Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
For the latest news and updates, see www.bexaraudubon.org and www.sa-naturecenter.org. Inside this issue:
As these words are written, deadly crude continues health of Important Bird Areas fouled by the spill. But our ef-
to spew from a mile beneath the Gulf of Mexico. Amid forts must extend further.
the horror of the Gulf disaster, images of birds again
Audubon’s unique network can show Americans how birds
serve as the most visible indicators of damage to our
connect us all to the Gulf, and how we can help them. Con-
environment and of hope for the future.
servation and citizen science efforts will provide new insights
Once again, a crisis for people, for wildlife and for into the spill’s impacts on populations in the Gulf and beyond.
birds demands all the commitment and expertise we Habitat and IBA protection will take on greater significance
can muster. And again, the Audubon network is deliv- nationwide.
ering. As the crisis mounted, Audubon chapters across
Though not everyone can take direct action to save a peli-
the Gulf coast took action. In Louisiana, Baton Rouge
can or an oiled habitat, we can all protect vital flyways and
Audubon helped develop a protocol for reporting on
healthy populations to benefit species impacted by the disas-
oiled birds, while also assessing protection needs at
ter—from Common Loons in the Great Lakes to Ospreys in a
nearby sanctuaries. hey, along with Orleans Audubon,
mountain lake in Montana. Together, we can empower volun-
began reporting on birds’ status as the oil moved in.
teers flocking to respond to the spill to make vital contribu-
Meanwhile, in Alabama the Mobile Bay Audubon tions that will make a difference, while still working closer to
Society deployed teams of trained volunteers to moni- home.
tor impacts on birds and beaches along that state’s
Our collective responses must include redoubling our ef-
coastline. Chapters of the Suncoast Shorebird Partner-
forts to secure saner policies to protect fragile resources from
ship, along with the Francis M. Weston Audubon Soci-
risky energy extraction wherever it might occur. The Arctic
ety, Collier County Audubon and the Coastal Island
Sea was given only a short-term reprieve from misguided
Sanctuaries, all came together to provide information
deepwater drilling in the wake of the disaster—we must make
on vital bird habitats to aid Florida’s Fish and Wildlife
it permanent. We need stricter regulation of deepwater drilling
Commission in establishing protection priorities.
to make sure that accidents like the Gulf spill never happen
They were not alone. State and National Audubon again. And we can use the grim realities of the spill to further
staff immediately launched efforts to help coordinate strengthen our push for a cleaner, safer and renewable en-
on-the-scene volunteer support for emergency re- ergy future.
sponse crews across the region. Though the disaster
The Gulf disaster is truly America’s crisis and it demands
was unfolding in slow motion, they anticipated the
our unified response. It is hard to say how long it will take to
need for far more volunteer help. Now, a fully-
restore the well-being of the birds, other wildlife and commu-
functioning Audubon Volunteer Response Center is
nities that depend on the Gulf. But Audubon is in it for the
operating in Moss Point, Mississippi. More than 30,000
long haul to ensure not just emergency relief, but long-term
people nationwide have registered to lend a hand. And
restoration of the environment and of hope. Along the way,
there is plenty to be done.
our combined conservation efforts can benefit birds, habitats
Opposing images from the Gulf help to tell the story. and communities across America.
We are all too familiar with sickening pictures of oiled
Click on www.audubon.org for updated news.
and dying birds, among them Brown Pelicans, only
recently removed from the Endangered Species List. Yet
when I travelled to the Gulf just weeks ago, I saw
Deepwater Horizon Unified Command Website
scores of thriving pelicans nesting on an island in Mo-
bile Bay awaiting the arrival of their next generation. The link below leads to the official website for the Deepwa-
ter Horizon Unified Command and includes continually up-
We can’t yet know how many of that new generation dated and comprehensive information from all agencies,
hatched in the Gulf will survive and how many will die. state, federal, and others, involved in the overall US re-
As southbound migrating sandpipers arrive in early sponse. For specific information updated daily from US Fish
summer, it is likely that many will never continue their & Wildlife Service on wildlife impacted, where, and status,
journeys. What will become of the Reddish Egrets, click on the Current Ops button at the top bar and select Fish
Least Terns, Mottled Ducks or Seaside Sparrows that and Wildlife Report from the dropdown menu. USF&WS re-
have been trying to nest along the shores? Without a ports include avian, mammalian, and herptile records.
