body{font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:#f= fffff;color:black;}p{margin:0px;} ABA m= embers were sent this e-newsletter past couple of days; it describes aresp= onse by ABA officials to the news of the shooting of two radio-transmittere= d Whimbrels in the eastern Caribbean a few weeks ago. bpb, = Louisville -----Forwarded Message----- From: ABA News Sent: Sep 27, 2011 4:34 PM To: ABA News Su= bject: ABA Flight Calls #47 FLIGHT CALLS e-Bulletin of the A= merican Birding Association #47 September 27, 2011 Many of us were deeply= concerned and dismayed by the recent news of the shooting of the satellite= -tagged Whimbrels, Machi and Goshen, on the islandof Guadeloupe. Ned Brink= ley, editor of ABA's quarterly journal North American Birds, did something = about it. Drawing on his knowledge of French (Ned's a true Renaissance man)= , plus his network of friends and contacts around the hemisphere, Ned drafted a letter expressing t= he concerns[1] of the birding community about the slaughter on Guadeloupe = of declining shorebird species that are protected elsewhere along their hem= isphere-spanning migrations. The letter, co-signed on behalf of the = ABA by Ned, ABA President Jeffrey Gordon, and Birding editor Ted Floyd, was= dispatched, joining a significant chorus of voices from around the world. = In today's hyper-connected world, it didn't take long to get word of the le= tter's effect. Ned writes: "On the day after our letter was sent to = various officials in Guadeloupe, France, the United States, and to many Car= ibbean wildlife groups, meetings were held in Guadeloupe to address the kil= ling of protected shorebirds. A half-dozen letters were reproduced for all = in attendance, including ministers and the media, and our letter was one of= them. Apparently, the deluge of letters and emails had the desired impact,= and both the governmentofficials and the groups representing the interest= s of hunters are now keenly aware of the concerns of the world's conservati= on community.North American Birds' excellent contributor from Guadeloupe, = Anthony Levesque, was able to make his points effectively and eloquently in= open meetings. So there is hope now for migratory shorebirds and oth= er birds in these important wetlands on Guadeloupe." You can read mo= re about this heartening example of the ABA working to give voice to the bi= rding community, including complete texts of the brief but effective letter= in both French and English, on the ABA blog here: http= ://bit.ly/mUzGCH[2] The ABA does not oppose scientifically regulate= d, responsible hunting, and in fact seeks to partner with the hunting commu= nity in conserving habitat and other matters of mutual interest. But the st= ory of Machi and Goshen, with its uncomfortable parallels to the shooting o= f the last known Eskimo Curlew on Barbados in 1963, is clearly a call for u= s to speak out. Kudos to Ned for bringing his talents and conviction= s to bear and for spearheading this effort! You can help build a str= onger birding community by joining or donating to the ABA: To join t= he American Birding Association, and/or to subscribe to North American Bird= s, call LeAnn Pilger at 800-850-2473 ext. 224 or visit this page: https://www.aba.org/memformR.htm[3]. To do= nate to the ABA, call LeAnn Pilger at 800-850-2473 ext. 224 or click here: = https://www.aba.org/donate/general.ph= p[4]. To specifically support our North American Birds journal, click here= : https://www.aba.org/donate/nab.php[5].= If you would like to d= iscuss any of the information contained in this newsletter, please contact = Jeffrey Gordon at jgordo= n@xxxxxxx[6], Ted Floyd at tfloyd@xxxxxxx[7], or Ned Brinkley at thalassoica@xxxxxxxxxx --- Links --- 1 2 3D"https://aba.l= 3 4 3D"https://aba.local/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=3Dhttps://www.aba.or= 5 3D"https://aba.local/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=3Dhttps://www.aba.= 6 3D"mailto:jgordon@xxxxxxx"; 7 3D"mailto:tfloyd@xxxxxxx"; ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison@xxxxxxx