Just a friendly reminder that tonight is the night to turn out your lights: Earth Hour is from 8 to 9 p.m. Hundreds of U.S. cities, businesses, and millions of people are participating; I hope you plan to, also.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday, New Jersey governor Jon Corzine signed into law a bill placing a moratorium on the harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs that carries stiff penalties ($10,000 first offense, $25,000 for subsequent offenses). Hooray for New Jersey! Now if Delaware would just follow suit, things would be so much the better (well, that and an Endangered Species Act listing from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that is long overdue).

One item I learned from an op-ed piece is that the way this new law is written, the burden of proof that all is well gets shifted:

Driven by the steeply declining populations of the red knot, the new law shifts the scientific and legal burden from DEP to show that the species is harmed, to the fishing industry to show that any horseshoe crab harvest will not harm the recovery of the red knot and several other migratory birds.

I like that. We should do this across the board and make all industry financially responsible for proving that their actions won't harm the environment. Fat chance it will happen anytime soon, at least not without a major shift in the way Americans think. Not when you've got clueless people like the one who was the first commenter (of only two as I write this) in the first article I linked to above:

Maybe part of the problem is the Red Knots eating the eggs. If the eggs can't hatch then it only makes sense the population of the horseshoe crab will go down.

Why comment when you have absolutely no concept about what is going on here? It's not like this hasn't been going on for thousands of years. I lost a few perfectly viable brain cells from the searing stupidity in that comment; I'm amazed this person can actually turn on his/her computer. (Hey friend, why don't you go back to watching Survivor or Dancing With the Stars and let the thinking people run things around here for, oh, say the next few thousand years. Okay? Maybe our species will survive then.)

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I received a link to this article about Whooping Cranes and wind farms via email a few minutes ago.

Have to rush off to work but will look at it in depth later . . .

There's a lot about this article that troubles me. They are talking about 40,000 turbines along the U.S. section of the Whooping Crane migration corridor and it sounds like nobody is looking at taking any kind of proactive steps to protect these birds. There is no question that, as a society, we have to move in a new direction as far as our energy needs are concerned but, damn it, we absolutely have to evaluate how we are going to protect habitats and biodiversity along the way. We simply can't keep destroying things. While we don't know at this point what, if any, effect this will have on migrating Whoopers, we have to find out and take steps to protect them (and any other species our activities could potentially impact). If that means shutting down the wind farms for a few days while they pass through, then so be it. If a Whooper dies because of the activities of a power company, they should have to pay dearly.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I still subscribe to FLBirds just to see what is happening with birds in Florida and, today, there's a nice follow-up post by Wes Biggs about the public meetings NASA held on Monday. It was also cross-posted to FlaBirding and, on that list, there is another post urging people not to get to worked up about it because of NASA's longtime stewardship of the land in question. I agree that there is definitely something to be said for taking that position.

On the other hand, I know all I need to know about the morons currently running things in this country and, given this is apparently a "commercial" venture, I have serious doubts about what may go down. I'll be watching for announcements for the public comment period when it comes time for the Environmental Assessment that will be taking place over the next few months (per Wes' post, draft this spring, final over the summer). I'll be writing letters and announce when the comment period opens here when the time comes (with addresses, etc.).

The collage features four images from MINWR, all shot on Blackpoint Wildlife Drive (clockwise from top left): Northern Pintail (hen), White Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, and Pied-billed Grebe.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NASA held hearings yesterday as part of an environmental assessment associated with plans for a private launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center. As I understand it, one of the proposed sites would effectively shut down operation of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Abandoned launch pads abound south of the present shuttle launch complex, so it is hard for me to imagine why they would have to destroy pristine habitat. There were two meetings yesterday and the overwhelming majority of attendees at them voice their opposition to this site proposal, as I would have been had I been there:

"That you would even consider it boggles my mind," Wes Biggs of Orlando told NASA representatives seeking public input at two back-to-back hearings in Titusville City Council chambers. "The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge isn't just another refuge. It's one of the jewels of the federal wildlife system, and it is known worldwide."