doubt, the future health of countless birds and habitats
depends, in part, on us. We will fight to restore the http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/
Page 3 August-October 2010 Bexar Tracks
The Costs of Energy No Energy Source is Totally Free of “Costs” or All Green!
Commentary by Mike Mecke
This excerpt is from an email sent in June to Former BAS President
Mike Mecke from David Newstead, Presi-
dent of the Coastal Bend Audubon Society, Comment Re: Pelican Article: The jor by-product of the extraction proc-
re White pelican struck by turbine on loss of a single pelican or a hundred ess–a single methane bore discharg-
Kenedy Ranch: we hope is an isolated or rare case. ing...approximately 25,000 gal per
This morning I went down the Laguna No one wants to see a bird or other day." Source: http://www.rangemaga
Madre to the Land Cut, doing some wildlife die needlessly. Certainly not zine.com/archives/stories/fall00/water
monitoring of breeding skimmers and Auduboners! world.htm.)
terns, and foraging egrets. In the Land But issues occur with a new in- Ever see an aerial photo of oil and
Cut area, we observed a flock of around dustry, even a green one—probably gas fields? Looks like a war bombing
fifteen American White Pelicans kettling a few birds have been hurt on solar site. How many hundreds of thou-
from some wetlands west of the brushy panels, too; we know eagles and sands of surface acres of land has
edge of the Kenedy Ranch shoreline. hawks die on electric towers. No been permanently ruined from well
After a couple minutes they turned and energy source is going to be totally drilling and roads—or from surface
headed on a northerly trajectory. We 100% safe or "green". mining? Nothing is free or all good.
watched as the pelicans continued soar- We have to be careful, thoughtful
ing between us and the turbines. It ap- Many thousands of birds, mainly and do the best we can for the re-
peared that they were getting closer and waterfowl, have been lost in petro- sources, wildlife and people. As we
closer to the next turbine, but it was leum "ponds"—not well known. No strive to replace expensive/unfriendly
hard to get a handle on how close they doubt birds have flown into well rigs overseas oil and become USA en-
actually were. Finally, they were ap- at night or in storms. Or into radio, ergy sufficient we must select the
proaching one of the most easterly tur- TV and cell phone towers? No tell- least damaging energy or mineral
bines in that particular string, and we ing how much valuable fresh sources and the best methods of
watched as the last bird in the group groundwater has been ruined by production and transporting to mar-
was struck and literally “erased” from salt water injection of oil kets. We must each use less energy
the air (a blade is about the width of a wells. Rangeland habitat and fresh and water in order to put less stress
city bus, and moving about 180 mph). It water has been ruined or wasted on our environment—conserving it
was flying at or just below hub height, due to coal bed methane gas ex- for nature and our children.
and was hit on the downstroke. traction. ("Water, in fact, is the ma-
The Tale of the Excerpted from e-Quail Newsletter, Vol. II, No. VII (July 2010)
Bar-Tailed Godwit A Bird Nest on the Ground
SCIENCE | May 25, 2010 by Dr. Dale Rollins
7,000 Miles Nonstop, The saying "a bird nest on the ground" implies a windfall, a stroke of good
and No Pretzels luck, indeed a bonanza. For over a dozen species of Texas animals that
By Carl Zimmer prey upon quail nests, the phrase is an appropriate one. But for quail, or
Tiny transmitters and even smaller other birds that nest on the ground, the saying portends a challenge, if not
geolocators make it possible to track the an omen.
bar-tailed godwit and other species on
their travels. Read more about this little Consider this: If 100 quail eggs are laid in June, how many adult quail
bird and the “longest non-stop flight would you expect to result from them a year from now? Forty? Twenty?
ever recorded” at http:// www.ny times. How about five! Here’s the math. Average hatch rate across the range of
com/2010/05/25/science/25migrate. bobwhites is about 30 percent, so we have 30 chicks hatched. Chick mortal-
html?emc=eta1 ity is high, so perhaps 40 percent of those (or 12 birds) live to September.
