Bexar tracks : the newsletter of the Bexar Audubon Society, Vol. 12, No. 11

• Main Author: Bexar Audubon Society
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: San Antonio, Tex. : Bexar Audubon Society, 1994
• Subjects: Birds > Conservation > Texas > Periodicals.; Ornithology > Texas > Periodicals.; Nature conservation > Texas > Periodicals; Clubs and Organizations; Science and Technology; Austin; Bandera; Calvin; Crabtree; Edith; Finch; Grande Valley; Indian; Labyrinth; Lagrange; Lone; Medina; North Star; Reeves; Saunders; Suarez; Two Mile; peregrine falcon; Skrei
• Online Access: http://digital.utsa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15125coll10/id/8174

Bexar Tracks began with Vol. 4, no. 1 (January 1986). It continues Newsletter (Bexar Audubon Society). BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY 21 0-822-4503 The Chapter's primary goals are to promote species and habitat conservation, and erwironmental education in the community . . _ . __________ ._ ______ ._ ___ _. Volume XII, No. 11 November 1994 Inside Tracks Beneath the Gavel. . 2 Pelagic Trip . 3 Don't Ask . , . . 3 The Hot Zone . 3 They're Coming Ba-a-ack! . 4 Ways & Means . 4 Long-Range Transportation . 4 Response Form . 5 & 6 Bastrop StatePark. . 7 Celebrate Audubon Weekend . 7 Christmas Shopping . : . 8 Violence Against Greens? . 8 Backyard Habitat . 8 & 9 Landscaping Seminar . 9 Caddo: A Lake/Worth Saving . 9 Texas Recycles Day . 10 Calendar . 10 ' Outings · There are no outings scheduled for . November and December, because of the convention in Florida and the up­coming holidays. See inside for infbr­mationon the January outing . . r Action Alerts This issue is short on fun and long on calls for action. With the. Legislative session starting January 10, and continuing attacks on envi­ronmental programs throughout the state, we need your commitment to phone calls, letters, faxes, or per­son- to-person lobbying if we are even to hold ground, much less gain any. Please get involved. Reversing the Decline of our Migratory Songbirds Partners in Flight Carol Edwards from Travis Audubon Society in Austin will be our guest . speaker at the November meeting of Bexar Audubon. Her pr~sentation will include a slide show on Partners in Flight, the international cooperative effort to reverse the decline of our neo-tropicalmigratory birds. Carol is a founding niember and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Texas Partners in Flight (TxPIF), as well as the editor of the TxPIF newsletter, Flyway. . She is on the Board of Directors of the Travis Audubon Society, and is an active member of theAmerican Birdil1g Association and the Texas Ornithological Society. Prior to becon\ing more active in Texas Partners in Flight, Carol worked as a volunteer in the National Audubon Society's Southwest Regional Office. She served as the legislative liaison for the Audubon Council of Texas during the last session of the Texas Legislature. · Carol says she would like to come back in a year and present a program on her 1995 adventure~ In early spring, she will head for Big Behd to conduct the Peregrine Falcon monitoring program for the National Park Service. Who should attend? Anyone who is interested in the ecology and preservation of t\eotropical migratory birds. · Meeting Specifics: Monthly meeting of Bexar Audubon Society, Thursday, November 17, 1994. Refreshments will be available at 7:00pm. Come early to socialize. The program will begin promptly at 7:30. Free and open to the public. Call 822-4503 for more information.' Location: Ruble Center, 419 East Magnolia Street, San Antonio. Nearest .freeway exit i~ North St. Mary's, off High­way281. Public Trans- . portation: VIA Route 5 (St. Mary's­McCullough- North Sta·r Mall) to Magnolia Street. December Meeting: BAS Annual Holiday Party and Slide Show, December 15:. January 19 Meeting: Program to be announced. Congratulations are in order for our co-editors of Bexar Tracks, Claire Drenowatz and Harriet Wiygul. Our newsletter placed second in the large­chapter category of the NAS newsletter contest, just completed. Awards will be presented at the convention in Fort My­ers, FL, November 13. Given the high quality of the field of entries in the con­test, you can be very proud of your editors for the fine work they do. In addition to her work on Bexar Tracks, Harriet has also agreed to chair our hospitality committee. What do they say about asking a busy person? If you can help by bringing refreshments to a meeth1g, please call Harriet and volunteer.lt will be appreciated. There are still more committee ap­pointments that need volunteers and several that are ready for new chairper­sons (because the present chairs have been in these roles so long). We will also be seeking candidates for the 1995 elections soon. If you are interested h1 any of these opportunities and/or are willing, please call me at 532- 2332. We really can't do it without the · participation of committed individuals. Heartfelt thanks to our treasured member who came through with a spe­cial donation for the "Get Out & Do It" fund last month. Your financial support is especially appreciated at this time. This has been another h1teresting montl1. Property rights issues conthme to consume a good portion of our en­ergy, but water tops the chart for local ihterest. Here h1 San Antonio we have peo­ple working diligently to ensure the kind of options required for a prosper­ous future for our city. These dedicated individuals are promoting protective regulations for the Edwards Aquifer re­charge zone and drainage bash1. We know what a fragile ecosystem the recharge zone