>From: "American Bird Conservancy" <
abc@abcbirds.org>
>To: "BirdWire" <
birdwire@lists.abcbirds.org>
>Subject: [birdwire] BirdWire News Bulletin
>Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 09:51:36 -0500
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> Please enjoy the latest
installment of BirdWire, the email update and action alert system from American
Bird Conservancy. Through this system we aim to keep subscribers informed of
important developments in bird conservation throughout the Americas and to
garner public support for action campaigns on pressing issues where your input
can make a difference. To receive ABC's printed newsletter, Bird Calls, which
contains a broad complement of bird conservation news throughout the Americas
(published three times per year), as well as Bird Conservation magazine
(published four times per year), join ABC. Visit www.abcbirds.org, where you
will also find more information on ABC programs and a broad range of bird
conservation topics.
>
> No Protection for Aliens,
Declares U.S. Government
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> Not the human kind, nor the
kind from distant galaxies, but the winged kind - birds from other countries
around the globe, that have been introduced to the U.S. both intentionally and
accidentally, and that can subsequently wreak havoc on the environment. In 2001,
following a surprising judicial interpretation of America's oldest surviving
wildlife statute, introduced bird species could be afforded federal protection
under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and so efforts by state or federal wildlife
agencies to control them could be thwarted. Not any more, thanks to the
Migratory Bird Treat Reform Act of 2004, which was attached to the massive 2005
Omnibus Spending Bill approved by Congress. Bird conservation groups, such as
American Bird Conservancy, are applauding the new legislation, and have praised
Congress for its actions.
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> The Reform Act now clearly
distinguishes between the native species that the original Migratory Bird Treaty
Act of 1918 was implemented to protect, and introduced species such as the Rock
Pigeon and European Starling. The law also redresses the imbalance created by
the 2001 court decision regarding the alien Mute Swan. In a bizarre reversal of
logic, it became illegal to shoot a Mute Swan, while permits were readily
available in many states to hunt native Tundra Swans, despite their decline in
some places where introduced Mutes are present. The bill now awaits President
Bush's signature.
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> Invasive species are
regarded as one of the biggest conservation threats in America today, with such
issues as northern snakehead, west Nile virus, and feral domestic cats regularly
making headlines around the nation. Introduced European Starlings have been
blamed for declines in Eastern Bluebird and Red-headed Woodpecker populations,
and avian malaria (carried there by birds introduced from elsewhere) has
contributed to the decline and extinction of several bird species in Hawaii.
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (D-Maryland) led the charge for the Reform Act, which has
received overwhelming support from dozens of national conservation,
ornithological, and wildlife management organizations.
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> "The inclusion of the
Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act in the omnibus bill redresses the balance that
was upset by the 2001 court ruling," said David Fischer, Director of Government
Relations for American Bird Conservancy, which has helped lead the fight for the
new legislation. "The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was created to protect our
native migratory bird species from over-hunting and was never intended to apply
to introduced species. Mr. Gilchrest and other members of Congress are to be
commended for their efforts in getting this legislation passed."
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> ABC Awarded Major Grant by
the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
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> ABC has been awarded a $2.37
million grant by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for a new program
entitled Conserving Biodiversity in the Tropical Andes. Focused in Peru and
Ecuador, the grant will enable ABC to enhance protection for some of the rarest
birds in Latin America, such as the Critically Endangered Jocotoco Antpitta,
Long-whiskered Owlet, and Ochre-fronted Antpitta, as well as the Marvelous
Spatuletail, one of the world's most spectacular hummingbirds.
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> The grant for land
acquisition and management will be implemented in collaboration with ABC's
partners in the region including Fundación Jocotoco and Asociación Ecosistemas
Andinos. These non-governmental organizations, whose mission is to conserve
these highly imperiled endemic species and their habitats will own and manage
the land, working collaboratively with ABC in developing and implementing the
project. The grant will also help strengthen the quality of science and
conservation of cloud forest habitats in the southern Andes of Peru and northern
Bolivia.
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> "The tropical Andes present
some of the most intriguing challenges and opportunities in modern biodiversity
conservation: incredible species diversity and endemism coupled with a high
threat level. Despite constant pressure from land clearance, the Andes-Amazon
region still contains some of the world's most pristine montane and tropical
lowland rainforest wilderness areas. We are delighted to partner with the Moore
Foundation and national conservation groups to tackle some of the highest
conservation priorities for birds and biodiversity in the world," said ABC
President, Dr. George Fenwick.
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> Restoration of San Francisco
Bay Salt Ponds Benefits Birds
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> In what is being hailed as
the most ambitious tidal wetland restoration project currently underway on the
West Coast, 4,000 acres of salt ponds in San Francisco Bay have been opened to
tidal waters for the first time since the 1940s. By the end of 2005, 15,100
acres of recently acquired salt ponds ringing the South Bay will be restored to
a mix of tidal marshes, mudflats, and wetland ponds.
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> San Francisco Bay, an
ABC-designated Globally Important Bird Area, once contained nearly 300,000 acres
of tidal marsh and assorted wetland habitats, but post-Gold Rush development for
farming, housing, and industry has resulted in nearly 90% of that acreage being
diked, paved-over, or altered. Salt ponds have also been a destructive
influence, but in October 2000, Cargill Salt decided to consolidate its
operations and sell land and rights for 61% of its holdings. Through
negotiations led by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and involving state and
federal agencies, a framework agreement was signed in May 2002, paving the way
for public acquisition of these South Bay salt ponds, along with 1,400 acres of
crystallizing ponds along the Napa River.
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> The project is being managed
jointly by the California State Coastal Conservancy, the California Department
of Fish and Game, and FWS. Project coordinators have laid out a plan for the
phase-out of salt production and restoration to wetland, stretching to 2008 and
beyond. The venture will provide much-needed habitat for species such as the
Black Rail, Least Tern, Marbled Godwit, Snowy Plover, and the Endangered
"California" Clapper Rail. For more information, and to sign up for the project
newsletter, visit www.southbayrestoration.org.
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