Margaret and all,
First thanks for the information that you've posted.
Regarding why the BOO group has gone rather silent, your statement here,
"conversations are taking place in lots of venues," is perhaps the main
reason. Many of us who are concerned about the situation have gotten
engaged in venues that are more conducive to organizing.
I've reached the conclusion that there is simply too much inertia in the
Oregon birding community from which most BOO subscribers hail, for this
to serve as an effective organizing platform for most issues.
When there is a direct threat to birding opportunities or cherished
sites, as we saw during the Malheur refuge occupation, then birders will
pay attention and maybe even get organized enough to do something.
Some birders are committed conservationists, and bring unique knowledge
to bird-related conservation topics. So there can be value to sharing
information on conservation topics via BOO, particularly topics that the
general public is unlikely to be equipped to understand (e.g. lethal
"control" of cormorants and terns and whether this even makes sense as a
means of protecting fisheries, given what we know about these birds).
But on more general conservation issues such as climate change or
staffing of the Interior Department under an incoming Trump
Administration, I just don't expect that this group will be an effective
place to spend much energy on organizing.
To begin with, the birding community encompasses a very wide range of
political views. There are some birders who would be perfectly fine if
Trump names the captain of the Exxon Valdez to head up the EPA, because
frankly they think the EPA should be abolished and by the way, climate
change is a hoax. There will always be some friction from folks like
that, for any efforts to mobilize.
Then let's face it, birders are a highly distractable bunch. Rome could
be burning, but some birders would want to talk about whether the
vultures circling overhead were responding to Nero's fiddle. Right now,
many BOO subscribers are more focused on the movement of a particular
scoter, and deciding whether to drive 100 or 200 miles to go see it,
than they are on Trump's cabinet nominations.
So personally I see it as more valuable to spend my time in other venues
where I have a better chance of finding people who will get engaged and
stay focused. None of us have unlimited time, so we need to be strategic
in terms of where we spend it. I'll still pay attention to BOO and I
appreciate information that points to ideas for organized action to
protect the things that we value.
Thanks,
Joel
Margaret Stephens wrote:
Also, the BOO group has become rather silent. I wonder why.
Shouldn't it be now, more than ever, that we should be
encouraging each other to stay the course and fight for birds,
wildlife, and the planet and all life here? Though I realize
conversations are taking place in lots of venues.
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