| Summary: | Bexar Tracks began with Vol. 4, no. 1 (January 1986). It continues Newsletter (Bexar Audubon Society). I ~(.)f.C. (.O)_ Po\ QL (og~ "tL\ ~q I EXARs· TR CK BEXAR 'AUDUBON SOCIETY SAN ANTONIO TEXAS Thursday, June 18, 1998- Chapter Meeting Big Salt Water, So Near and Yet So Far How the Gulf and Its Underwater Denizens Affect Us All and South Texas Specifically 7 p.m. - Social Time 7:30 p.m.-Speaker's Program Free and open to the public Ruble Center, 419 E. Magnolia (east of McCullough; take Mulberry exit off 281) For VIA public transportation, take Route 5 .(St. Mary's/McCullough/North Star Mall) to Magnolia You'd never know it from looking at your rain gauge or where the bubbling spring used to flow, but water, and even large bodies of saltwater, have a major effect on our lives, our environment, our economy, palate and our future. Dr. Stan Warlen, a retired marine biologist who worked with the National Marine Fisheries Division of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, will help BAS members understand, the major role that the Gulf of Mexico plays and the variety of fisheries it supports. He will explain the source of many of the maritime items that grace our table and about the fish harvests that we seldom hear about yet which have major economic and environmental effects. Dr. Warlen, who spent many years studying fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean and -Gulf of Mexico, will be glad to answer questions about fish and their future in bodies of saltwater, but may or may not be willing to disclose where the big ones will be biting this summer. Saturday, June 13, 1998 - Chapter Outing The Seco Creek Project See How Innovation and Cooperation Work To Help Provide More and Better Water WHAT: A tour of the famous, national award winning Seco Creek Water Quality Demonstration Project in Medina County. See first hand how innovative technology and public/ private cooperation can greatly improve the efficiency of water use while protecting quality. This information is repeated from last month's newsletter. Project personnel will lead us in a caravan to irrigated farms using latest technology (LEPA systems) to conserve water while improving crop yields; a home using an artificial wetlands system to treat septic wastewater; the famous 150 foot deep Valdena sinkhole; a recharge dam and agriculture-derived, vegetated buffer strips. We will also visit private ranches where selective, carefully planned brush management on a small watershed has increased and stabilized spring f low-dramatizing possibilities for the rest of the Edwards Aquifer's watershed. The goal of all of the private cooperators and the agencies involved is to speed the use of new technology by demonstrating on a large scale its use and effectiveness. The technology must be economically and environmentally sound and socially acceptable. Reports are produced annually to monitor the results of each demonstration site. DETAILS: Organized by Bexar Audubon Society, but open and free to all. We will meet at Haby's Bakery in Castroville on Hwy 90 West at 8:30 a.m. Get there early and sample their delicious Alsatian pastries and coffee (terrible on diets!). We leave there at 8:45a.m. SHARP, in a caravan to the Seco Creek Office in Hondo. It is on the city square at 1616 Ave. M, phone 830-426-4198. We leave the Seco Creek office about 9:00a.m. Bring a lunch and drinks, we will picnic en route in mid-tour. Drive up in any vehicle, but we will TOUR ONLY IN HIGH CLEARANCE VEHICLES (VANS, SUV'S, PICKUPS, ETC.). We will be on some ranch roads. Dress appropriately as we will be doing some walking in the sun, brush and farmland. We will be back in Hondo and disband about 3:00p.m. For further information and/ or details, call Mike Mecke at SAWS, 704-7258 or enevings at 344-3737. Those planning to attend should confirm with Mike at the above numbers. BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY Chapter of the National Audubon Society P. 0. Box 6084, San Antonio, TX 78209 210-822-4503 GOALS The Chapter's primary goals are to promote species and habitat conservation and environmental education in the community. President Vice Pres. Treasurer Secretary Past Pres. Kim Hoskins Jane Nelka Harry Noyes OFFICERS Bill Sain (71634.230@compuserve.com) . 408-7731 Mike Mecke . (mmecke@saws.org) . . 344-3737 Betty Minyard . : (mink@texas.net). . . 344-6128 Deborah Robinson (=Bill Sain's) . . 493-4663 Harriet Wiygul . (harriet@texas.net) . 534-7505 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Term Ending 1999: . . . . 696-3780 . usneal@texas.net) . 561-0313 . 490-3124 Term En!llng 2000: Chris Dullnig Maria Elizalde Janis Merrit . (cdullnig@juno.com) . 830-980-8156 . 695-4256 . 698-1095 COMMITTEE CHAIRS Adopt-a-Park Bill Woller. . . 223-3281 Aud. Adven. Betty Minyarcj . (mink@texas.net) . , . . 344-6128 Birdathon ' Bill Sain (71634.230@compuserve.com) . . 408-7731 Conserv. Richard Pipes . (rjpipes@flash.het) . 830-281-2452 Education . available Hospitality Nancy Johnson . . . 655-1338 Memb. Deborah Robinson . . . 493-4663 . (71634.230 @compuserve.com) Naturallnit. Tom Wilson . (twilsond@AOL.com) . 