is and how crucial water is to our region's health-includ­ing its economic health. I urge all of you to demonstrate your support for a long-term, re­gional ecosystem management approach to San Antonio's water problems. November 1994 Beneath the Gavel Why, then, are others, acting in the guise of public servants, working just as hard to compromise that future? In a statementto the Mayor's Water Quality Task Force on October 25, BAS past president Walter Barfield said, "We are . very concemed with the state­ment of purpose which the task force has adopted, the procedures by which the task force is working and lack of scientific facts regarding current re­charge conditions (or the discounth1g of facts and studies which have been pre­sented), and the apparent desire of the task force, as shown by its votes, to de-. velop a recharge zone protection ordi­nance based not on scientific evidence and sound engineerh1g, but rather on economic convenience and expediency. "Bexar Audubon Society does not support the task force's current draft statement of purpose. The statement fails to recognize that a degradation of water entering the aquifer must ulti­mately be expressed as a degradation of water which flows out of the aquifer. "It fails to address the risk to public health and public drinking water sup­plies, which development in this area threatens. It fails to address any threats to endangered species within the aqui­fer and associated springs." "Bexar Audubon has noted the task force's apparent disregard for scientific evidence, especially as it pertains to hn­pervious cover lin1its, buffer zones and activities withh1 flood plains. It is also hnportant to note that much of the evi­dence may be of lhnited value due [to] the nature of our rainfall and the types of land hwolved. "Bexar AudubOn reminds the com­mittee that your charge is to PROTECT WATER QUALITY, and not to promote housh1g affordability or facilitate devel­opment. "By agreeh1g to serve on this task force you have become public servants. In that charge you must check your spe­cial interests at the door and base your decision on facts presented to you and h1 the best h1terests of San Antonio." Our thanks to Walter for presenting this strong message to the task force that we expect them to be working for San Antonio's long-term hlterests, not for 2 short-term fixes to inconvenient devel­opment problems. I urge all of you to demonstrate your support for a long-term, regional ecosystem management approach to San Antonio's water problems. Write to the Mayor and City Coun­cil today. • PO Box 839966, San Antonio, TX 78283-3966, or • call 299-7040 for Council, fax [phone],or • call299-7060 for the Mayor's office, fax [phone]. Tell them you expect the Water Quality Task Force to come forward with a strong, enforceable plan for pro­tecting our City's water quality not just this year or for this term of office, but for the future, as well. We must behave like responsible adults. We must continue to implement aggressive conservation policies and programs h1 this City. Conservation de­livers the very cheapest "supplemental" water we can get. We should .also seriously hwesti­gate further the capability for recharge enhancement and recharge water qual­ity improvement that may be offered by responsible land management tech­niques such as those beh1g hwestigated at the Seco Creek Water Quality Dem­onstration Project in Bandera, Medina, and Uvalde Counties. We will try to bring you more hlfor­mation on this project in the future through articles h1 Bexar Tracks or pos­sibly an outh1g to see the project. You may also call me for more information. There is no reason to sacrifice the Edwards Aquifer. With appropriate care, and a duly conservative approach to its management, the Edwards can continue to serve as a water source for San Antonio and the region, it can sup­port the endangered and other species that depend upon it, and it can feed its downstream dependents. What we must sacrifice, however, are economic greed, short-term out­looks, and the attitude that, until proven otherwise, we can exploit this resource freely and with contempt for scientific evidence. Bexar Tracks Pelagic Trip Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances. -Anonymous Pelagic birding trips can be notori­ously hit or miss in their ability to fuJd birds, but the October 22 trip on the MV Wharfcat, out of Port Aransas, was nei­ther- it was something else altogether. The Scopolamine Squad set out at 6:15 am into unseasonably warm weather; and a fresh breeze out of the southeast. Possibly this kept the birds away-pelagics were pretty scarce. Other than Laughing Gulls and Royal Terns, ocean birds were limited to one juvenile Magnificent Frigatebird, and a Masked Booby seen at the limit of conjecture. Three Masked Boobies, two adult, and one juvenile, showed later. As the Wharfcat's skipper maneu­vered around the oil and gas rigs to look for pelagics, we found these man-made islands to be great havens for landbirds. The Catbird, two Meadowlark spe­cies, immature Vermillion Flycather, and possible Mountain Bluebird were interesting, but the fourteen Peregrh1e Falcons were a real hit! · All the Falcons were immature, both in plumage and attitude-any fal­con, even a Peregrine, that tries to swoop on two Great Blue Herons is suf­fering from adolescent brashness! .Many thanks to Marge Flander­meyer- Lumpe for organizing the trip. - Scott Crabtree San Antonio Audubon A few people are sure that Cory's Shearwaters twice-their behavior was shearwater-like and our Captain said they were likely Cory's. The Audubon Shearwater is usually sh1gly as opposed to