At Kleb Woods Nature Center we have installed an exhibit about the 100th
anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty. It will remain up through the end of
the year. We will continue to celebrate this historic event in bird
conservation with sporadic displays and programs through the 100th anniversary
of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Our exhibit features a genuine antique
egret feather hat on loan from Sumita Prasad. Although ours is a small and
modest exhibit, I think you will find it interesting and a great introduction
into the history of man$B!G(Bs fascination with feathers.
We tend to take bird conservation for granted today, but we certainly
shouldn$B!G(Bt. Today there are no commercial hunters with punt guns blasting
away at our waterfowl and plume hunters are not predating nesting colonies of
egrets. Now, the threats to birds are mostly silent and easy to overlook. If
the US and Great Britain could take time during the First World War to get this
treaty signed, we should all be able to find time to continue what they started
100 years ago this month. If you have not visited the USFW website to read
about the centennial, I suggest you do so. I have include an excerpt below to
whet your appetite.
https://www.fws.gov/birds/mbtreaty100/files/MBT-Centennial-Strategic-Framework%209-2015.pdf
Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial 1916$B!>(B2016
A Strategic Framework and Plan for Celebrating 100 Years of Bird Conservation
Conserving Today$B!G(Bs Birds for Tomorrow
Migratory birds are a common thread that connect the United States, Canada, and
many
other countries. The United States is proud of the successful conservation of
its wild birds,
especially through the four migratory bird treaties (or conventions) we hold
with Canada,
Mexico, Japan, and Russia that protect populations of shared bird species.
There is perhaps
no better example of international collaboration than our efforts to support
healthy and
sustainable migratory bird populations beyond our borders.
In 1916, the world was in the midst of World War I. Conflict between nations
was the
headline of the day. Overuse of natural resources was the norm, whether it was
unsustainable hunting, habitat destruction, or feathers for millinery trade. On
May 25,
1900, U.S. President William McKinley signed the Lacey Act into law. Among
other things,
this made it a federal crime to poach game in one state with the purpose of
selling it in
another or to transport illegally captured animals across state lines. On March
14, 1903,
U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt signed an executive order establishing Pelican
Island in
Florida as the first federal bird reservation. In 1911, Roosevelt established a
network of 55
bird reservations and national game preserves for wildlife, the forerunner to
the National
Wildlife Refuge System.
The 1913 passage of the Weeks$B!>(BMcLean Act established federal regulation
of migratory
bird hunting and prohibited importation of wild bird feathers for
women$B!G(Bs fashion. This
was first U.S. law ever passed to regulate the shooting of migratory
birds$B!>!>(Ba tremendous
milestone.
Then, on September 1, 1914, the last known Passenger Pigeon, Martha, died in the
Cincinnati Zoo. This is a bird that was once the most abundant landbird in
North America,
with an estimated 3$B!>(B5 billion individuals (that means that at one time
approximately one
out of every four birds in the United States and Canada was a Passenger
Pigeon). But
habitat loss and human disturbance of virtually every nesting colony drove it
to extinction
in about 30 years.
Amidst this conflict and extinction, partners in both countries saw the
overwhelming need
and created an international agreement to cooperatively manage and protect
birds that
migrate internationally. It started in 1916, when the U.S. and Great Britain
(on behalf of
Canada) entered into the Migratory Bird Treaty $B!>(B known in Canada as a
Convention $B!>(B to
protect our shared resources. The Treaty for the Protection of Migratory Birds
was signed
in Washington, D.C. on August 16, 1916.
Fred Collins, Director
Kleb Woods Nature Center
20303 Draper Road,Tomball TX 77377
281-357-5324
Harris County Precinct 3
Steve Radack Commissioner
www.pct3.com<http://www.pct3.com/>
Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at
//www.freelists.org/list/texbirds
Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission
from the List Owner