492-4799 Outings . . . available Programs Chris Dullnig . (cdullnig@juno.com). 830-980-8156 Publicity Rita Heck . . 212-8031 SAEN Coord. Bill Sain . (see above) . 408-7731 Ways & Means Bill Sain . (see above) . 408-7731 Bexar Tracks Tom Wilson . (twilsond@AOL.com) . 492.-4799 Editors Jill Sandeen . . . 830-980-3277 usondeen@NetXPress.com) . Fax: 830-438-7393 Bexar Tracks is your newsletter. We welcome your contributions. Next deadline: June 19, 1998 Please fax Jill or email Tom as above; diskettes and hard copy should be sent to Tom Wilson, 13227 Hunters Spring, San Antonio, TX 78230. 1.) Printed with soy ink on recycled paper. Visit Bexar Audubon's Web Site: http://www.audubon.org/chapter/tx/bexar/ Suggestions and contributions are welcome. Please contact Jill Sondeen at jsondeen@ netxpress.com June 1998 Do you enjoy reading this newsletter? Have you attended a chapter meeting or an outing recently? Have you seen a Bexar Audubon booth at a public event like Earth Day, or Viva Botanica? Do you feel safer knowing that Bexar Audubon works to protect our environment on a local, state, national, and internationalleve~? Are you gratified knowing that BAS is working to educate others, especially our children, about the animals and habitat that make Bexar County and surrounding areas so unique? Hopefully this chapter of the National Audubon Society is able to benefit you in these ways. These benefits, however, do not come easy. There are quite a few folks who volunteer their time to make sure that t.his organizations is successful at achieving its goals. You see some of their names mentioned every month in this newsletter. We have a very dedicated group of outstanding volunteers. Unfortunately our numbers have dwindled in recent weeks. As you have read here· in recent issu.es of the newsletter, Dawn Garcia recently stepped down as our Outings Chair when she moved back to Seattle. Katie Nava-Ragazzi stepped down as our Education Chair to return to Los Angeles. Immediate Past President and current Board member Harriet Wiygul will soon be moving to Savannah GA. The loss of these three individuals leaves us with a huge void to fill. We need your help to step into the Shaq O'Neal-sized shoes left behind by Dawn, Katie, and Harriet. If you are interested in volunteering, in any capacity, please call me at 408-7731. We have all benefitted from our relationship with BAS. Why not take a couple of hours each month to help us keep our chapter one of the premier National Audubon chapters in Texas. We are looking for Chairs and/or members for the Education and Outings committees: We are also looking for a Co-Chair and/or members for the Hospitality Committee and a Coordinator for the San Antonio Environmental Network (SAEN). Volunteers are also needed in several other areas. Susan, -Bill Sain --No Room for Martins? Try the Nearest School Editor's note: BAS Members come up with innovative ways to improve San Antonio's bird habitat. This suggestion from Jackie Schlatter to Susan Rust is being passed on very early so that BAS members will have plenty of time to work with their neighborhood schools. As we learned from Phil Beckhelm at our February meeting, young martins often scout out potential nesting sites in the fall and return to them in the spring. A suggestion for all of the many birders in San Antonio who cannot have a martin house (like you), why don't y'all adopt a school with one and "landlord" it during the season? I know of at least two schools with houses (it's the thing all elementary schools seem to do, at least in the NEISD). One is Hidden Forest (Partridge Trail off of Bitters) and the other is Oak Meadow off of NW Military Highway. Both of these have sparrows and no one is monitoring the egg and nestling development. This information could be collected and sent to the PMCA. I do it for my house every year and am also doing it for Huebner Elementary. By the way, I put up the house this year and have eight nesting pairs!! It sure would help the birds and be a nice community gesture. Jackie Editor's postscript: If a school doesn't have a martin house, they might like to have one donated and erected by a potential martin landlord. 2 Bexar Tracks May22. 1998 Chapter Meeting Recap: A South Texas Future Outdoors? Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Director Seeks to Make Nature a Part of Our Future A future for South Tex.as that preserves our heritage of abundant wildlife and .avoids subdividing the area into the sterility of five acre ranchettes can be achieved if we enhance our legacy of a great outdoors for visitors who will pay for the privilege of enjoying it, according to Dr. Fred Bryant, Director of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Kingsville. · Speaking to the BAS May meeting, Bryant said that there will be major changes in the ability of South Texas lands to support . the people that live on them as federal agricultural price supports are phased out and competition from other areas increases. The Institute is conducting a variety of wildlife research projects designed to help us understand the dynamics of