the groups we observed. In addition, one woman was sure she saw a Wilson's Storm Petrel, and Barn Swallows were also seen around the oil rigs. -Marge Flandermeyer-Lumpe Don't Ask! For those of you who do not wish to receive solicitations for money from NAS, call "phone solicitations" at the New York office, 212-979-3037. Ask for Theresa Rizzo, or Dianne Flippo should be able to help. Or you can write. You want to be placed on the "no call" list. Bexar Tracks The Hot Zone The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston, is subtitled "A Terrifying True Story." It's certainly the most terrifyh1g thing I've ever read. It produced my first night­mare since adolescence. And it should be required reading. Before I tell you about it, permit me a digression h1to other writing which has sorta nagged at me for twenty years. The Lives of a Cell, Lewis Thomas's first collection of essays, was published h1 1974. His essays, while often whimsi­cal, are sometimes masterpieces of fore­bodhlg on the human condition. (The title of his third collection, Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony, oughta be a clue.) In the title essay and another, "Or­ganelles as Organisms," Thomas sort of noodged around his worry about whether parts of his cells belong to him, or whether he belongs to them. "A good case can be made for our nonexistence as entities . At the inte­rior of our cells, driving them, providing the oxidative energy that sends us out for the hnprovement of each shining day, are the mitochondria, and in a strict sense they are not ours. "They turn out to be little separat.e creatures, the colonial posterity of mi­grant prokaryocytes, probably primi­tive bacteria that swam into ancestral precursors of our eukaryotic cells and stayed there . And later in the same essay, "We live in a dancing matrix of viruses; they dart, rather like bees, from organism to organism, from plant to insect to mam­mal to me and back and again . "They' may be a mechanism for keeping new, mutant kinds of DNA in the widest circulation among us. If this is true, the odd virus disease . may be . an accident, something dropped." In "Organelles as Organisms," he carried the idea little farther: "Now that I know about [it], I can fu1d all kh1ds of things to worry about. Viruses, for ex­ample. If my organelles are really sym­biotic bacteria, colonizh1g me, what's to prevent them from catching a virus . ?" Thomas's book was published seven years after an outbreak of what was later identified as one of the Ebola viruses, at a factory which produced 3 vaccines from the kidney cells of African green monkeys. Called Marburg for the city where it broke out, it killed 7 of the 31 people it infected-1 out of 4.5. The worst of the family is Ebola Zaire. From The Hot Zone: "The kill rate in humans infected with Ebola Zaire is nine out of ten. Ninety percent of the people who come down with Ebola Zaire die of it. Ebola Zaire is a slate wiper in humans." In chilling detail, Preston's book opens with an account of what hap­pened to one man who came down with the virus early in.1980. He literally came apart, liquifying from the inside out. Not, like AIDS, in ten years. In ten days. Not a pretty image. Nor is most of the book, includh1g the lengthy narration of the close call when it broke out h1 a shipment of mon­keys in quarantine h1 Reston, VA, USA. What is more terrifying than the images painted in the book, of course, is the fact that Ebola,like AIDS, came to us from the same seriously ecologically disturbed region of the world. Preston writes "AIDS is arguably the worst environmental disaster of the twentieth century. The AIDS virus may well have jumped into the human race from African primates . perhaps when monkey hunters or trappers touched bloody tissue." And "I suspect that AIDS might not be Nature's preeminent display of power. Whether the human race can actually maintain a population of five billion or more without a crash with a hot virus remains an open question. Un­answered. The answer lies hidden in the labyrinth of tropical' ecosystems. AIDS is the revenge of the rah1 forest. It is only the first act of the revenge." And here's where I thought of Le­wis Thomas: "The AIDS virus and other emerging viruses are surviving the wreck of the tropical biosphere because they can mutate faster than any changes taking place in their ecosystems . I tend to think of rats leavh1g a ship." In a recent memo from the South­west Regional Office, Dede Armentrout noted "Mother Nature bats last." She does. And she bats cleanup. - Claire Drenowatz November 1994 They're Coming Ba-a-ackl The Texas legislature is gearing up for its biennial convocation, and envi­ronmental issues are already a hot topic on the coming legislative agenda. The Wise Use and Take Back Texas groups, who claim to represent the ma­jority of Texans, have been busy this summer and fall bending the e;u of any legislator they can collar, presenting a wealth of misinfonuation as fact. After all, Marshall Kuykendall, be­fore his views on government compen­sation to slaveowners were generally known, did draw a lot of attention to the Take Back Texas position with his little march on Austin in September. Although some of the political bloom may be off the rose for Take Back Texas, it does not mean it or other Wise Use groups have gone away or lessened their legislative efforts. That is why it is important that we infonn ourselves on the issues before the legislature and let our repre­sentatives know our position on legisla­tion with an environmental impact. The Southwest Regional staff and ACT volunteer lobbyists are working with the