[va-bird] Re: Restoration project at Manassas Battlefield

On Monday, June 30, 2003, at 12:25 PM, Gerber, Mark wrote:
>
> The Park Service cannot be
> expected to call everyone at home and inform them of impending 
> projects.
>

Of course not, but they just might have informed parties that have 
demonstrated a strong interest in the habitat at Manasass Battlefield. 
Those of us who answered the call of the NPS for volunteers and worked 
on the bird survey there for 18 months could certainly qualify as 
interested parties. I guess we are guilty as charged for not monitoring 
the NPS website, but since there was nothing in the EA about the timing 
of the project, we still would have had no way of knowing this work 
would begin in June.

> ....however, they may have surveyed all the habitat and determined 
> that there were no birds
> nesting in it.  If you have knowledge of existing nesting activity in 
> the
> removed habitat you can call them on that too.

Our knowledge of "existing nesting activity in the removed habitat" is 
based upon our 18 months of breeding data which was provided to the NPS 
at its request. We know the species that breed in that section of the 
park and the NPS does too. All vegetation has been systematically 
cleared from these many acres of the "Stuart Hill" tract. Certainly, 
many nests with eggs/or or young have been destroyed? Who could deny 
it? The NPS has been "called on it" all right, but that did not delay 
the project five minutes, and in fact, it would appear most of the 
clearing as already been completed.

Again, as Joe Coleman and Laura Catterton have said, the issue here is 
the timing of this project. This project should not have been commenced 
in June.

Todd Day's points about the hay cutting at the Battlefield are well 
made. If the NPS can find no reason why it shouldn't mow grassy meadows 
in June, why would they hesitate to use bulldozers in June to "restore" 
the Stuart's Tract? The NPS pays mere lip service to the biological 
resources of this historical park.

Paula Sullivan
Alexandria

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