animal populations so they can be enhanced and so that the habitat needed for their survival can be sustained. Bryant said the rapid growth of outdoor related recreation activities- Report from the Fields birding, hunting, fishing,, camping, and hiking-demonstrate the potential to replace traditional agricultural pursuits as a means for economic growth. The Institute is also doing research on new cash crops such as prickly pear cactus for food for people and livestock and mesquite for flooring and barbeque chips, which could sustain family farms while conserving precious water and soils. The Institute also ·works on a variety. of habitat improvement projects to restore degraded habitats, improve forage, improve water quality, reduce erosion and increase plant diversity. These projects will help ranchers and farmers increase production while at the same time providing more wildlife habitat which can be a source of ecotourism income. One of the more interesting proj~cts is the Feline Research Program which has shown that South Texas has large populations of mountain lions and BAS Prexy and Friends Seek Birds for Bucks for Education ' As most Bexar Tracks readers know, Bexar Audubon is raising funds to support our environmental education programs throughout Bexar and surrounding counties for the next year. Birdathon is a fun fundraising event where the participants spend the day birding (such hard work) and their supporters pledge to pay so much per every species identified. My Birdathon was held Sunday, May 3, 1998. Susan Rust and Marge Lumpe joined me for portions of the day. I visited Eisenhower, McAllister, Brackenridge, and Olmos Parks. I also visited the Botanical Center, Mitchell Lake, and did a little road birding along the way . . We identified 92 species of birds throughout the day, starting with a chuck-wills-widow and three eastern screech•owls at Eisenhower and ending with a black-crowned night-heron at Mitchell Lake. The highlights, for me, were the screech-owls, the ovenbird at the Botanical Center, and the 5 or 6 Swainson's hawks at Mitchell Lake. I was there again this morning (5/8) and they are still there. I hope you will consider supporting Bexar Audubon's education programs! If so, please make your check payable to Bexar Audubon Society and mail it to BAS - Birdathon PO Box 6084 San Antonio TX 78209-0084 The children and wildlife of this area thank you! -Bill Sain, President June 1998 3 bobcats b!lt that its populations of ocelots and jaguarundis are endangered. Among other things, the Institute has constructed tunnels under highways in big cat country and is working to understand why the animals often use the tunnels but , occasionally still wind up as roadkill. While there is room for optimism about the future of Texas wild cat populations, Dr. Bryant said the outlook for the Attwater's prairie chicken is dismal. He pointed to the whooping crane restoration and the coyote rabies control efforts-in which the Institute have had major rolesas examples of research that is paying dividends. The Institute, which is a component of Texas A&M UniversityKingsville, presents the latest developments in its research on bulletins on it web site. Dr. Bryant invited BAS members to drop in at http://aghs.tamuk.edu/CKWRI.html Thank you, Dawn, Katie, and Harriet, for all of your work. We'll miss you. We wish each of you the best of luck for your future. And . Happy Birding, wherever you are! Upcoming Chapter MeetinjJS for 1998: July 16 - Pat Driscoll - How the Environmentalist Can Work with the Media. August 20 - BAS Planning Meeting. September 17 - David Bowles - Edwards Aquifer and the Endangered Species Bexar Tracks -LOCAL NEWS Proposed Western Comal Water Project Seeks New Water for Fast Growing Area Editor's Note: On April 30, 1998, Bill West, General Manager, and David -== --- . of examples of fixed senior water Welsch, Director of Project14~.aiiS1~-i Management of the rights. To meet these commitments, GBRA is required to release the same amount of· water down the Guadalupe River as that which flowed down there before the dam was built, at least the historic average of river flow. When more than the average water flows into the lake, water is · Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) held a Valley Telephone Cooperative meeting at the Guadalupe GB auditorium to inform the public · , about the proposed Western Coma/ Water Project (WCWP). There were about 40 people in attendance. The purpose of this project is to provide an alternative source of surface water to western Comal County at an affordable rate. This part of Comal County, which includes the area along the HWY 281 corridor, is one of the fastest growing areas in the region. It now gets its water from the Trinity Aquifer, a very low volume, slow recharging aquifer, at least compared to the Edwards Aquifer. The Trinity Aquifer cannot support the area's current growth rate. This was made alarmingly clear during the mini-drought of 1996 when test wells in Kerr County went lower than during the drought of record in the mid-1950s. The proposed project has been approved by the GBRA Board of