[TN-Bird] Re: More Crane News
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "TN-birds" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:20:42 -0400
David Aborn and others on the list:
It is very gratifying to see the recommendations you will be making to TWRA.
We may be in for the fight of our life over hunting vs. cranes in Tennessee.
It may be a highly-charged political fight and it may be a very expensive
and
a costly battle. Neither TWRA nor the rest of us will come out a winner.
But the
fight will entrench these issues. TWRA has not shown good faith with the
birding/conservation community in this state. They have spent their good
judgment equity which they had so richly built up in the Bob Hatcher days.
We have been misled by TWRA. They stripped Ken Dubke of his soul with
the carne festival. They effectively took it over and booted him out. We
will
all bleed with him for a long lot of years. The only possible way that I
can
imagine that TWRA can salvage and save an enormously bitter battle and
significant political erosion, is to tone down the "hunter pays the bills
and the
birders don't" rhetoric as well as quickly salvage anything and everything
in
this winter's crane activities at Hiawassee, both from a management and
public relations standpoint. If they do not put that event back on the
front
burner and make it the biggest and best, then they send us a signal they
consider it an important pawn in their cheap seat view. We will know by
spring whether we are left with a few minor skirmishes with TWRA or if we
face all out warfare. TWRA controls their own destiny. We hold a
valuable stake in the quality of their future non-game public support. We
were moving forward in harmony and peace with a great partnership with
TWRA until they began this cheap political ploy and jerked the rug out from
under the crane days and Ken Dubke's involvement.
It TWRA wants to develop a discussion with the non-game community about
whatever future they foresee, they need to come forward quickly and begin
the exchange without threatening the things we value and the respect they
owe birders in this state.
When TWRA began this aggressive approach, they chose to have Bob Hodge
of the Knoxville News-Sentinel plant the seed as the agency jockeyed
for the right time to pull the trigger. It was a most unfortunate ploy and
one
which TWRA can learn a lifetime lesson from.
Here is a hint: TWRA cannot deal with us with their traditional approaches
they use with coon hunters and bear hunters. They had best sophisticate
their lines of communications and approach this on a higher intellectual
scale.
They cannot trample the crane festival at Hiawassee in the name of
responsible wildlife management and then invite the public to cooperate.
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Aborn" <David-Aborn@xxxxxxx>
To: "TN-Bird" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "'Shannon Hatmaker'" <shatmak@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2008 10:44 AM
Subject: [TN-Bird] More Crane News
> TN-Birders:
>
> I just returned from the North American Crane Workshop in Wisconsin, and I
> am passing along a couple of items that might be of interest.
>
> Crane Hunting: The US Fish and Wildlife Service has declared that all 3
> migratory populations of Sandhill Cranes are considered to be game
> species,
> even if states have considered them to be non-game. Therefore, the
> Mississippi Flyway Council (the group that would oversee the Hiwassee
> birds)
> must develop a management plan for the Eastern population of cranes. Once
> the plan, which will outline population status, seasons, bag limits, etc.,
> is finished, then each state along the flyway will individually decide if
> they want to establish a hunt. As a member of the Council who will be
> working on the crane plan, I am going to urge them to recommend that no
> hunting take place at Hiwassee, based on the area's importance for crane
> viewing, as well as it being a place where many Whooping Cranes stop.
>
> Operation Migration: The ultralights will be taking a different route this
> year; one that avoids mountains and will therefore bypass east Tennessee.
> They will travel through western TN, western AL, and when they reach
> southern AL they will turn southeast towards the Florida panhandle. The
> reason for the change is twofold. First, the mountain passes, especially
> in
> KY, are very hazardous for the pilots. There is one section where if a
> pilot
> ran into trouble, he would either have to land on a lake or land in the
> trees on the mountainside. The second reason is that weather conditions
> basically have to be perfect in order for them to fly over the mountains.
> This often results in long delays on the ground while they wait for the
> weather to cooperate. These delays result in financial hardships for the
> organization, as well as keeping the crew away from their families. I know
> many of you will be disappointed at not being able to see the birds come
> in
> and talk with the wonderful people with Operation Migration, but I hope
> you
> understand that this is what is best for the project.
>
> David Aborn
> Chattanooga, TN
>
> =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
>
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> TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
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> by the members of this discussion group.
>
> Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
> wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ------------------------------
> Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
> Cleveland, OH
> -------------------------------
> Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
> Rosedale, VA
> __________________________________________________________
>
> Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
> web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
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>
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> Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com
>
> _____________________________________________________________
>
>
>
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
endorse the views or opinions expressed
by the members of this discussion group.
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
Cleveland, OH
-------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ARCHIVES
TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/
MAP RESOURCES
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com
_____________________________________________________________
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