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Audubon Washington Audubon
Washington E-Newswire Audubon Washington
E-Newswire May 2007 Volume 3 Number 5
Input Needed Soon
on Flawed Spotted Owl Recovery Plan
PORTLAND - Nearly one year ago the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service appointed a team to write an updated recovery plan
for the threatened Northern Spotted Owl. In September 2006
the recovery team proposed a draft plan based on the scientific
principle of protecting large expanses of mature or old growth
forest, arranged in an interconnected network of mapped reserves,
to support Spotted Owl populations.
High-ranking political appointees in the
Bush Administration quickly rejected the plan because it placed
too much emphasis on protecting the owl’s habitat, thereby
standing in the way of their plans to increase logging on
federal land. They ordered the recovery plan to be re-written
to downplay the importance of logging as a threat to the owl.
The political operatives also directed federal agency biologists
to add a second “option” to the draft plan that
would not include protection of mapped reserves, despite the
fact that there is no scientific evidence that such an approach
can achieve recovery.
A revised draft was submitted to the Bush
Administration on March 5, 2007. Due to its lack of scientific
rigor, the revised plan is an embarrassment to the recovery
team and to the professional biologists in the federal agencies
who worked to craft a credible recovery plan. Although Audubon
participated in developing the initial draft, Audubon has
notified the Fish and Wildlife Service that it does not support
the March 5 revised plan.
The Fish and Wildlife Service released
the draft recovery plan on April 26. Comments are due June
25, 2007. Public hearings are now scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30
PM at the following locations: in Portland, OR on May 30th
at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland Ballroom, 777 Northeast
Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, and in Lacey, WA on May 31st,
at St. Martin’s University, Norman Worthington Conference
Center, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE. Tim Cullinan is reviewing the
draft plan and will develop materials for activists to use
in writing public comments. Lisa Remlinger will take the lead
in organizing participation in public hearings. Both will
assist Audubon activists and chapters in writing and submitting
comments. The draft recovery plan and supporting documents
are available on-line here.
Conservation of the Spotted Owl is one
of the cornerstones of old growth forest protection in the
Northwest. Please join us in ensuring that a scientifically
credible recovery plan is adopted.
Here are links to some of the recent press
coverage about the draft recovery plan:
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Spotted
owl plan in jeopardy
D.C. bureaucrats pick apart scientists' proposal
SEATTLE TIMES
Changes
in plan to protect owl raise concerns about NW forests
THE OLYMPIAN
Spotted
owl in protection quarrel again
Construction of Audubon Center at Seward
Park to Begin
SEATTLE - Visitors to Seward Park will soon see the chain
link fence synonymous with construction go up around the landmark
house at the park entrance. The building will re-open at the
end of the year as the Seward Park Environmental & Audubon
Center, with classrooms, a laboratory, library, offices, and
a welcome center. National Audubon Society awarded the construction
contract to Smith Construction Services of Snohomish. “The
start of construction represents the culmination of a great
deal of effort by both the city and Audubon,” said Betty
Jean “B.J.” Brooks, Acting Superintendent of Parks,
“and we’re delighted to have construction under
way. The initial funding for this project came from the Pro
Parks Levy and speaks well to the vision of that levy to leverage
the investment of public funds into strong partnerships with
other organizations to educate our citizens about stewardship
of our parks.”
Safety concerns determined the placement
of the construction fence that will enclose the play area
adjacent to the building for the first few months of construction.
“We regret that the play area will be closed temporarily,
particularly through the busy summer months,” said center
director Gail Gatton. “As a neighbor of the park, I
understand the limited number of play areas for toddlers in
that part of the city” The project was originally bid
in late 2006 with the intent of starting construction during
the winter months when the playground would not be in such
high demand. Due to Seattle’s strong construction market,
the process was delayed by several months. Gatton said the
contractor plans to reduce the area of the construction fence
as soon as the roof replacement is completed and the safety
concerns are alleviated, likely sometime in August.
Legislators Hand Birds a Very Good
Year
OLYMPIA - The 2007 legislative session has adjourned and overall
it was a very good year for birds! Thanks to Auduboners’
phone calls, emails, and in-person meetings with legislators
throughout the session, we were not only able to pass all
four Priorities for a Healthy Washington, but we also secured
funding for: bird-friendly windpower, implementation of the
Important Bird Area program at DNR, and nature tourism. Audubon's
grassroots pressure, combined with a smart list of priorities
and our hard-working policy team, led to a stellar year in
Olympia. For more information about our successes, click here
and check out the final issue of Bird's Eye View.
