[chapter-communicator] Audubon Newswire: Volume 4, Number 14
- From: "TENNEFOSS, Lynn" <ltennefoss@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: undisclosed-recipients:;
- Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:54:44 -0400
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Audubon Newswire - "News on Audubon Happenings"
Volume 4, Number 14
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Truly it may be said that the outside of a mountain is good for the inside of a
man.
-- George Wherry
In this Issue:
-- National Audubon Society Urges Passage of Senate Water Bill, Calls for Corp
Reform
-- Audubon New York Chooses 100% Wind Power, Encourages Properly Sited Wind
Farms
-- Audubon Washington Joins With Other Conservationists to Prevent
"Altamont-Style" Wind Power Disaster in the Northwest
-- Audubon Connecticut's Tom Baptist Joins US Rep. Rob Simmons at Long Island
Sound Stewardship Forum
-- Strawberry Plains Audubon Center Announces Hummingbird Festival Art Contest
-- Map of Eastern Utah Available for Bird Watchers
-- Atlantic Audubon Society Members Honored at Forsythe National Wildlife
Refuge Dinner
Announcements:
-- Audubon at Home Introduces "Ask Audubon" Column for Newswire
Ask Audubon:
-- Which is better, paper or plastic?
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National Audubon Society Urges Passage of Senate Water Bill, Calls for Corp
Reform
Washington, DC, July 20, 2006 - John Flicker, President of National Audubon
Society issued a letter to members of the U.S. Senate, urging passage of the
Senate Water Bill. As "Newswire" goes to press, it appears likely the Senate
will approve the bill, which includes funding for important restoration
projects in the Everglades, Mississippi River, the Gulf and Great Lakes. The
Senate today narrowly approved an amendment to the bill calling for over
modernization of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Audubon is calling on the House-Senate Conference to retain the Senate's Corps
reform amendment and quickly approve the Water Resources Development Act
(WRDA).
To learn more about WRDA, and to see the full letter from John Flicker, please
visit: <http://www.audubon.org/news/press_releases/WRDA_07_17_06.html>.
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Audubon New York Chooses 100% Wind Power, Encourages Properly Sited Wind Farms
Albany, NY, July 20, 2006 - Audubon New York, the state's largest bird
conservation organization, is leaving a lighter eco-footprint by choosing to
support wind power for 100% of the energy used in its New York offices. Audubon
supports ecosystem and wildlife protection through this commitment to
50-megawatt hours (MWh) per year of regionally sourced clean, renewable wind
energy. Audubon performed thorough due diligence on the wind farm to ensure
that it was properly sited with minimal impact to birds, and that it lived up
to the standards set forth in Audubon New York's position on wind power
(<http://ny.audubon.org/wind_power.htm>).
Audubon New York will purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) through 3
Phases Energy, a national provider of renewable energy solutions. Purchasing
RECs supports existing wind projects, helps provide finance streams for new
projects, and creates a base for future clean energy production.
Audubon's Green-e Certified® renewable energy certificates will be sourced from
the Ainsworth Wind Energy Center, a wind farm in Nebraska. The Green-e® Program
certifies that the renewable energy product this customer purchases meets
strict environmental and consumer protection standards established by the
non-profit Center for Resource Solutions. This purchase will provide the
equivalent environmental benefit of reducing carbon emissions by 91,900 pounds,
34 acres of trees storing carbon for one year, or taking 9 cars off the road
annually.
To learn more about the Audubon New York's use of wind power, please contact
Michael Burger at 607- 254-2441 or mburger@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:mburger@xxxxxxxxxxx>.
To learn more about Audubon New York, please visit <http://ny.audubon.org/>.
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Audubon Washington Joins With Other Conservationists to Prevent
"Altamont-Style" Wind Power Disaster in the Northwest
Goldendale, WA, July 20, 2006 - Wind turbines at the Altamont Pass Wind
Resource Area in California have killed far more raptors than any other wind
project in the United States. Now a developer is proposing a project for
Washington State's Columbia River Gorge that scientists, conservationists and
birdwatchers say would be an "Altamont of the Northwest."
Like Altamont, the wind project planned for Klickitat County, WA is sited in an
area heavily used by golden eagles and other birds of prey. In fact, experts
predict that the new wind project will kill more birds per megawatt than the
turbines at Altamont.
The wind project, which is proposed for the Columbia Hills, stretching
approximately 12 miles along the ridgeline above the Columbia River from
Highway 97 eastward to the Goodnoe Hills, falls within an Audubon-designated
Important Bird Area (IBA).
Scientists, including those working for the wind industry, agree that the
siting of individual turbines is the most important factor determining impacts
on birds. Placing turbines at least 300 feet back from ridgelines, for example,
helps prevent collisions with birds. Representatives of the Klickitat County
Stewardship Council and Audubon have worked with other developers to ensure
that their wind projects are responsibly sited. But in this case, the developer
has insisted on placing turbines along the ridge where eagles nest.