(You tell 'em Wes!)

"If NASA builds Site 2, NASA will become my enemy," Biggs said at the afternoon meeting. "Really, that's how I look at it. Just the idea that NASA would consider as a last resort building on Site 2 boggles my mind. I don't know if you've got an understanding what type of firestorm you'll get if you do this."

Besides the fact it is just a great place to go birding, I am especially partial because it is the place where I "discovered" birds back in 1999 and saw my very first wild Bald Eagle shortly after that. I love the space program but, like Mr. Biggs, I would be one very unhappy fellow if this went down. Nor to mention that it would probably kill the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, one of the largest in the country - I just can't imagine the amount of money it would pull from the local economy. There are times when there's a long parade of cars winding their way along Black Point Wildlife Drive.

Another thing that concerns me is it sounds like this "Site 2" will be in pretty close proximity to the largest remaining concentration of Florida Scrub-jays. Listed as "Threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, this could be a bad thing for them, too. They have been squeezed out of other areas at an alarming rate and, at least with the last governor of the state, nothing much was done to help protect the "Scrubbies".

If I can find a link for written comment, I'll post it here because this is such a monumentally stupid idea.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You may have noticed the new banner at the top of this page for Earth Hour 2008. This is a global movement that began in Sydney, Australia last year. The idea is to get as many people as possible to turn out their lights for 1 hour on March 29 to raise awareness about Global Warming.

Please join me and let's all stand together on March 29!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just received an email from American Bird Conservancy about a program that will be showing (in selected areas) on the PBS program Nature this Sunday, February 10 titled Crash: A Tale of Two Species.

Knots, champions of shorebird migration, rely on Horseshoe Crab eggs on the shores of Delaware Bay for the energy reserves to complete the northbound leg of their migration and the first critical weeks of breeding season in the Canadian Arctic. Years of over harvesting of crabs - primarily for bait and fertilizer - have imperiled several species of shorebirds, but nothing like the 90% decline in the Red Knot population in about 10 years. Will the greed of a few humans wipe this bird from the planet forever?

(Some say the impact on the local economy from ecotourism - in the form of bird watchers - is said to far outweigh income from the crab harvest - I say let the fisherman find another job.)

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 01:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last March I wrote a little about the North Pacific Gyre and the amount of plastic that was floating out in the ocean (killing Albatrosses and lots of other creatures) being roughly equal to the size of the state of Texas. Tonight, while perusing the posts over a Daily Kos, I found this diary about some recent news from the Pacific. Turns out the amount of plastic is in an area much larger - an area something like twice the size of the United States. There's a research vessel out there now scooping this stuff up and it is pretty astonishing.

The crew of the Alguita is maintaining a blog to talk about what they are finding and they also take time to respond to some of the comments:

Paul S. asked, “Do you mean to say you trawl an area approximately 3 feet wide, 6 miles long, and come up with only 1/3 of an ounce of plastic?” We all chatted a bit about this during dinner – and may comment further in the coming weeks. For now, here’s a response from Marcus: “10 grams per 6 nautical mile trawl is a subjective estimate based on years trawling in and out of the North Pacific Gyre, near and far from shore. This is a rough estimate that might not seem like much, but you’ve got to consider the size of our playing field. Our trawl is three feet wide. A six nautical mile trawl covers a little less than two football fields. We’re studying an area between latitudes 20 and 40, and longitudes 130 and 170, which is approximately 2.5 million square nautical miles, representing only a quarter of the North Pacific. Still, that covers almost 3 billion football fields (2,929,900,000). SO, if we’re averaging 10 grams for every two football fields of area, then in 1/4 of the Pacific we think there could be 14 -1/2 MILLION metric tons of plastic marine debris. “

They also show pictures of some of the items they retrieve - it is really worth a look.