Directors and now must be approved by' various other entities. For many water issue observers, this project seems quite a strange proposition-everyone knows that the water rights to all surface water has already been allocated for decades. So why is new water . suddenly becoming available for this project? Is GBRA going to divert more water out of Canyon Lake? No. Canyon Lake was built in 1.964 by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a flood control dam. Flood control remains the primary function of Canyon Lake-all other functions are subordinate to controlling floods. This fact wreaks havoc on the water recreation business during times of heavy rain-the Army Corps of Engineers takes over control of water release from GBRA when the lake leveL reaches 909 feet or more. As happened during the last rains (remember those?), so much water had to be released that low-lying bridges were flooded and tubing on the Guadalupe River had to be shut down for safety reasons. At all other times, the GBRA controls the outflow. There are a number of downstream users which have certain commitments of water-Victoria and the bays and estuaries of the Guadalupe River where it empties into the gulf are a couple June 1998 .;;.;;.,_-=;., stored in the dam. When less than the average river flow comes into the lake, more water has to be released than comes in so that the water allocations to the water users are met. Note to lakefront property owners: Canyon Lake is not a constant level reservoir. Right now, GBRA can sell an additional -50,000 acre-feet (50K AF) per year to contracted water users, above that which has to go to the downstream users. This 50K AF is known as the firm (available) yield and is a quantity based on the drought of record. This means that if there is a drought of such a magnitude that no water at all comes into Canyon Lake, the water already in the lake will last for about 10 years. GBRA hopes to increase the. firm yield by 40K AF by diverting the water now committed to several small hydroelectric plants on the theory it is easier to get electricity elsewhere than water. The new firm yield rate will be 90K AF, if approved. Although this sounds like nearly a doubling of the amount of water diverted from Canyon Lake, it isn't. It is just a redefinition of what water goes where. Instead of just running downstream, it can be sold to other entities, even for inter-basin transfers, like that being proposed for the Western Comal Water Project. The WCWP would consist of a 1 OK AF-capacity water treatment plant and large-sized (15 inch diameter) pipelines going to various water wholesalers: 2K AF to Comal County, 4K AF to Bexar Metropolitan Water District (BMWD), 4K AF to San Antonio Water System (SAWS), and 50 AF to $an Antonio River Authority (SARA). This amount 0f water capacity will theoretically accommodate the next 20- 25 years (until 2030) of anticipated growth in western Comal County. San Antonians, note that the water to San Antonio is only temporary, except for 4K AF. This project isn't called Western Comal Water Project for nothing. In order to provide water at a cost of -$2/ 1000 gal to western Coma I County residents, a water treatment plant of a 4 capacity of 1 OK AF has to be built to take advantage of 'economy of scale'. However, there isn't enough development in western Cotnal County yet, so in order to use the treatment plant at its capacity now, GBRA has offered the temporary use of most of the water to the Bexar County water systems. Comal County would initially only be able to use 2K AF. For this historic out-of-basin water, San Antonians would pay an extra 40% out-of-district charge. As demand in western Comal County grows, the water would gradually revert to Comal County to a total Of 6K AF, leaving Bexar County committed for 4K AF. GBf3A and the entities entering into the negotiations feel that this is a win-win situation. Coma! County can plan definitively for future growth, while Bexar County buys time to come up with other alternatives during the next 25 years to deal with its own explosLve growth in the northern part of the county. GBRA expects that it will take about 1 year to get the permit from TNRCC and 2 years or less for construction of the water treatment plant as well as the 45 miles of water pipelines. A concern was expressed that "if you build it, they will come" and unsustainable growth in a Critical Water Area, as western Comal County has been declared, shouldn't be encouraged. West answered that he thought it would actually help western Comal County. He said that Austin had tried to limit growth to protect their water resources, but people just leap-frogged the regulated areas and developed anyway. GBRA plans to sell only to those developers/ water purveyors who agree to include an approved waste water treatment system or are in compliance with the county's limits to -3 acres per lot when a septic system is involved. GBRA feels that by providing an alternative water source and requiring waste water treatment, the quality as well as the quantity of the Trinity Aquifer will ultimately be protected. The area to be served