Columnist Gregg Powers wrote last weekend on the Outdoors page of the Johnson City Press of a rash of breakins in the area of the weir dam on the Holston. These included windows smashed and the taking of thousands of dollars in fly fishing equipment. The pattern seems to be out of state cars, because someone traveling to fish is more likely to bring everything along. Although most have been reported to TVA police and the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, none of this equipment was recovered. We are all prone to having our equipment lifted, and that includes expensive birding equipment. This winter someone took my Leice 8x42 binoculars from my car while it was being serviced in Jonesborough. They were inside the console between the seats and out of sight, while a scope on a tripod in the back seat was ignored. They were my constant companion for over a decade and I've been so heartsick I've just lost all enthusiasm for going out birding in the field since it happened. If such a thing can happen in Jonesborough it can happen almost anywhere in the field. Follow Gregg's advice and lock your car and set the alarm if you have one. Keep an eye out for suspicious activity, particularly in the weir dam area, and carry your cell phone so you can report a breakin, especially if it is in progress. Don't try to make an arrest yourself, but use your binoculars to get the best description you can, especially clothing worn by perps and the make, model and car license number if possible. A number of years ago there was an active Indian artifacts dig going on at Austin Springs each winter during the drawdown, in violation of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. I used my birding telephoto to snap a roll of film of the perps, including their license plate and sent the prints to Quentin Bass, Cherokee Forest archaeologist. He passed them on to TVA officials so the crackdown came from the top of the chain of command and the digging stopped. They never knew how the evidence against them was gathered. James Brooks Bear Run Washington County ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST Bristol Birds Net Photo Gallery located at: http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jwcoffeyy/album?.dir=/efd5 This is a regional birding list sponsored by the Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. -------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds. To post to this mailing list, simply send an email to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send an email to bristol-birds-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the one word 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. -------------------------------------------------- Wallace Coffey, Moderator wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (423)764-****