The diary on DailyKos also linked to an article in the U.K newspaper The Independent about the research titled The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan:

According to the UN Environment Programme, plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals. Syringes, cigarette lighters and toothbrushes have been found inside the stomachs of dead seabirds, which mistake them for food.

Plastic is believed to constitute 90 per cent of all rubbish floating in the oceans. The UN Environment Programme estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic.

'Tis a scary world we are living in today.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This morning on my way to "town" to pick up a few things I spotted an animal just off the highway in the ditch. I noted as I drove by that its head was up yet certain that it wouldn't be just lying down in that location. After turning around to get a better look I headed out of the canyon to where there would be a cell signal in order to make some calls and try to locate a wildlife rehabilitator who might be able to help this animal. Sadly, what I found out was that in this state - still hopelessly mired in far too many ways in the 19th century - it is illegal for a rehabber to try to help certain animals.

Reluctantly, I chose the only other real option: contact the State Division of Wildlife Resources who would then send out an officer to "take care" of this creature. Though it brings tears to my eyes, better that than know that this beautiful Red Fox would otherwise lie there, suffering, until the final moment inevitably came.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I sure didn't like seeing this bit of news this morning: Scientists Scramble to Save U.S. Shorebird. Another 3000 Red Knots are unaccounted for with this year's count being a mere 12,300 birds (down from 100,000 in the mid-80's).

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Texas Wildlife Refuges Fast-Tracked for Border "Fence" is a diary well worth reading over at DailyKos. This idea is another glaring example of the complete ineptitude of the current administration.

Personally, I agree with one of the commenters in the subsequent discussion: If you want to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into this country you won't accomplish anything with this "fence". The answer (though it is unlikely it would ever get past the corporate controlled politicians - and even if it did the pretend cowboy would just veto it) would be to impose serious jail time (5 years minimum in max security prisons - no "country club" jails - with no possibility of parole) for private business owners or corporate CEO's who hire illegals. Eliminate the market and the problem will go away. Just wild speculation but an added bonus just might be that the annual cost of enforcement could potentially be less than the annual cost of trying to maintain well over a thousand miles of fence.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every few years I like to just sit down and watch Cosmos, the PBS series from the early 80's by Carl Sagan. I am in one of those periods now and tonight I watched 2 episodes one of which was titled Heaven and Hell. I want to share with you something from that episode, a 27 year old warning from Dr. Sagan:

. . . at the same time we are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide increasing the greenhouse effect. The Earth need not resemble Venus very closely for it to become barren and lifeless. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven - our only home in the Cosmos - into a kind of hell.

Of course if you have seen Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth you would know that scientists had these concerns more than a decade before Cosmos appeared. And yet we continue on, a huge chunk of the population of this country blindly listening to a corrupt administration concerned not with the welfare of the people but with the short term profits of their corporate enablers.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 01:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I was outside with Roxie early this morning there were Western Bluebirds and Slate-colored Juncos foraging just a few feet away from me while a Northern Flicker pounded on the utility pole in the campground. Another called from somewhere in the Ponderosa Pines nearby. Nuthatches, robins, and a Say's Phoebe were vocalizing, too. A nice way to start any day, I'm lucky that, at least for the next several months, I get to live in a place where human impact is kept at a minimum.

But even if you live in a metropolis, there are small pockets of sanity that will be alive with birds too. Go out and enjoy them and have a Happy Earth Day!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As I was making my way from Yuma to Salton today my route along Interstate 8 took me past a place called Imperial Dunes Recreation Area. What I could see from along the interstate was just a small part of this particular state "park" and 3 of something like 21 total camping areas within the park's confines. In this area a few miles long there were easily over 500 motorhomes, trailers, or campers. Accompanying each of them, of course, was 1 or more ORV's (off road vehicles in the form of jeeps, ATV's, dune buggies, sand rails, and dirt bikes).