is not over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, so the increased development (i .e. , impervious cover) won't affect the recharge of the Edwards Aquifer. In the permit process, there will be public hearings where BAS members and the public can express their opinions. For more information , contact GBRA in Seguin at 830-379-5822 or Bill West by email at bwest@gbra.org. Visit their web page at www.gbra.org. -Jill Sandeen Bexar Tracks ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS A Report From Texas Parks and Wildlife . Endangered Birds Thrive at Kerr Wildlife Management Area Numbers of golden-cheeked warblers and black-capped vireos continue to increase at the 6,494-acre Kerr Wildlife Management Area near Kerrville. The two small migratory songbirds are on the federal endangered species list. At Kerr WMA, the birds are benefitting from a combination of deer habitat management, livestock rotational grazing, controlled burns and cowbird trapping. The results are impressive: Annual two-day surveys of vireos by employees showed 27 singing males when the surveys began in 1986, last year they counted 228, and this year the count jumped to 338. Warbler numbers were 18 singing males in 1984, 30 in 1991 and 50 counted so far this year, with the bulk of the core habitat yet to be surveyed. This was achieved using essentially the same management practices recbmmended by the Wildlife Division technical guidance biologists for Central Texas landowners through Wildlife Management Plans. New Bird Species Identified in Brazil Editor's note: the following from TEXBIRDS Researchers at the Federal University of Parana (Italy) have determined that a tiny, gray-black bird that they captured in 1997 in a marshy area inside the city of Curitiba, 420 miles southwest of Rio de Janeiro, is a new species. Marcos Bornschein, Bianca Reinhert and Mauro Pichorim named their new bird the Lowland Tapaculo. The complete story and a picture of the Lowland Tapaculo is at: http:// cnn.com/EARTH/9804/25/ brazil.newbird.ap/index.html. -E.G. White-Swift Central Texas Audubon, Waco TX Cooperative Venture Sheds Light on Texas' Beloved Reptile, the J-lorny Toad AUSTIN-Texans' most beloved reptile, the Texas Horned Lizard or horny toad, is thriving in the western half of the state, but may be struggling in the eastern half, say the results of a citizen inventory effort conducted in 1997. The first annual report of the Texas Horned Lizard Watch, a volunteer monitoring effort coordinated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, also reports that the likelihood of encountering a horny toad is significantly less when there are fire ants present. The results of the first year of the watch program confirm many people's personal experiences, as well as the results of a survey conducted by the Horned Lizard Conservation Society in 1992. The horny toad has essentially disappeared from the eastern third of Texas. In addition, many respondents reported that the horned lizard was increasingly rare in Central Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Only in West Texas, the Panhandle, and the western portion of South Texas do populations seem to be somewhat stable. Results also showed that areas that had fire ants were less likely to have Texas Horned Lizards. This is exciting data, said Lee Ann Liam, coordinator for the watch program. "We started the Texas Horned Lizard Watch believing that Texans cared about the horned lizard and that they were capable June 1998 of collecting data that would help us to better understand its status. That belief is already paying off." Many causes have been proposed for the disappearance of the horny toad, including collection for the pet trade, changes in land use, fire ant invasion, and environmental contaminants. According to Liam, "This is the first set of data I know of that statistically supports a correlation between presence of fire ants and absence of Texas Horned Lizards. It does not prove that fire ants have caused the decline in horned lizard populations, but what we learn from this and future years can help us target conservation efforts more effectively." A total of 394 people in 154 counties scattered all across Texas requested information about Texas Horned Lizard Watch in 1997. Each potential participant was provided with information on horned lizards, instructions on survey techniques, data forms, and maps. A total of 61 people or teams returned their data sheets, indicating an effort to conduct a formal horned lizard count on 98 different routes in 39 different counties. Of the 98 different routes for which results were reported, Texas Horned Lizards were seen on 49 (exactly 50%). Information was also gathered from a questionnaire sent to all who had requested survey materials. 