[TN-Bird] Fw: [birdwire] Campaign Update
- From: magreene@xxxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 09:37:19 -0500 (CDT)
Sorry for the last e-mail, here's the message that I was trying to send. S
Mark Greene
Trenton, TN
Some of you may already get this. If not, here you go:
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Dear BirdWire Subscriber,
Over the past year, ABC has sent out email alerts on a number of important =
issues affecting birds, and asked you to support our campaigns through our =
action site, www.saveourbirds.org. We have been delighted by the response, =
and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for helping us in our =
mission to conserve birds throughout the Americas. There follows is a brief=
update on each campaign. Please feel free to pass this email on to your fr=
iends and encourage them to sign up to be BirdWire subscribers (by clicking=
the link on our homepage, www.abcbirds.org). These campaigns are evidence =
of the effect that you, the public, can have in protecting wildlife and our=
environment - with more subscribers comes a louder voice for birds and bir=
d conservation that regulators will be unable to ignore.
Thank you again for your support,
George Fenwick,
President, American Bird Conservancy
ABC GAINS VICTORY IN CAMPAIGN TO BAN FENTHION
ABC?s action campaign to remove the hazardous pesticide fenthion from use i=
n Florida, where it is sprayed to kill mosquitoes, has resulted in an impor=
tant victory. Bayer Corporation, the manufacturer of fenthion, has agreed t=
o withdraw the pesticide from the market. Under the cancellation agreement =
between Bayer and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fenthion =
use will not be permitted after November 2004. At ABC?s insistence - and as=
part of settlement negotiations in a law suit brought by ABC, Defenders of=
Wildlife, and the Florida Wildlife Federation in the deaths of several bir=
ds in Collier County due to fenthion poisoning - label restrictions will be=
tightened for all applications between now and the cancellation date, to f=
urther protect birds. ABC would like to thank the more than 15,000 people w=
ho sent emails to the EPA and other officials requesting a ban on fenthion.=
The pressure this placed on regulators, the state of Florida, and Bayer ma=
de a big difference to the outcome of the campaign.
Bayer has said that it would be willing to transfer the license for fenthio=
n over to the Florida Mosquito control districts, which could open the door=
to fenthion being brought back in the future. In settlement negotiations, =
ABC and its partners are advocating restrictions that would create signific=
ant obstacles to fenthion ever being licensed again.
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LANDMARK FERAL CAT POLICY PASSED
On May 30, 2003, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission unanim=
ously passed a policy, . . . " to protect native wildlife from predation, d=
isease, and other impacts presented by feral and free-ranging cats." ABC ha=
d spearheaded support for the policy and garnered more than 2,500 emails fr=
om BirdWire subscribers. Other conservation groups, federal and state agenc=
ies, and wildlife rehabilitators supporting the proposal included: American=
Birding Association, Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, Orni=
thological Council, Florida Audubon Society, Florida Wildlife Federation, T=
he Wildlife Society and their Florida Chapter, Natural Areas Coalition of S=
outh Florida, Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital, Wildlife Rehab & Refuge Cen=
ter, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Animal Control Association=
, Florida Department of Health, USDA. Wildlife Services, and others.
In passing the policy, the Commissioners took a courageous and important st=
ep in protecting migratory songbirds and shorebirds, as well as rare native=
mammals from stray and feral cats, and set an example for other state wild=
life agencies to follow. The commissioners pledged that cats would be remov=
ed from state lands in the most humane way possible, and expressed a willin=
gness to work with all stakeholders in this issue. The new policy can be fo=
und at www.abcbirds.org/cats/states/florida_policy.htm .
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ABC CONTINUES FIGHT TO PROTECT DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS
Thanks to your response to our request on BirdWire, more than 4,200 comment=
s were sent in to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in opposition to=
their proposal to allow 24 states to start killing unlimited numbers of Do=
uble-crested Cormorants because the birds eat fish. The proposed regulation=
would also permit the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to kill unlimi=
ted numbers of Cormorants at winter roosts in 12 states with major fish far=
m operations. In total, more than 10,000 comments were sent in to FWS, over=
90% of which opposed the planned regulation. This included a formal letter=
of comment led by ABC, and co-signed by 21 national and regional organizat=
ions. ABC has supported a reasonable, science-based approach to the Cormora=
nt issue, and is continuing a dialogue with key FWS officials as they prepa=
re the final regulation.
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ALBATROSS ACTION CAMPAIGN ACCELERATES
Thanks to your comments sent in to U.S. fishery and wildlife officials thro=
ugh BirdWire, efforts to protect albatrosses and other seabirds from death =
on longline hooks have accelerated. Speaking at an International Fisheries =
Forum in Hawaii, the Director of the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service=
(NMFS), told representatives from 28 states and 18 countries that his e-ma=
il had been flooded by more messages from concerned citizens on this than o=
n any other issue. ABC continues to press NMFS and the regional fishery cou=
ncils to require better avoidance measures in the Alaskan and Hawaiian long=
line fisheries, and to close the California loophole allowing longline vess=
els to land catches there without having implemented seabird avoidance meas=
ures.
=20
ABC has also accelerated its international efforts to prevent the extinctio=
n of albatrosses world-wide. ABC has partnered with Pacific Environment and=
a Chinese conservation group to have the ABC Report on Seabird/longlining =
(http://www.abcbirds.org/policy/seabird_report.pdf) translated into Chinese=
for distribution to key Chinese fishery, wildlife, and planning officials,=
and to conservationists and academics. China has one of the world?s larges=
t longline fleets. The issue of seabird bycatch was raised before a recent =
Congressional hearing, and cables were sent to all U.S. embassies in longli=
ning nations, urging action to prevent seabird mortality.
Despite these advances, your continued support is necessary. Between 1993 a=
nd 2001, more than 138,000 seabirds were known to have been killed in the A=
laskan longline groundfishery alone, including thousands of albatrosses. If=
you have yet to take part in ABC?s campaign, please do so now at www.albat=
rossaction.org.
=20
EPA AND THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
EPA is currently reviewing thousands of comments sent in through BirdWire a=
nd other conservation action alerts opposing proposed changes to the Endang=
ered Species Act. To protect birds and other wildlife, EPA is currently req=
uired to consult with wildlife experts at FWS and NMFS during the pesticide=
registration process, in cases where the pesticide may affect animals prot=
ected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This consultation process ass=
ures that our rarest species are adequately protected from hazardous chemic=
als. In December 2002, a proposed rule change was announced that would exem=
pt the EPA from completing these consultations. Such a change would cut at =
the heart of the ESA, and set a dangerous precedent for other government ag=
encies such as USDA and Department of Defense to similarly ignore endangere=
d species concerns. ABC and its partners in the National Pesticide Coalitio=
n met with representatives from the EPA, the Department of Interior and the=
USDA to voice their strong objections to these changes, and during the pub=
lic comment period, ABC and its partners submitted a letter of opposition t=
o EPA signed by 19 environmental groups.
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BirdWire is the email news and action alert system of American Bird Conserv=
ancy (www.abcbirds.org). We aim to bring you the latest news on bird conser=
vation throughout the Americas and inform you how you can help preserve our=
unique avian biodiversity. To unsubscribe, please go to http://lists.abcbi=
rds.org/mailman/listinfo/birdwire and click the unsubscribe link at the bot=
tom of the page.
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TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958
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