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Collard Doves, Swainson's Warblers, Wetland protection



On Sun, 8 Apr 2001 AHK4586@aol.com wrote:
> 
> I've got a question too. Does anyone know if Euarasian Collared Doves are 
> having any negative affects on other species in the US?

I have heard of only one possible effect. Allegedly Mourning Doves 
started suffering from some kind of infection in Texas at about the time 
that both Collared and White-winged Doves were expanding across the 
state. Someone theorized that one of the "new" doves was carrying a 
microbe to which the Mournings were not resistant. Haven't heard much 
about it in the year-plus since then, so maybe it was just a 
coincidence... I certainly haven't heard much about Eurasian 
Collared-Doves invading any habitats other than cities and intensive 
suburbs, so I doubt they'll have any overall impact, but they might cause 
some local changes in heavily human-altered habitats.

On Tue, 10 Apr 2001, John Fussell wrote:
>  
> Unfortunately this nice area of National Forest will be destroyed by the new
> Havelock Bypass. 

Well, so much for that Roadless Areas protection...SIGH...

Speaking of Swainson's Warblers, Duke prof Steve Nowicki (who may 
actually teach an ornithology course in the near future) says he had a 
pair of them in his yard in Orange County! I've seen his yard; it's dense 
impenetrable brush, and so seems like natural Swainson's habitat at least 
for migrants. I doubt they'd stay to breed though, I don't think there's 
any cane back there.

Speaking of wetlands destruction, and of worthwhile regulations being 
suspended by the shortsighted corporate pawn in the White House, 
apparently the "Tulloch Fix" is also being held up. This was a patch on 
the Migratory Bird Protection Act which protected wetlands; some of you 
might recall the US Supreme Court decision (5-4, of course) last year 
that determined that wetlands were only protected if they were associated 
with "navigable waters". The Tulloch rule broadens wetlands protection 
to isolated wetlands as well; that is, IF it ever gets enforced. 
Apparently EPA head administrator Christine Todd Whitman is the person to 
whom you should write: (whitman.christine@epamail.epa.gov) if you only 
have time to e-mail, but send a letter on paper if you can, government 
folks tend to disregard e-mails.

I tried to send another political action-type announcement this morning, 
but it never arrived; maybe it was too long. Anyway, due to the budget 
cuts, the Smithsonian is planning to eliminate their Conservation and 
Research Center. Fallout here in the Carolinas would include elimination 
of the Migratory Bird Center and the shade-grown coffee certification 
program. In a more worldly sphere, the CRC has helped revive the Arabian 
Oryx after it went extinct in the wild, and also brought the Black-footed 
Ferret back from the brink, and increased the Golden Lion Tamarin wild
population to over 1000. The cut is apparently in favor of "hard" science 
programs like astrophysics, according to the Washington Post article at 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46701-2001Apr5.html

The message I received said to write to congresspeople from Virginia 
(Wolf, Herndon, Winchester, Allen, Warner), as well as Robert Byrd from 
West Virginia and Conrad Burns from Montana because of their membership 
on the Interior Appropriations committee. Thus, people on this listserv 
from Virginia (I know there are a few) or who have friends or relatives 
in that state are of particular importance in writing to your 
congresspeople and trying to stop this shortsighted action (as opposed to 
the other ones, about which we can all try to do something)...

Good birding (as long as there are any birds left),

Josh


Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/