5 T e x a s Horned Lizard Watch is part of a more extensive citizen watch program developed by the . Endangered ·Resources Program of TPWD called Texas Nature Trackers (TNT). In its two-year inaugural period, TNT has involved school groups and other citizen volunteers in monitoring 14 populations of rare species, including sn!3-ils, salamanders, pocket gophers, and several rare plants, in addition to Texas Horned Li~ards. The approach of TNT, which is modeled after several national and international programs such as Monarch Watch and Nature Mapping, is to link up citizens with populations of rare species in their area. Its goal is to foster local stewardship and conservation to ensure that species do not become threatened. Participation is strictly voluntary and surveys are conducted only on public property and the property of willing landowners. For more information about Texas Nature Trackers, including how to participate in Texas Horned Lizard Watch, call the Endangered Resources Branch toll-free at 1-800-792-1112, dial zero and ask the operator for extension -7011 . Bexar Tracks ENVIRONMENTAL _NEWS Texas Private Landowners Cooperate Babbit Says Little Oil Underlies Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Remove Plant from-Endangered List ZAPATA-For the first time in the history of the federal Endangered Species Act, active cooperation and conservation by private landowners has been solely responsible for a recommendation to remove a Texas species from the federal endangered species list. A group of private ranchers in Zapata County near Laredo has voluntarily signed conservation agreements to protect the rare Johnstens frankenia, a one-foot tall shrub with flowers that have white petals around a yellow center. At the time of its listing in 1984, only five populations or local groups of the plant were known, all in South Texas. Since then, with the help of ranchers, many more have been discovered. The U. $. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) regional office in Albuquerque, NM, has recommended that Johnstons frankenia be taken off of the endangered species list. According to a recent memo from the Albuquerque regional director to field supervisors in Texas, the delisting package for Johnstons frankenia should be submitted no later than March 1999. The reasons for this success story can be summed up in two words: cooperation and conservation, said Gena Janssen, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department {TPWD) biologist. The private landowners of Zapata County have cooperated with us by graciously opening their gates and allowing access to survey for this endangered species. This led to the discovery of at least 45 confirmed populations of Johnstons frankenia, all but one on private property. Janssen and the ranchers realized that simply finding a few more populations will not assure that a rare plant gets de listed. So, many Zapata County .landowners went a step further by committing to conserve this species on their ranches through voluntary conservation agreements with TPWD. It is these voluntary conservation agreements that has led to the recommended delisting, explained Janssen. Unlike endangered animals, endangered plants are not heavily protected on private land under the federal Endangered Species Act. Essentially, if a landowner is not using federal money or operating under a federal permit, it is legal to remove endangered plants on their property. "Given these facts, we knew that it would be difficult-to-impossible to delist this species because the USFWS would consider private land sites unprotected", continued Janssen,"unless we could prove to the USFWS that the landowners of Zapata County are taking care of these endangered species voluntarily." Steve Spangle, USFWS Listing Coordinator for Region 2 (including Texas), recently assured Janssen that all is ready to proceed with the preparation of the delisting package. She notes that while Spangle and others think it is likely to occur, the Johnstons frankenia delisting is still a recommendation, and nothing is final until it is signed by the Director of the USFWS in Washington, DC. Editor's note: The following statement, released recently by Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbit, is a major victory for environmentalists in the more than decadelong struggle over the future of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The resource update, compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey, should provide a cold shower of reality for those who continue to seek a justification for oil drilling within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This assessment makes the probability that other Prudhoe Bays exist under the coastal plain-the biological heart of the Refugevanishingly small. The USGS data assessment indicates that any oil under the Arctic Refuge coastal plain is more likely held in a multitude of small reservoirs. The implication is clear: tG recover this oil would require the kind of infrastructure that would forever and drastically alter the landscape of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, now dedicated to the conservation of Alaska's magnificent wilderness resources. At the present time, the Department of the Interior is cooperating with the State of Alaska and other stakeholders on an environmental impact statement looking at a portion of the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska to explore whether