual has the potential for great harm to the health and safety of his neighbors and his planet, Therefore be it resolved that the Democratic/Republican party should vigorously uphold the strictest measures of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and related legislative initiatives to -protect the common interests of us all: health, safety, and an environment that supports a sustainable future for humans and for the plants and animals with whom we share the earth. Whereas human population, both in numbers and in ten.;,s of resource consumption, poses the greatest threat to a sustainable environment on earth, and Whereas it has been demonstrated that women, in particular, understand the value of limiting their family size and, as a result of improved education, economic empowerment, and access to family planning services, will choose to do so, Therefore be it resolved that the Democratic/Republican party should support initiatives to ensure that the elements of empowerment, as well as access to safe, affordable family plam1ing, are available for all who desire them, both in the U.S. and internationally. · - Susmt Hughes If your party can't support such resolutions, are you in the right party? - Claire Drenowatz March 1996 10 A Sustainable Future By the time you read this your Congressional representatives will have returned to the political battles in Washington. Hopefully many of you have let them know what you want regarding the future for this planet. While the issues are complicated, there is .one overarching concept that can be described in one word: Sustainability. Our BAS President covered the subject quite well in the January issue of Bexar Tracks. · With sustainability as our philosophic stance and non-negotiable goal, we need to suppar a large-scale effort to rethink how government at all levels can truly become the trustee and guarantor of a sustainable future. Obviously we must discard the current model of interest-group, money-powered politics and media manipulation, and make sustainability and environmental justice the basis of responsible government. As a nation we must begin to affirm publicly and support by our actions the philosophy and value system of an ethic of sustainability. This is above and beyond the enlightenedself- interest approach that has been the historical philosophical basis of the American conservation movement. Sustainability recognizes a universal morality: "We need and value others-both human and non-human-and others have value and dignity quite apart from their importance or unimportance to us." - Richard Pipes Conservatiou Chair If we could shrink the Earth's population to a village of I 00 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look like this: There would be 57 Asians, 2 I Europeans, 14 from the Western Hemisphere (North and South) and 8 Africans. 70 would be non-white; 30 white. 70 would be nonChristian; 30 Christian. 50% of the entire world wealth would be in the hands of only 6 peqple. All6 would be citizens of the United States. 70 would be unable to read. 50 would suffer from malnutrition. 80 would live in sub-standard housing. Only I would have a college education. When one considers our world from such an incredibly compressed perspective, the need for both tolerance and understanding becomes glaringly apparent. The KZPG Population News Network For subscription info. send email to KZPG-info@iti.com or visit http:/ /www.iti.com/ iti/ kzpg Bexar Tracks ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES English Composition I 0 I A report in the Altoona Mirror (the very conservative daily in Altoona, Pa.) said just this week that the National Grange had analyzed the new Farm Bill and discovered that it was good - for huge agribusiness co,rporations but not for small family farms. It's interesting-! have my freshmen composition students working on a project right now in which they are to write a letter to their representative or senators about sugar policies. I put a lot of material on reserve in the library, including press packets from the American Sugar Association and from the Alliance to End Corporate Welfare for Big Sugar (I think I go't that name right!?). When we first started discussii1g the topic, several students had said it wasn't "fair" to the farmers to change the system. We had just finished a unit on definition, so I said, "Define 'fanner'." Of course they described Mom and Pop Walton. So during the next class I showed the World of Audubon "Sugar $candal." What an eyeopener that was. Some of the same kids who were worried about the "poor farmers" were amazed to learn about the huge corporations that grow sugar pollute the Everglades. I honestly think several of my students did not know there was such a thing as a corporate fann. After watching "Sugar $candai,"· we had a wonderful discussion about credibility. Some of the students got into a heated discussion. about the old geezer with bad grammar who remembered the Everglades when it was less polluted. Some thought he had no credibility at all; others thought he was the only person in the video with credibility. Then there was the lawyer who didn't (gasp!) wear a necktie. According to my student. c;, you could tell he was an enviro