Three local residents who are members of the Klickitat County Stewardship
Council, the Blue Mountain Audubon Society, and Audubon Washington have
appealed Klickitat County's approval of the Windy Point Partners wind power
project.
To learn more about what Audubon Washington is doing regarding this Klickitat
County wind project, please contact Nina Carter at 360-789-0792 or
ncarter@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ncarter@xxxxxxxxxxx>.
To learn more about Audubon Washington, please visit <http://wa.audubon.org/>.
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Audubon Connecticut's Tom Baptist Joins US Rep. Rob Simmons at Long Island
Sound Stewardship Forum
Madison, CT, July 20, 2006 - Audubon Connecticut Executive Director, Tom
Baptist, joined U.S. Congressman Rob Simmons for a panel discussion of pending
legislation to create a federal Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative that
will identify, protect, and enhance important ecological, open space,
recreational, educational, and public sites around Long Island Sound. The
legislation would authorize $25 million for each of the next five years to be
shared equally by Connecticut and New York.
According to Baptist, Long Island Sound is a resource of both national and
regional significance with 10% of the United States population living within 50
miles of its shores. The estuary contributes an estimated $7.3 billion annually
to the regional economy. Yet the future of the Sound is gravely threatened.
Less than 20% of the Sound's coastline is accessible to the public.
Approximately one-third of the Sound's tidal marshes have been filled, and many
of the remaining ones have been ditched, diked or otherwise impaired.
Connecticut DEP recently completed a survey of undeveloped land within 1,000
feet of the Sound's waters and identified 27 parcels of greatest conservation
value: only five of these parcels are greater than 100 acres. DEP estimates the
cost to acquire these 27 parcels could range from almost $20 million to more
than $467 million at a time when the state's two open space programs are slated
to receive approximately $5 million per year for open space acquisition.
The discussion was broadcast on the CT-N network and can be viewed online at:
<http://www.ctn.state.ct.us/show_info.asp?mbID=9999>.
For more information about Audubon Connecticut, please visit
<http://ct.audubon.org/>.
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Strawberry Plains Audubon Center Announces Hummingbird Festival Art Contest
Holly Springs, MS, July 20, 2006 - In anticipation of the seventh annual
Hummingbird Migration Celebration, taking place September 8-10, 2006 at the
Strawberry Plains Audubon Center, 285 Plains Road, in Holly Springs, MS,
Strawberry Plains would like to invite local children ages 6-15 to submit an
original picture of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird for its Hummingbird Art
Festival.
Children submitting contest artwork at the gate on Saturday, September 9, will
receive free admission to the Hummingbird Festival, and submissions will be on
display in the Kid's Nature Activity Tent throughout the Hummingbird Festival.
Submission requirements for the contest are as follows:
* Contest is open to all children ages 6 to 15.
* Contest entries may be drawn, painted, or colored.
* Artwork should reflect the image of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird
(pictures of the Hummingbird are available through Strawberry Plains).
* Artwork should be no larger than 8.5" x 11."
* On the backside of the entry, children should write two to
three sentences describing what they like best about hummingbirds.
* The backside of each entry should also include the child's
name, age, address, and phone number. All information must be complete and
legible.
* Submissions may be brought to the Hummingbird Festival between
9:00 am and noon on Saturday, September 9th. All submissions MUST be in by
noon, no exceptions will be made.
* Children may also visit the Kid's Nature Activity Tent during
the festival and draw a hummingbird picture to enter in the contest; however,
artwork completed in the Kid's Nature Activity Tent does not include free
admission.
For more information about the Art Contest please contact Kate Friedman at
662-252-1155 or kfriedman@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:kfriedman@xxxxxxxxxxx>.
For more information on the seventh annual Hummingbird Migration Celebration,
festival tickets, or to make reservations for the special festival celebration
events, please call the Strawberry Plains Audubon Center, at 662-252-1155 or
visit www.msaudubon.org <http://www.msaudubon.org>.
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Map of Eastern Utah Available for Bird Watchers
Salt Lake City, UT, July 20, 2006 - The Eastern Utah Birding Trails Map is now
available. The full-color map provides information on almost 50 sites with
great birding opportunities in Eastern Utah, and includes details on driving
directions as well as bird species that can be seen at each site. Additional
information such as types of habitat, the best seasons to visit, and land
ownership is provided for many of the sites.
The Eastern Utah Birding Trails map is the third of a three-part series
highlighting the best birding locations in Utah. The first map in the series,
the Great Salt Lake Birding Trails Map, was published in 2001. The
Southwestern Utah Birding Trails map was published in 2004.
The Eastern Utah Birding Trails map covers the area east of a north-south line
from Wyoming to Arizona. This area includes the Uinta Mountains, Book Cliffs,
the Green and Colorado Rivers, Interstate 70 corridor, LaSal Mountains, and the
spectacular canyon lands.