oil and gas leasing could be compatible with the subsistence needs of Alaska Natives and the needs of wildlife. There are places on the Arctic Coastal Plain that should be forever set aside to sustain and protect the abundance of wildlife. The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge must remain that place. Great Texas Birding Classic Trophy Heads to New York PORT ARTHUR - The second annual Great Texas Birding Classic drew to a successful close here on May 2 after a frantic week where 36 teams from as far away as Alaska vied to see who could identify the most bird species along more than 500 miles of Texas coastline. The team now gets to choose how to spend the $50,000 cash grand prize, picking from a list of eight Texas bird habitat projects. All told, the Classic raised almost $170,000 this year, up from about $100,000 :_~2:} last year. Funds raised by sponsorships from private When the dust and feathers settled, the WildBirders team sponsored by WildBird Magazine claimed top honors with 298 bird species identified, taking the Roger Tory Peterson Memorial Trophy back to WildBirds New York offices for the next year. June 1998 corporations and conservation groups go to enhance or acquire Texas coastal habitat. '~This year's Great Texas Birding Classic turned out bigger and better than we ever really hoped for", said Bob Cook, TPWD COO and senior director for land resources. "The bottom line is raising public 6 awareness", Cook explained. "Just making people aware that we have this wonderful resource of wild birds and habitat out there, and that Texas has absolutely the best that there is-those wetlands, those big woods, those thick brush thickets-and that we've got to have those to support different bird species. The Birding Classic gets people to realize that to see that type of bird, I've got to go to a shoreline marsh. I can go look for that one all day long in a brush thicket and never find it. It's the simple awareness that bird diversity-and by extension, all wildlife diversity---<:lepends on people protecting diverse kinds of habitats or landscapes." Bexar Tracks BIRD TALES ~-~ Lots' of Surprising Migratory Bird Activity Is Reported From Oil Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico for April 1998 The Migration over the Gulf Project Report, 10-27 April, 1998, was compiled by Bob Russell, LSU Museum of Natural Science, Baton Rouge, LA. These observations are from five observers located on five platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. These are loacated: 150 miles south of Cameron, on the edge of the shelf; 70 miles south of Vermillion Parish; 60 miles south of Marsh Island; 1 0 miles south of Lake Pelto in Terrebone Parish; and 60 miles south of Grand Isle, near the Mississippi Canyon shelf. Perhaps the highlight of the recent period was a spectacular flight of purple gallinules which evidently occurred on April 22, when we recorded this species on all five of our platforms (9 birds in total). Assuming a similar degree of platform usage elsewhere in the northern Gulf, our observations suggest that more than 7000 purple gallinules could have been resting on oil platforms on April 22. Of course, this probably constituted only a small fraction of the total number of purple gallinule? moving across the Gulf on this day. A smaller shadow flight of gallinules occurred on the 24th. Cattle egrets and barn swallows have been our most common migrants so far, and continue to pass through. Other trans-Gulf migrants with strong recent showings offshore include: a steady stream of both gray catbirds and orchard orioles (April 17-22); numerous white-winged doves since early April; a c.onspicuous wave of female ruby-throated hummingbirds (April 14-20); flights of yellow-billed cuckoos and male scarlet tanagers on April 20, 22, and 24; and at least 16 male blackpoll warblers since April 14. Other interesting trans-Gulf migrants which are occurring regularly at most of our platforms include least bitterns, · soras, and all three falcons. One of our most interesting findings has concerned the offshore presence of numerous species not generally considered to be trans-Gulf migrants, including mourning doves, mockingbirds, brown thrashers, eastern meadowlarks, red-winged blackbirds, American t(ee sparrows, lark sparrows, vesper sparrows, clay-colored sparrows, and brown-headed cowbirds. Also of interest is our discovery that at least three species of dragonflies evidently are true trans-Gulf migrants (green darner, anax junius; black-mantled glider, tramea lacerata; and spot-winged glider, pantala hymenea). Ofher apparent trans-Gulf migrant insects include large moths (5-inch wingspan) with brown, camouflage-like coloration; these remain unidentified. Thus far, we have no evidence that any butterflies (including monarchs) are crossing the Gulf. In addition to monitoring the progress of migration, we are keeping close tabs on seabirds. The inshore winter community of northern gannets, brown pelicans, and double-crested cormorants has largely departed; sandwich terns recently appeared in great numbers and have overtaken royals in