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Collard Doves, Swainson's Warblers, Wetland protection
- To: carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu
- Subject: Collard Doves, Swainson's Warblers, Wetland protection
- From: Joshua Stuart Rose <jsr6@duke.edu>
- Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 15:47:30 -0400 (EDT)
- In-reply-to: <f.1272297b.2802564d@aol.com>
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
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/