legislature to provide incen­tives to landowners in the management of their property for wildlife and pro­motion of bird watching on their lands. The group is also dedicated to work against anti-bird and anti-environment bills that may be faced in the upcoming session. However, no matter how effec­tive this dedicated group is, they cannot do it without the assistance of all Auduboners. Electronic mail is the best method to respond quickly to misinformation pre­sented by anti-environmental groups. Audubon has a special account on CompuServe for this reason, but any­one with access to e-mail can send mes­sages. Call Susan Hughes at 532-2332 to find out how you can do it. The next best thing is FAXes, whether at home, the office, or any local business that provides FAX services. If neither of these are available, the next best alternative is a daytime phone with an answering machine without a thue lhnit on messages. This coming session should be a wild and woolly ride for environmen­talists, and we all need to be involved. If you can help please contact Dick Pipes, BAS Conservation Chairman, at 281-2452, or call Sandra Skrei at theRe­gional Office, 512-327-1943 for more in­formation. Or fill out the enclosed self­mailer and send it to Austin. We need you! Ways and Means The Ways & Means Committee is attempting to identify all programs be- . ing undertaken by the chapter and de­velop methods to fund them. To this end, we need each Committee and Pro­gram Chair to provide information on your projects. Feel free to submit ideas for new programs or fundraising. The infonuation needed is: 1. Identify the program. Include the name, brief description, and history. Discuss goals and/or achievements, the target audience, and other pertinent hl­formation. Include the names of coop­erating organizations. This information will assist us to identify funqh1g sources and complete grant applications. 2. Cost/Budget. Provide the amou~1t you'll need for the program in 1995. Identify major categories of cost such as material, labor, printing, mail­ing. Also h1elude an esthuate of what was spent h1last year. This will assist h1 developh1g next year's budget and de­termining the overall amounts needed. Please provide this information to Bill Sain or Anita Reeves by 30 Novem­ber 1994, With it, we intend to raise funds for specific programs identified through corporate, government and foundation grants which will leave more of the member-share, Birdathon, and T-shirt income for other uses. -Bill Sain long-Range Transportation Plan The San Antonio-Bexar County 2015. For someone who regards any- if we continue to have the privilege of Metropolitan Planning Organization is thh1g over $50 a substantial amount of paying for street systems into housing throwing a public meeth1g Tuesday, money, this is an astonishing sum, all developments that exacerbate urban November 15, where they will present derived from the plethora of levies we sprawl. And street "huprovements" that the Long Range Transportation Plan for pay for the privilege of being citizens of cover more of the earth with asphalt, the metropolitan area. the city of San Antonio, county of Bexar, and, in the process, eradicate a few The notice from the MPO alleges state of Texas, and the United States. thousand trees. And highways that this is our opportunity to help make our U1is one might be worth showh1g bulldoze through untouched country to roads, streets, highways, and what up for although the notice doesn't say satisfy what passes for vision by a few passes for public transit in this area whether public comment will be ac- developers. work better for our community. cepted at the meeting. It does say "Your The notice encourages citizens to The Long Range Plan is the basic participation in the transportation plan- attend the meeting at the Valero Energy framework for the planning and devel- nh1g process is vital to its success!!" Corporation Building, 530 McCullough opment of our region's transportation Hmm-<iouble exclamation points. Avenue, First floor Cafeteria Meeting system for the next twenty years. That probably means we get to sit and Room. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm. This framework is going to deter- listen to the wonderful things the MPO In case you want to talk to the folks mh1e where and how $2 billion h1 fed- has come up with and nod our heads at at MPO before November 15th, you can eral, . state and local transportation the sagacity and wisdom of the plan. reach them at 227-8651. funds will be spent between 1995 and Either way, it might be interesting to see -Harriet Wiygul November 1994 4 Bexar Tracks Help us be as effective as possible on anticipated Environmental Legislation during the 74th Texas Legislative Session. Join our Texas Legislative Watch Group and receive information on effective letter writing, phone calls, and information on upcoming lobby workshops. We are especially interested in involving National Audubon Society members who have been unable to participate in chapter activities. We will send out information as needed with the information and action needed on specific items. If you can commit to at least one activity per month during the January to May session, please join us by filling out the form below, and sending it to the Southwest Regional Office at: National Audubon Society, Texas Legislative Watch Group, 2525 Wallingwood, Suite #301, Austin, Texas 78746, FAX: [phone], emaii--CompuServe: 71634,20 or [e-mail] Questions? Call Sandra Skrei, Southwest Regional Representative, at 5121327-1943. Thank you! Please add me to your Texas Legislative Watch Group! Name: Address: ________________ _ City, State and Zip Code: _____________________ _ FAX Number:. _______ (.include phone number if using commercial service) Daytime Phone Number:(__) Best time to call:--,-___ _ Evening Phone Number:(__) Best time to call:. ____ _ E-Mail Address:. ____________________ _ You can count on me for: __ Letters -__ (number per week or month) __ Phone Calls -__ (number per week or month) __ Visit(s) to legislators __ my area office __ Austin office __ I am interested in attending a 2-day session on how to lobby, including training and a visit to a legislator's office __ in my area, if one is scheduled __ in Austin, March 19 & 20, 1995. __ I would prefer to be contacted by FAX, email or postal mail only. __ I would prefer to be contacted by phone and·l have an answering machine. __ I am interested in joining Audubon's electronic mail system through CompuServe. __ I would like to be part of a "phone tree/fax tree" (we will assign you to local calls only). __ _ Please accept the enclosed contribution of $ _ to help fund this program. __ I cannot participate this year, but please accept the enclosed contribution of $ to help fund Audubon Council of Texas and the Southwest Regional Office's work educating our grassroots members and decision makers on important environmental issues. If you know the following information, please inform us: (it is listed on your voter registration card) State Representative or District Number --- State Senator or District Number-:-:--=--= --- Congressional District Number or U.S. Congressman --- __ I am interested in working on state issues year-round. Please send me information on the Armchair Activist program. __ I would like to get information on the following issues of national concern: _ Endangered Species Act Clean Water Act Anti-Environmental Movement Send this form (or a copy) to: National Audubon Society, Legislative Watch Group, 2525 Wallingwood, Suite #301, Austin, Texas 78746 Bexar Tracks 5 November 1994 Nanle ______________________________ __ Address --- C,S,Zip _________ _ National Audubon Society Legislative Watch Group 2525 Wallingwood, Suite 301 Austin, TX 78746 Stamp Call for Action: Bastrop State Park Texas Parks and Wildlife Conunis­sion (TPWC) is planning to bulldoze pine trees and expand the 9-hole Bas­trop State Park golf course to 18 holes. In addition to the natural beauty of this area, the Lost Pines are habitat for the endangered Houston toad. Loss of habitat is the main threat to this animal. Thus, the golf course will probably require a federal permit for killing, or "take," of the endangered species. They will use $500,000 of federal Land, Water, and Conservation funds. It is highly inappropriate for TPWC to allow the taking of endangered spe­cies habitat, much less apply for the per­mit themselves. At a time of potential park closings because of short funds, and with state and federal money in such short supply and high demand, it's ludicrous for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to spend $1.4 million or more to expand a golf course on endangered species habitat when alternatives exist. Bastrop golfers, led by local Rep. Robert Saunders (D-LaGrange), ap­peared in force to support the $500,000 appropriation. It was obvious they were notified of this Commission action well in advance, although no one else was. This is the second time TPWC has approved funding of the initial devel­opment of this golf course without ade­quately notifying park users, other than the local golfers. L,ast year, when $200,000 was ap­proved for initial studies, Sierra Club and the Audubon Society objected. In response Chairman Nacho Garza promised that a public hearing would be held prior to TPWC approval of the golf course expansion. Now, $700,000 of the $1.4 million has been approved with no effort by TPWD to notify the public. TPWC has by-passed park users once again. In ad­dition, a driving range, a putting green, a new parking lot, and club house have all been added to the initial golf course expansion proposal-a surprise to con­servation group ~--. TPWD action that depletes natural and endangered resources on public lands subsequently increases the pres­sure on the private sector to protect and set aside endangered Houston toad habitat. If TPWD can't protect endan­gered resources on public lands, then how can they ask private property own­ers to do the same? In addition, this sets a horrible precedent. On 31 August, the newly­formed Gamer Golf Association, Sen. Frank Madia (D-San Antonio) and Rep. Pedro Nieto (R-Uvalde) presented their plans for their proposed golf course on Garner State Park to the Commissioners during their annual meeting. TI1eir plan was proposed not long after Ron Holi-day, Public Lands Division Director for TPWD replied to a letter from the Gar­ner Golf Association, writing that TPWD "could potentially offer a long term agreement if it could produce a reasonable (financial) return." Garner, on the shores of the beautiful Frio River, is the busiest state park -Extracted from Sierra Club Alamo Group Action Alert Andrew Balinsky, Conservation Chair Ed: TI1is is just one action against the state parks in Texas reflecting the change in attitude toward the wild places once protected in these parks. All state parks are due to be reclas­sified by the TPWD soon. If we are to protect the wonder and majesty of the wild places in Texas, we must act quickly and in full voice. Please write Andrew Sansom, Ex­ecutive Director, TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744 (800;792- 1112 ext. 4974) and let him know that as a user of the state parks, you don't think a park or a