abundance and conspicuousness. Our two platforms located in deeper water on the continental slope have both recorded magnificent frigatebirds, Audubon's shearwaters, and pomarine jaegers. Small movements of Franklin's gulls have been noted at our two most western platforms. ·Other miscellaneous seabird goodies have included red-throated lool")s, masked and brown boobies, red and red-necked phalaropes, lesser black-backed and great black-backed gulls, and black-legged kittiwakes. -Van Remsen, LSU Museum of Natural Science Marjory Stoneman Douglas Dies at 1 08· Florida Everglades Authority Led Decades-Long Fight to Preserve 'River of Grass' May 15, 1998; MIAMIEnvironmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the feisty, tireless grande dame of the Florida Everglades who led the fight to preserve her "river of g·rass," died May 14 at her home it) Miami. She was 1 08. For many, Mrs. Douglas was more than an environmentalist. She was considered the authority on the Everglades' delicate ecosystem, home to plants and animals found nowhere else. In 1947, she helped lead the successful push to have nearly 1.6 million· acres designated as Everglades National Park. That same year, she published her book "The Everglades: River of Grass," the first attempt to put the history of the Everglades into one volume. · Until then, the Everglades was considered a wasteland to be conquered June 1998 and used for farming, and state policies encouraged drainage and development. The book's title referred to the fact that the Everglades is really a wide river of shallow water flowing southward across a low, grassy plain. Even when others insisted the battle over the Everglades was lost, Mrs. Douglas refused to give up. "It's not too late . We simply cannot let everything be destroyed. We can't do that, not if we want water. We've got to take care of what we have", Mrs. Douglas said in 1990. Around 1915, Mrs. Douglas went to work for her father and soon began her defense of the Everglades, angering developers and politicians with her editorials against over-draining the wetlands. The celebration of her centennial in 1990 was mar~ed by a series of events. 7 Her honors included a special conservation award named for her, an act of the legislature in her name, and several Marjory Stoneman Douglas schools and parks. The high-rise, gold glass building in Tallahassee that houses the state Department of Natural Resources is named for her. In 1993, · President Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In recent years, state and federal governments have authorized multimillion-dollar projects to help restore and protect what remains of the Everglades, including a 1994 state law called the Everglades Forever Act. But drought and pollution, particularly runoff from the region's sugar farms, have continued to keep the long-term fate of the region in doubt. By Will Lester Copywrited, Associated Press Bexar Tracks Bexar Audubon Society, Inc. P. 0. Box 6084 San Antonio, TX 78209 Address Service Requested Non-profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid San Antonio Permit #590 UNIV Of TEXAS LIB SERIALS 6900 N LOOP 1604 W W19 NOV98 SAN ANTONIO TX 78249-1130 r --- . 11ntroductory Membership 1 1 National Audubon Society 1 1 Bexar AudubonSociety I I (Chapter Code W19) I , I New memberships tol INational Audubon Society, includingl I a subscription to Audubon magazine, I lare $20 ($15 for seniors or full-timel I students). This includes membership I 1in Bexar Audubon and a subscription Ito Bexar Tracks,as well. 1 Makes a great gift! 1Name __________________ _ I Address _________ -" --- I city _______ _ I State Zip ________ _ I IPhone: ( ) _____ _ 11 Mail this coupon and your check - payable to "National Audubon I Society" to: I Bexar· Audubon Society I P. 0. Box 6084 I San Antonio, TX 78209 . ___________ . ' June 1998 RECURRING EVENTS Second Thursday of Each Bexar Audubon Society Board Meetings. Month . Cal1408-7731 for more info. Members welcome Third Thursday of Each Month Bexar Audubon Society General Meetings, Open (except Aug) Call 822-4503 for info. to the public, Ruble Center, 419 E. Magnolia,? pm First Saturday of Each Month. Friedrich Wilderness Park offers a free guided Call 698-1 057 for rnore info. general natural history hike Second Saturday of Each Month. Bexar Audubon sponsors the "Second For information and reservations, Saturday" program at Friedrich Park call 698-1057 $2 donation requested Fourth Saturday of Each Month. Birding morning at Mitchell Lake - meet at 8 am Call 308-6788 for rnore information Led by Ernie Roney (656-4239; San Antonio Audubon Soc.) First Tuesday of Each Quarter San Antonio Environmental Network meets at March, June, September, December. the Witte Museum auditorium, 7 pm. Free and Call 822-4503 for more info open to the public Useful numbers: 308-6788 - San Antonio Audubon bird sightings ' 698-1709- Wildlife Rescue & Rehab 227-6143- Report local water waste 1-800-453-SMOG- Smoking vehicle hotline (TNRCC) (license#, date, time,and location of sighting are requested) 8 Bexar Tracks
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