[TN-Bird] Down to the wire...
- From: Cynthia Routledge <routledges@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Tn Bird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:22:50 -0500
>
> Kentucky's Sandhill Crane Hunt Proposal--Your Voice Counts
> Posted: 21 Jul 2011 04:28 AM PDT
> The sandhill crane hunting proposal developed by the Kentucky Department of
> Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) has reached the administrative approval
> level in the form of a proposed regulation that is moving toward a state
> legislative vote. If this regulation succeeds in passing and if the hunting
> proposal meets the regulatory standards of the USFWS, Kentucky will become
> the first state to open a hunting season on the eastern population of greater
> sandhill cranes since the population's near extinction.
>
> As most of you know, there are a vast number of hunters and non-hunters in
> the east who do not want to see this happen. For many, the first reason that
> comes to mind springs right out of the heart. Most of us have been
> passionate about sandhill cranes from the moment we encountered them. They
> are large charismatic birds, social, highly vocal and impressive as they
> congregate in staging areas during their fall and spring migration. They are
> the kind of birds that evoke goose bumps and wonder, and the story of their
> recovery offers a model partnership between humans and nature. Humans
> protected them from hunting and conserved wetlands; sandhill cranes adapted
> to smaller breeding territories and learned to feed in waste grain fields
> adjacent to wetlands. We simply stopped harming them and they did the rest.
> There is a valuable lesson here for the future of wildlife stewardship in
> this country.
>
> Besides my passion for sandhill cranes and my wish that this population be
> allowed to continue their recovery without hunting interference, I would like
> to share one piece of scientific information in response to those who think,
> "there are so many birds, how could we possibly harm the population with a
> limited harvest?" Jeb Barzen, Director of Field Ecology for the
> International Crane Foundation, the leading scientific resource for sandhill
> cranes in our nation, and one that is neutral on the issue of hunting, has
> the following to say about Kentucky's proposed harvest rate:
>
> No population modeling has yet been done for the Eastern Population of
> Sandhill Cranes (EP). The harvest rate proposed for the commonwealth of
> Kentucky alone could consume a substantial portion of the productivity of the
> breeding crane population in the Upper Midwest. Data from one study in
> Wisconsin suggests that, in the last decade an average of one in three nests
> fledged a chick each year. If this rate of productivity is comparable for
> the EP as a whole, 1500 nesting crane territories would be needed to produce
> the cranes proposed for harvest in Kentucky. In addition, the fledging rate
> is declining so the reproduction rate seen in most recent years might be more
> relevant. In 2009 and 2010, approximately one in five nests fledged a chick
> to migration. Given this 18% fledging to migration rate, a harvest and
> crippling removal of 480 birds would require 2,800 nests to replace the
> hunting loss. Whether 1500 or 2800 nests, this represents a significant
> percentage of nesting pairs in Wisconsin and Michigan, likely the primary
> breeding areas for Sandhill Cranes that migrate through Kentucky.
>
> Dr. Barzen's entire report is available at the link provided below and the
> data that supports his report is available to anyone through the
> International Crane Foundation. This is a valuable document to study for
> those who are interested in this important issue. It not only speaks to the
> breeding ecology of sandhill cranes in the east, but to problems in survey
> methods and problematic inferences that were used to support the hunting
> objective in the Management Plan for the Eastern Population of Sandhill
> Cranes.
>
>
> What can you do now to help?
>
> 1) First and foremost, the KDFWR is holding an open comment period for the
> public to voice their opinion about this hunt proposal. This comment period
> lasts from July 1, 2011 to August 1st, 2011. Do not underestimate the power
> of your voice. If you are opposed to the hunting of sandhill cranes in the
> east, please let your voice be heard. You may be as detailed or as brief as
> you wish. Send your comments to the following KDFWR email address:
> rose.mack@xxxxxx
>
> 2) Second, visit the petition site, "No Hunting for Sandhill Cranes in the
> East" and support the request that the eastern population management plan be
> revisited and the hunting objective excluded from this plan. As I write this
> post, the petition is only 89 signatures short of reaching its goal of 2500.
> Sign it, send it to all your networks, and ask all your friends to do the
> same!
>
> 3) Thirdly, stay on top of this issue by visiting the KY Coalition for
> Sandhill Cranes website frequently. This site is easy to navigate and is
> full of helpful information. Keep your comments and opposition letters handy
> and be ready to send them wherever they are needed.
>
> 4) Fourthly, pull out your sandhill crane hunt opposition letter, the ones
> you sent to Tennessee and Kentucky officials, and send it to your state's
> senators and congressmen. We need their help. Let them know that you are
> not happy with a system that does not provide for equal representation from
> the non-wildlife-management, scientific community and that leaves out input
> from the majority of citizens when considering a new species to target for
> hunting. The address and email of your state's US senators and congressmen
> can be found here.
>
> 5) Lastly, conservation is not for the faint of heart! Congratulate yourself
> for your efforts, your determination, and your stewardship. Then take a
> deep breath and be ready to go again! Conservationists are a diverse group
> of people, hunters and non-hunters. We won't always agree on everything, but
> if we keep our focus on the real issue, the well-being of the wildlife
> species in question, good things will happen for our world.
>
>
> Links and Resources:
>
> International Crane Foundation's Assessment of the Kentucky Hunt Proposal
> Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes
> International Crane Foundation
> "No Hunting for Sandhill Cranes in the East" petition site.
> Thanks to Charlie Corbeil for permission to used his beautiful sandhill crane
> images. Visit Charlie's photo gallery for more stunning images.
> For more ideas about what to include in your KY hunt proposal opposition
> comments visit Julie Zickefoose's recent post: Last Gasp for Sandhill Cranes
> Recent media articles on KY's sandhill crane hunt proposal. In particular
> read the July 10th article by Carol Besse.
> Visit sandhill crane hunting for all my posts on this issue. The most recent
> post will be first. Scroll down and click "older" to view older posts.
>
>
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( \
/ |` Cyndi
"When one tugs at a single thing in Nature,
he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
~John Muir
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