Copyright 2010 Survival through the winter months might be about 40 percent, so now we
<http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/ have five birds alive come May. And you think you have a tough row to
copyright.html> The New York Times Company hoe?
<http://www.nytco.com/> | Privacy Policy
<http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/p Read the full story: www.quailresearch.org; click on Publications, Vol. 2, Issue 7.
rivacy.html>
Page 5 August-October 2010 Bexar Tracks
97 Percent of all water on earth is located in the planet’s oceans. Workshop presentations will be provided by experts
from AgriLife Extension, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Texas
1 The number of "blue planets" called Earth. Parks & Wildlife Department, Texas Department of Agri-
Now that you have the facts, take the quiz: culture and Texas Animal Health Commission, as well
http://getinvolved.conservation.org/site/PageServer? as a professional feral hog trapper. Topics will include a
feral hog overview, tips on reducing watershed pollution,
potential feral hog problems and damage, brucellosis
and other diseases, laws and regulations, and the hunt-
ing and trapping of the invasive species. More info at
http://www.alamorcd.org.
Page 6 August-October 2010 Bexar Tracks
ANIMAL TRACKING When you have questions about visiting a Natural Area or
Presented by participating in a Natural Areas program, please call
Richard Heilbrun, Wildlife Biologist 210.372.9124.
Sept. 11, 10 AM—Noon
Join Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. wildlife biologist Rich- Carry a Tune with Digital Warbler Songs
ard Heilbrun for an interactive workshop to explore wildlife
tracks of central Texas. Gates open at 9:30 AM. A compilation of 310 songs and calls for 57 species of war-
blers is now available from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s
Macaulay Library, the largest archive of wildlife sounds in
South African Birds the world. The newly digitized version can be used on any
The July 2010 issue of "The Birder" has been device that plays MP3 files and is $14.99 at
uploaded onto our web site. Read about birds' www.macaulaylibrary.org.
feeding strategies & adaptations, how vultures
are being impacted by the Soccer World Cup in BAS Programs at Trinity University
South Africa, conservation news, Bird & Wild Room 149, Cowles Life Science Building
Animal of the Month and more...FREE down-
load. Check this link to receive your copy:
www.lifers-birding.com/monthly-e-zine/
Earth Share of Texas raises money for environmental and conservation or- Texas Residential Incentives
ganizations through workplace giving. If your employer participates in such
programs, please ask them to add Earth Share to your giving options. By des- Check out this list of incentives, rebates and
ignating the Audubon Foundation of Texas (AFT), Bexar Audubon Society can loans to help us all “go green”, right in our own
benefit. BAS receives credit for our support and receives funding annually backyard: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/
form AFT. For more information, call, email or log on: 800.GREENTX, homeowner.cfm?state=TX&re=1&ee=1
ESTX@earthshare-texas.org, or www.earthshare-texas.org.
Non-Profit
Bexar Audubon Society Organization
PO Box 6084 US Postage Paid
San Antonio TX
San Antonio TX 78209-0084 Permit #1527
www.bexaraudubon.org
It is time to VOTE AGAIN for Audubon at the American Express Members Project
Audubon can receive a $200,000 donation for our Gulf of Mexico response by getting the most votes in the Environ-
ment/Wildlife category of the American Express Members project. Simply go to http://www.takepart.com/members
project/vote. You can vote ONCE A WEEK through August 22nd!!