forest is an appropriate place for a golf course, especially when it is a special area and the closest pine forest to many Central Texas citizens. Call your state senator and repre­sentative and let them know that you do not approve of what is being done to your public lands. Time is of the essence here. TI1e Audubon Southwest Regional office is making a concerted effort to make con­servationists' views known, but all of us must unite to return the state parks to the havens for wildlife and special places for recreation they once were. -Harriet Wiygul January Outing: Celebrate Audubon Weekend You have a date with John J. Audubon in Houston, so pull out those 1995 calendars and mark the weekend of Jan 21 and 22 as taken. TI1e Audubon prints are on tour and will be coming to the Houston Mu­seum of Art in the near future. The Southwest Regional Office of the National Audubon Society and the Audubon Council of Texas, in conjunc­tion with the Environmental Defense Fund, are sponsoring a weekend full of Bexar Tracks events which will include a trip to the museum to see the Audubon Prints. Two packages will be offered: tour­ing the Museum, or joining the Envi­ronmental Defense Fund for a special lecture, a private tour of the collection and possibly a one-man show on Audubon himself. Both packages will include the Mu­seum visit on Saturday, and a trip to Katy Prairie for incredible birding and a lunch and Audubon Bazaar on Sunday 7 at Houston Audubon Society's Edith Moore Sanctuary and Cabin. Details will be provided by the Re­gional Office next month. Projected price of the Audubon package is $25.00; the Audubon/EDF package is $45.00. Be sure to mark your calendar for this ex­traordinary event. If there is enough local interest we can look into organizing car pools, rent­ing vans, or even a bus. -Bill Sain November 1994 Environmentally Friendly Christmas Shopping If you are like me, you are seriously thinking that it's time to start preparing for XMAS. Fighting for parking spaces, fighting crowds, all those XMAS cards to mail and presents to wrap. Or maybe you feel that XMAS is too commercial and has become a symbol of our materialistic society. TI1is is the materialistic society that is willing to degrade our environme~lt for the almighty dollar, willing to con­sume a majority of the resources with little or no thought of the pollution and waste being created. No need to be distraught though. There are many ways you can celebrate XMAS, send cards, and give gifts with­out adding to the problem. As a matter of fact, you can be a part of the solution. You can buy cards and wrapping paper made of recycled paper (look for the highest post-consumer content), use gift boxes or bags that can be reused, or buy items with little or no packaging so less waste will be created. Buy environmentally friendly products. These are available at inan y .of the nature stores around town includ­ing Big Red Nature Store (5001 Broad­way), TI1e Nature Company in North Star Mall, and Whole Foods Market. There are a number of catalogs which provide environmentally friendly products. Seventh Generation (800-456-1177) and Real Goods (800-762- 9486) are two good choices. Catalogs also offer gift ideas and cards which are fund raisers for organi­zations such as World Wildlife Fund (800-833-1600), National Wildlife Fed­eration (800-432-6564), UNICEF (800- 553-1200), Wireless (Public Radio, 800- 669-9999), Signals (Public Television, 800-669-9696), and Texas Parks & Wild­life (800-580-5050). Other gifts are available through groups like Houstotl's Pueblo To People (800-843-5257) who sell many products made by people from developing coun­tries in an effort to give them an alterna­tive to environmentally damaging sources of income. Consider giving a Bexar Audubon Society membership as a gift. Or choose any of the other fine environmental or­ganizations (no packaging required). November 1994 These are just a few suggestions for ways to enjoy Christmas and help the environment at the same time. TI1is is not meant to be an endorsement for any of tl1e organizations mentioned. Due to space limitations, I have not mentioned many others who are also striving to make the world a better place to live. Shop wisely and help make Christ­mas the time of joy and hope it is sup­posed to be. -Bill Sain Give Green at the Office ~ ENVIRONMENTAL FUND FOR TEXAS '~ 1bc AuduboA Poundatioo oCTexu is one of 28 environmental poups you can support by giving co tbc Environmental Fund for Texas (EFI') at work. For more information call EFf II l-8CJO.GREEN-TX. Violence Against Greens? I'm an editor at Outside magazine, and I'm interested in opinions,. new leads, anecdotes and dissents about the idea, as expressed in David Helvarg's recent book The War Against the Greens, that there is a rising tide of vio­lence directed toward environmental­ists. We're interested in writing a short news story about this bookand,moreso, about this topic. Questions we'd like to get at: Is Hel­varg right? He argues (essentially) that Wise Use movement rhetoric has led to a growth in the number of violent crimes against environmentalists, that the FBI isn't much interested but should be, and that the big environmental groups aren't particularly concerned about the problem eitl1er. (Apologies to Helvarg if that's oversimplified.) Helvarg is either mostly right or mostly wrong, and either way the story is of interest to us. Anyone interested in speaking to me about this on the phone should call 505-989-7100 X 205. Thanks, Alex Heard -from Carmen Santasania Audubon Forum on CompuServe . 