BMAS Encourages
Activism in Monitoring Habitat Conservation Plan Development
WALLA-WALLA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW) is developing a habitat conservation plan (HCP) for
activities authorized under the Hydraulic Project Approval
program. An HCP is a management strategy intended to provide
long-term certainty of Endangered Species Act compliance while
providing for conservation of species. Blue Mountain Audubon
Society’s Mike Denny, says, “I hope that the new
and increased plan will provide greater protection for species
on the brink of extinction, and that the renewed proposal
will provide more awareness of the ESA and any potential adverse
impacts.” He encourages members of BMAS to serve on
its Conservation Committee, receiving copies of all permits
in their area and tracking approval, actions, etc. Learn more
about HCPs and find a listing of public meetings around the
state here.
For information about tracking HCPs, contact Mike Denny, (509)
529-0080) / email,
or Shirley Muse, (509) 529-2540.
Chapter Activism at Work
YAKIMA - Have you ever had the occasion to contact your U.S.
Senator with a problem? Members of the Yakima Valley Audubon
Society recently found themselves in that position when a
conservation partner in their community discovered a problem
with a bill coming up for a vote in the U.S. Senate. SB 235,
a routine property conveyance bill, was on track for a vote
when it was discovered that it included a creek undergoing
restoration as a salmon-bearing stream. Chapter members sent
emails to Senator Cantwell, the bill’s sponsor, expressing
their concern, and the chapter president signed a letter of
support for their conservation partner, Cowiche Canyon Conservancy.
The chapter also circulated a petition of support at the latest
state wide Council meeting and briefed the Washington State
Conservation Committee (WSACC) on the issue. With the cooperation
of Senator Cantwell, the parties are now negotiating, and
the chapter is hopeful that the property will be placed in
permanent conservation status.
Celebrate International
Migratory Bird Day with Dungeness River Center and OPAS
SEQUIM - The Dungeness River Audubon Center and Olympic Peninsula
Audubon Society will celebrate the Clallam County Migratory
Bird Count on International Migratory Bird Day, May 12th,
a great day to go birding and raise money for Audubon projects
at the same time. Clallam County holds the record for the
highest number of species seen in one county in Washington
in one day, a whopping 193 species seen in 1999. This annual
count has seen a total 240 species during the last ten years,
so if the birds and the counters cooperate a new record is
certainly possible. You can count all day, count a few hours,
or just hang out and count birds in a special place. Even
if you're not in Clallam County, you can sponsor a counter
to help raise funds for River Center programs. If you need
some ideas about habitats and locations or would like to sponsor
a counter, call Bob Boekelheide at the River Center, 360-681-4076,
or email. A tally
sheet to be used during the count is available here.
Wenas Campout May
25-28
ELLENSBURG - For over 38 years Audubon families have been
camping on the Memorial Day weekend at the Wenas Creek Campground,
officially named the Hazel Wolf Wenas Creek Bird Sanctuary.
The location, SW of Ellensburg, is now in an Important Bird
Area that is soon to be in protective status. The free, primitive
campground along the north fork of Wenas Creek has exceptional
opportunities for birding, botanizing and enjoying spring
in the eastern foothills of the Cascades. There will be organized
field trips throughout the Wenas drainage and natural history
workshops with some of the state's top birders, botanists,
and entomologists. Campers will gather in the evening for
singing, storytelling and recapping the sightings of the day.
For details, visit the new Wenas
Campout website or contact Helen Engle via email
or (253)-564-3112.
Win-Win Partnership with Sequim Middle
School
SEQUIM - From May 29 through June 1, over 200 sixth graders
from Sequim Middle School will participate in Park Stewardship
projects at Railroad Bridge Park, the home of the Dungeness
River Audubon Center in Sequim. During the week, students
will do everything from pulling noxious weeds to sampling
aquatic insect larvae as indicators of the health of the Dungeness
River. This is the ninth year that the River Center, the River
Center Foundation, and Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society volunteers
have provided this hands-on learning experience for local
youth.
Birders Bird During Banquet
SEQUIM – Folks attending the Olympic
Peninsula BirdFest on March 31st got a close-up look at
an unusual specimen of a familiar species during the salmon
banquet. Emcee Bob Boekelheide reminded participants that
the festival field trips featured sites on the newest route
of the Great Washington
State Birding Trail, the Olympic Loop. Audubon Washington’s
Birding Trail Program Director, Christi Norman, described
the three components of a successful birding trail: people
who know where the birds are (trail committee members stood
to applause), people who financially support the maps (funders
stood, more applause), and BIRDS! Whereupon a “strikingly
large” (as the Peninsula Daily News put it) Black Oystercatcher
poked its way through the crowd to pose for photos with the
VIPs before wandering out, presumably back to its more usual
habitat.
Tidbits
for the Flock: Want to get more facts about global
warming and what you and your neighbors can do about it? Check
out the National Audubon Society's Global
Warming website. . . Proposed $250,000 funding for a Birding
Trail at Reardan’s Audubon was mentioned in a recent
Spokesman-Review
article.
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