before he even opened his mouth. This is the first time I have used an Audubon topic in a writing class, and I hope to do it again. I may even devote a whole semester to a topic such as clean water. My students want a· class field trip to the Everglades. Sounds good to me. Bexar Tracks -Paula Ford Penn State University ]u11iata: Valley AS. In Their Own Words " . environmental policies are driven by a kind of emotional spiritualism that threatens the very foundation of our society, by eroding basic principles of our Constitution." -Rep. Hden Chenoweth (R-ID) (Congressional Record, 1/31/96) , '~nd I -1-vant to touch on cryptosporidium for a minute . Jhis disease can sometimes can be very helpful [as a physician], because it helps us identify those people who in fact are in immune compromise . " -Rep. Tom Coburn (R-OK) speaking at a safe drinking water hearing before the Health and Envimnment Subcommittee of the House Commerce Committee (1/.11 /96). Faced with (literally) breathtaking amounts of evidence · that smoking kills people, cigarette makers and their slick lobbyists did more than just ignore the facts . . They invented a new branch of science: junk science. TI1ey commissioned "research." They collected "data." They reached "findings." Obfuscation of the highest order. Given tobacco's success, no wonder so many anti- . environmentalists decided to major in junk science. The coal industry has "data" showing the world's climate won't change that much. &_.,me Mem~rs ofOmgress showcase scientists who tell LIS not to worry about that hole in the ozone layer. And "experts" ofter studies claiming that tew species are becoming extinct. But be wamed. Junk, scienc~ keeps us from hearing the conclusions of . mainstream scientists. Scientists who understand that threats to the e~vironment are real and require real action. . For more than 25 years; the Union of Omcemed Scientists has brought sound science to the table. . Today, we are redoubling· om efforts to smoke out the j unk.science·. If you'd like to participate, get in touch. We'll get back to you. With sound science. Not with junk. Write us at UCS, 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA 02238-9105 Call.us at 617-54 7-5552. Or find us on the World Wide Web at HTTP:/ /WWV'I.UCSUSA.ORG II March 1996 SPRING PLANNING CALENDAR t Bexar Audubon Event § More Information Inside RECURRING EVENTS First Saturday at Friedrich Park. guided general natural history hike. free. 698-1057 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 Roney. Meet at Ml at 8 am. 733-8306 for more info. MARCH 14:1: BAS board meeting. 7 pm. I 5-17 Spring River Conference. Kearney. NE. as the sandhill cranes fill the Platte River bottoms on the their spring migration north. Claire Drenowatz 599-4168. 16 Warbler Walk at Friedrich Wilderness Park. 8-10 am. Seek out the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. Free. 698-105 7 reservations. 2 I :j: BAS General Meeting. 7:30pm. 23-24:j:BAS outing to Devil's River State Natural Area. More inside. 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. I I BAS Board meeting. 7 pm. I 8 BAS General meeting. 7:30pm. Ruble Center. 20§:j: Earth Day activities all over town. See inside for some details. 2 3 Native Plant Society. Planting for the Birds. Patty leslie Pasztor. More info next month's Bexar Tracks. JUNE 8-12 AudubotJ' s America. NAS Convention 1996, Washington DC. More inside. Other conservation organizations: please add Bexar Audubon to your mailing list if we're not already on it. and we 'II 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 ($50 per year). Call for event listings: 800-937-9393. Audubon stands at a crossroads. Twenty-five years of progress in protecting our environment are now under fire in Congress. Our challenge to protect birds, wildlife and their habitat is being tested as never before. The '96 National Convention is a landmark event where we chart our course for the next century. Join fellow Audubon members in June as we come together to renew our commitment. Add your voice as we explore what it means to foster a "culture of conservation" throughout the country as our vision of Audubon's America. Help showcase Audubon's grassroots strength and sign up now for the 1996 National Audubon Convention, June 8-12 in Washington, DC, on the campus of American University. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing . . Edmund Burke (attributed) VOTE! Printed on acid-free, 50% post-consumer waste paper. Bexar Audubon Society. Inc. P. 0. Box 6084 San Antonio. TX 78209 Address Correction Requested Marie your calendar now and be a participant in the very important 1996 Convention program that will feature political adion, birds, and slcills training! AU AMERICA CHARTING THE FUTURE FOR HABITAT PROTECTION National Convention '96 June 8-12 The American University Washington, D.C. Learning Labs June 12-14,15 Chesapeake Bay & Important Bird Areas in PA Registration moteriols ovoiloble Jonuory 1996 Audubon Convention Office 4150 Dorley Ave., Suite 5 Boulder, CO 80303 (303) 499-3622 • fox (303) 499-0286 email: convention@audubon.org Non-profit Org ooization U. S. Postage Paid Soo Antonio, TX Permit #590 r l .I I J
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