8 Backyard Habitat Q: Everyone seems to be talking about backyard habitat. What is it? A: Every living thing has the same requirements for survival. A good back­yard habitat supplies area wUdlife with these four requirements: • Food (year round) • Water (year round-dean and de­pendable) • Shelter from the elements and from predators • Reproductive sites (to bear and raise young). A backyard habitat offers these things to the birds, butterflies, and crit­ters who are rapidly losing their homes to parking lots and sub-divisions. Q: How does having a backyard habitat benefit me? A: How much time do you spend mowing your lawn? How high was your water bill this summer? A wildlife-friendly habitat is low maintenance, because it reduces the size of your traditional lawn and uses native plants as much as possible. Native plants require less water than non-natives. In fact, many native plants are quite drought-tolerant. TI1at means you don't have to water as much or as often, which saves you money. It also helps save water for more impor­tant things like drinking. Native plants are also more disease­resistant, so you don't waste money buying chemical sprays or replacing dead plants. Of course, for some of us the best benefit of all is the joy of seeing wildlife right in our own backyards. Q: Is backyard habitat only for backyards? A: Front yards make great backyard habitats too! In fact, you can even create a miniature backyard habitat for butter­flies and hummingbirds on the balcony of your apartment by planting flowers that attract them. Q: Where can I find out what plants to use? A: A wonderful source is the new Texas Wildscapes information packet produced by the Texas Parks and Wild­life Department. - continued on page 9 Bexar Tracks -from previous page The $15 packet is a treasure trove of information about all aspects of back­yard habitats. It also provides lists of the plants suited to your specific geo­graphic area-by zip code! Each Texas Wildscapes information packet also contains: • booklets on butterfly gardening, hummingbird gardening, and other backyard wildlife written by TPWD staff biologists, • a National Wildlife Federation book, The Backyard Naturalist, • a color brochure on ornamental trees produced by the Native Plant Society of Texas, • information on feeders, and nest box dimensions. The packet also h1cludes an applica­tion form for certification, which you can complete and retum, along with a rough sketch of your yard. When your completed application has been approved, you'll receive a cer­tificate of achievement yard sign desig­nating it a certified Texas Wildscape backyard wildlife habitat. This outstanding program, which started just this spring, provides a splendid opportunity for each of us to inake a real difference in restorh1g habi­tat lost to urban sprawl. NOTE: To order your Texas Wildscape information packet, call Barb DeLuca at 492-4291. landscaping Seminar If you want to tum your yard hlto a backyard habitat for next summer, sign up for the special Landscaping for Wild­life Class on Saturday, December 3. Learn from some of the most enthu­siastic and experienced experts h1 south Texas, including Calvin Finch, Judit Gowen, JulieJeter-Edwards, Patty Leslie Pasztor, Janis Merritt, Rufus Stephens, and Frank Suarez. Saturday, December: 3, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, NSISD Activity Center at 7001 Culebra. Call Barb DeLuca at 492-4291, or send your check for $6 (per family) to Natural Initiatives Seminar, c/o Barb DeLuca (BAS), 4218 Apple Tree Woods, San Antonio, TX 78249-2033. Bexar Tracks Caddo: A lake Worth Saving According to Indian folklore, Caddo Lake was formed when power­ful shakh1g spirits were angered with the Caddo Indians-a legend probably bom from the New Madrid earthquake of 1811. Actually, a logjam known as the Great Raft, formed over a period of many years, dammed the Red River which caused the river's waters to back up and create several small lakes. In 1873 the Army Corps of Engi­neers dynamited the Great Raft and the water slowly drained away, leaving only a wetland covering approximately 25,400 acres, known as Caddo Lake. In 1968 a proposal known as the Dah1gerfield Reach was authorized by Congress to cut a ditch from Shreve­port, LA, through Caddo Lake to Dahl­gerfield, TX, to carry barge traffic. Although the Dah1gerfield Reach project was killed in August, 1993, Caddo Lake is vulnerable until the pro­ject is de-authorized by Congress. Caddo Lake has been threatened for years by economic interests willffig to exploit it. The latest fight for Caddo is pitting the Texas Parks and Wildlife De­partment, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Serv­ice, Uncertain Audubon, Lone Star Si­erra Club, and the Delta Sierra Chapter of Louisiana, against the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant, which bor­ders Caddo Lake. 9 The Longhom Plant operates a haz­ardous waste storage and disposal site, currently operates under an interim permit from Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, and is seek­hlg final authorization to bum Sparrow and High Velocity Aerial Rockets. The 8500-acre Longhorn Plant is a highly contamh1ated Superfund site in need of extensive cleanup, listed num­ber eleven on the National Priority List. In October, 1993, Caddo Lake was declared a 'Wetlands of Intemational Importance," joinh1g thirteen U.S. wa­terways to receive such a designation as part of a multinational ecological agree­ment to protect fragile ecosystems. Caddo Lake is the only naturally­formed lake in the state of Texas and the largest h1 the South~efu1itely a LAKE WORTH SAVING! ACTION: Write your elected offi­cials in Washh1gton and let them know you favor de-authorizing the Red River Waterway Project, Shreveport, LA, to Daingerfield, TX. Affirm your commit­ment to the protection of Caddo Lake. Also write Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, A TIN: Mr. John Hall, 12118 N. IH 35, Austin, Te?