I knew that so many of those vehicles couldn't be a good thing but the real shocker came as I was driving back to Yuma along the same route this evening. Though the sun had already set, these 2 and 4-wheeled marauders were still going strong. So much so, in fact, that traffic on the interstate had to slow down to between 45 and 50 MPH because the dust cloud being raised by these vehicles racing through the desert made it seem like you were driving through a thick fog. It was unbelievable. Thinking about it now, I should have taken a few pictures.

There is just no way in hell that this can be good for the landscape (just speculating but what would it take, a century or more to regenerate itself?). I'm sure there are rules about staying on designated trails and such but can the state really employ enough people to police that? And when do we say "enough" and begin establishing strict limits on how many can participate on a given weekend? Sure everyone should be allowed their recreation, but when it is so damned destructive . . . it just makes me angry.

Update 11-25: I confess that I now have some doubt as to weather the poor visibility on the interstate was actually dust kicked up by the "off-roaders". As I was making my eastward this morning I did in fact encounter some ground fog in some of the agricultural areas east of Yuma. Having said that, the reason I am still doubtful is that, for one thing, the area in which I encountered the fog was not agricultural and, two, the ground fog would most likely (I believe) turn up after a night of flooding the fields. Not to mention the fact that this visibility problem began and ended in the immediate area of heavy ORV use. Regardless of whether or not the "limited visibility" was a direct result of the activities in question, the fact remains that some entity, federal or state, should begin to heavily regulate off road vehicle use. (At least in my opinion. I'll get off my soapbox now)

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When my soon to be former home was built 17 years ago the builder chose to leave much of the native vegetation including a couple of different species of Florida’s coastal scrub oaks. Over the ensuing years the remaining lots around here were purchased and homes built. And each new house that went up did so without the native trees except for a token one or two. The newest don’t even have that.

For this Earth Day my trees were decorated with beautiful ornaments: Black & White Warblers, Cape May Warblers, American Redstarts, Prairie Warblers (including a positively stunning male), plus Catbirds and Brown Thrashers.

My neighbor’s trees didn’t have any ornaments - not many juicy bugs to glean from a Queen Palm, I guess.

I hope your Earth Day had a little beauty, too.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The first email has arrived - this one from The Wilderness Society - and I'm sure my inbox will be flooded over the next couple of days with more. Just a week after his big speech in which he talked about America's addiction to oil and the need to develop energy alternatives, Mr. Bush has submitted his budget request to Congress. In it he asks for funding to - you can probably guess this one - drill in the Arctic National WIldlife Refuge. WTF?

I just don't get it. Is there a test given to Republicans who run for office and they are asked if they understand the word "no"? And if they reply in the affirmative they are not allowed to run?

Ever since Jimmy Carter established the refuge the Repugnants - led by tha old dinosaur Senator Ted Nelson of Alaska - have been trying to push this through. And every time they get swamped with calls and letters, hounded by lobbyists, and, when the American people are asked in polls, ignore the something like 70% who keep saying "NO!" Whatever happened to the "will of the people" in such matters?

The part that makes me laugh is that anyone with half a brain would realize that, even if it were to pass, millions of dollars will almost certainly be spent by the Justice Department (courtesy of taxpayers like you and me) defending against the spate of lawsuits that will be filed (either jointly or individually) by every environmental group from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Millions of dollars that would be better spent in the search for alternative energy sources. What a concept.

With that in mind I have a couple of requests:

First, contact your Senators and Congressperson and tell them you don't want a provision for drilling in ANWR in any bill they pass.

Second, do not purchase products from Exxon/Mobil. They are the only major oil company that currently supports Arctic Power, the lobbying group that keeps pressure on Congress to drill in the refuge (among a multitude of other sins committed by Exxon/Mobil). If you need more reasons to avoid this company visit the ExxposeExxon website.

Thanks!

(This is such a hot issue with me that I've posted it in on both blogs . . . )

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)