Keith Evans, a member of Wasatch Audubon Society in Ogden, was the main
editor/author of the Eastern Utah Map and worked with numerous expert birders
in Eastern Utah to develop site information for the map.
Sponsors who contributed to the map include: Ashley National Forest, Bureau of
Land Management, Castle Country Travel Region, Dinosaurland Travel Board, Gary
Crandall Photography, Great Salt Lake Audubon Society, Manti La-Sal National
Forest, Moab Travel Council, National Audubon Society, U.S Fish and Wildlife
Service, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Office of Tourism, Wasatch
Audubon Society, and the Wild Bird Centers in Layton and Salt Lake.
The Eastern Utah Birding Trails map is available upon request through any of
the sponsors for $2 plus a nominal fee if there are shipping costs, or at
www.wasatchaudubon.org <http://www.wasatchaudubon.org>, where it can be viewed
in its entirety. It is also available for free at the Zion Natural History
Association (ZNHA) Bookstore at Council Hall on Capitol Hill.
For more information about the Eastern Utah Birding Map, please contact Tracie
Cayford at 801-538-8777 or traciec@xxxxxxxx <mailto:traciec@xxxxxxxx>, or Wayne
Martinson at 801-355-8110 or wmartinson@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:wmartinson@xxxxxxxxxxx>.
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Atlantic Audubon Society Members Honored at Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Dinner
Absecon, NJ, July 20, 2006 - Atlantic Audubon Chapter members were the majority
of volunteers feted at an awards dinner given by the Forsythe National Wildlife
Refuge in recognition of their work over the past years.
This year is the 25th anniversary of the Chapter adoption of the Refuge under a
nationwide program initiated by National Audubon in 1981. The Atlantic Audubon
Society Chapter of southern NJ is headquartered in Absecon and was the first
chapter in the nation to formally adopt a refuge under the program. Members
have continued their volunteer service at the Forsythe Refuge ever since.
Among the many awards given, two longtime members who participated in the
original refuge adoption, President Emeritus Dr. Edgar Bristow and longtime (27
years) past Conservation Chair John Williamson were awarded both Refuge and
Congressional Certificates of Recognition for their volunteer service. Both
are still active volunteers and each was also presented with a large
hand-painted water bird carving.
A "Friends of Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge" organization was initiated
recently by chapter members and includes non-chapter members of the area as
well as other refuge visitors. This new group includes many chapter members
working as volunteers in its gift shop near the Refuge headquarters.
In addition to assisting in providing information and guidance to visitors,
leading tours, running the gift shop, and keeping the refuge spruced up,
Chapter members have performed an early morning water bird census over a six
mile refuge water impoundment auto tour each week for the past thirteen years.
Weekly results of their team surveys can be found at
<http://www.fws.gov/northeast/forsythe/> under Bird Sitings.
For more information about the Atlantic Audubon Society, please contact John
Williamson at 609- 927-4323 or JNOWMSN@xxxxxxx <mailto:JNOWMSN@xxxxxxx>.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Audubon at Home Introduces "Ask Audubon" Column for Newswire - Audubon at Home
is introducing a new feature starting today, the Ask Audubon Q & A (see below).
This feature will focus on consumer issues and how specific behaviors and
products affect birds and environmental and human health.
Cynthia Blayer, our Ask Audubon researcher, is a new member of the Audubon At
Home team. Cynthia has a master's degree in public health, wrote about chemical
hazards prevention for the nonprofit INFORM, and also is well versed in
ecologically friendly products.
We invite you to submit your questions about consumer choices and how they
affect the environment to cblayer@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:cblayer@xxxxxxxxxxx>.
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ASK AUDUBON...
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Which is better, paper or plastic? - Submitted by Bob P., New York, NY
This is a great question, but the answer is not simple. There are pros and cons
of using each. For instance, paper is more readily recyclable, but any
non-recycled content in paper means trees were cut down. Bleached paper
involves the release of the carcinogen dioxin. Plastic, however, is not always
recyclable and involves many toxins in manufacturing. Yet plastic does last a
lot longer than paper. So which is best?
The basic advice for environmental consumer choices is to consider the
hierarchy:
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
When making the decision to acquire something, first consider: can I reduce my
overall acquisition of new items? For example, is there a way to avoid getting
new bags every time I buy groceries or other items? This could reduce the
toxins and environmental damage caused by the constant new production of either
paper or plastic bags, in addition to the amount of trash going to landfills.
If I do acquire something new, I ask myself: Is this item reusable? For
example, instead of getting a new paper or plastic bag every time I shop, I can
carry a sturdy reusable bag of some kind. An item that lasts and lasts and
doesn't need to be frequently replaced is a good choice.
And third, can this item I am acquiring be recycled when I can no longer use
it? Paper is generally recyclable, but only some types of plastic are. Future
Ask Audubon features will address these and other issues more thoroughly. But
in the meantime, use the three 'R's as your guide, in that order, when making
purchasing decisions.
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