<as 78711-3087, and let hhn know your op­position to the permanent authoriza­tion for the disposal and bumh1g of haz­ardous waste at the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant. November 1994 Fall/Winter Planning Calendar * Bexar Audubon Event 19 leaf It To Usl San Antonio Botani- ONGOING ACTIVITIES cal Center, children's class for ages Bexar Audubon Society general meetings are 5 to I 0. Call 821-5143 for more held on 3rd Thursdays at 7:30 pm, at the § More Information Inside TCP Texas Conservation Passport or fee information. Ruble Center, 419 East Magnolia. BAS board NOVEMBER 19,26 lower Edwards Plateau Ecosystem meetings are generally held on 2nd Thursdays 3-6 Tropical Birds of the Border, Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival. For information and reservations call Harlingen Chamber of Commerce, Tour, Honey Creek SNA. Two-mile at 7:00. Outings are usually the Saturday guided walk, 9-1 I :30. 21 0-43 8- following general meetings. 5 5 800/531-7346 Ethno-botany walk, Honey Creek SNA, 9am-noon. learn about cul-tural uses of native hill country plants for foods, medicines, fibers. I mile hike. TCP. Meet at Rust Visi­tor Center, Honey Creek SNA. I st Saturday Hike, Friedrich Wilder­ness Park, Gene·ral Natural History walk, 9am-llam. Call698-1057 to reserve a spot. 5, 12 WildflowerS Native Plant Tour, Honey Creek SNA. Easy one-mile walk, 9-11 am. 210-438-2656. 6,19 Whooping Crane Tour, Matagorda Island SP S WMA. $10 TCP, $14 non. 512-983-2215 reservations. I 0-12 Texas Ornithological Society Meet­ing, San Angelo. I 1-20 NAS Biennial Convention: People, § Water, Wildlife. Florida. For regis­tration packet, contact NAS Con­vention Office, 303-499-3622; fax [phone] Archaeology of Friedrich Park, 2nd · Saturday program, 9am-1 I am. Call 698-105 7 for reservations. Successful Gardening with Difficult Soils, San Antonio Botanical Cen-ter, 10:00am-12:00pm. Call821- 5 14 3 for more information. I 5 Texas Recycles Day I 7 * BAS General Meeting, Partners in Flight 17-20 Festival of the Cranes, Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Call 505-835-0424. OFFICERS AND BOARD 2656. 22 § Native Plant Society of Texas. Wildscaping Your Yard. lions Field Clubhouse, 7 pm, 2809 Broadway. DECEMBER 1/3, Sam Bass Treasure Hunt/Mystery 9-10 Game, longhorn Caverns SP, 7- 9pm. Reservations 512-756-4680. 3 landscaping for Wildlife, NISD Activity Center, 7001 Culebra, $6 per person or family. Barb Deluca 492-4291 to register. 3 Healthy Cooking for Busy People, San Antonio Botanical Center, I 0- noon. Call 821-5143 for more in­formation. 3 I st Saturday Hike, Friedrich Wilder­ness Park, general natural history walk, 9am-llam. Ca11698-1057 to reserve a spot. S * BAS Board Meeting, 7pm. I 0 Attracting Wildlife to your Back­yard, 2nd Saturday program, 9am­llam. Call698-1057 for reserva­tions. I 0 Texas Hill Country Christmas, chil­dren's class for ages 5 to I 0, San Antonio Botanical Center, 9:30am­noon. Call 821-5143 for more in­formation. I 5 * BAS Annual Holiday Party and Slide Show JANUARY 12* BAS Board Meeting, 7pm. 19* BAS General Meeting 21 §* Audubon Weekend, Houston Susan K. Hughes President 532-2332; fax [phone] Bexar Audubon Society P. 0. Box 6084 Marge Flandermeyer-Lumpe Betty Minyard Anita L. Reeves Vice President 65 7-1665 Treasurer 344-6128 Secretary 308-9254 Board Member 824-1235 San Antonio, TX 78209 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers many nature activities for annual Texas Con­servation Passport Holders ($25 per year). Call for event listings: 800-937-9393. San Antonio City Council Meetings, I :00 Thursdays. National Audubon Society's Actionline. Dial 202-547-9009, ask for Actionline. After hours, press 4 on a touch-tone phone. Other conservation organizations: please add Bexar Audubon to your mailing list if we're not already on it, and we'll be glad to include your events in our calendar each month. Texas Recycles Day Tuesday, November 15, is Texas Recycles Day. On that day every Texan is invited to begin, enhance, or support a recycling program. Join other businesses, associations, organi­zations, and individuals. Listen for promotions on radio and television. The average Texan throws away more than six pounds of garbage a day. And more than 20 million tons of garbage goes to Texas landfills each year. Up to 80% of that waste is poten­tially recyclable. Texans currently recycle about 14% of their waste. Can you do more? Non-profit Organization Patty Leslie Pasztor Richard Pipes Bill Woller BoardMember 281-2452 Board Member 696-31 86 Address CorrectionRequested U. S. Postage Paid San Antonio, TX Permit# 590 Jim Garriott Bill Sain Backyard Habitat Conservation Education Hospitality Membership Outings Programs Publicity Ways & Means Bexar Tracks Editors Board Member 695-9520 Board Member 408-773 I· COMMiffiE CHAIRS Barb Deluca 492-4291 Richard Pipes 281-2452 Betty Minyard 344-6128 Harriet Wiygul 647-5356 Dan & Kristy Davis 609-5678 Marge Flandermeyer-lumpe 65 7-1665 Thelma Nungesser 824-81 99 Susan K. Hughes 532-2332 Bill Sain · 408-7731 Claire Drenowatz 599-4168 fx599-3545 Harriet Wiygul 647-5356 The editors believe information ha-dn is accurate at October 31. We welcome contributions. Submissions may be edited. 0 Dead~ne is the Sat.-day after the gmerol meeting. Printed \\ith say-based ink on acid-free paper made of 50% percent post-consumer WMt"-