[BCNnet] BCNnet: Protest planned for Montrose Dog Beach Proposal

[Birdchris@aol.com]

Keep Dogs Off Montrose Beach!
Voices for Conservation Needed at the Lincoln Park Advisory Council Meeting
Weds., June 12, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Lincoln Park Cultural Center

The Lincoln Park Advisory Council, a community organization dedicated to park 
issues, will be hosting a presentation on June 12 by MONDOG, the Montrose Dog 
Owners Group, which has applied for dog friendly status at Montrose Beach. 
MONDOG seeks LPAC's endorsement for its plan.
Birders and conservationists are encouraged to attend the LPAC meeting to 
express their strong opposition to legal dog use of Montrose Beach. The 
community needs to speak out in its support for wildlife that uses Montrose 
Beach.

The MONDOG Proposal and the Problem
Dogs are illegal on all Chicago beaches at this time. MONDOG seeks a change 
in status that will permit them to let their dogs run free on the beach. But 
Montrose Beach is the only beach on the north side of Chicago that is 
extensively used by shorebirds - sandpipers, plovers, willets and others - 
that feed and rest directly at the water's edge. Even endangered Piping 
Plovers, which number under 100 individuals nesting along the Great Lakes, 
have frequented Montrose Beach. 
Shorebirds make extremely long-distance migrations in the spring and from mid 
summer to mid autumn. They feed most actively at dawn and dusk - the times 
MONDOG wants to run dogs on the beach. Long-distance migration requires a lot 
of calories and the whole of Montrose Beach should be preserved for shorebird 
use from April 1 to Nov. 1.
There is a natural prey-predator relationship between dogs and shorebirds, 
which nearly always fly away at the approach of a dog. After several 
disturbances, many simply leave Montrose Beach, underfed and unrested, with 
the success of their migration and perhaps survival at risk. 
Dogs and their owners can go elsewhere in Chicago: Shorebirds can only use 
the water's edge and will only use Montrose Beach on Chicago's north side. 


What You Can Do
Your attendance is needed! Even if you don't speak, your presence will be 
noted. Wear green to express your support for preservation of wildlife in 
Chicago. Chicago Park District personnel will be present and the 46th Ward 
Alderman Helen Shiller will be invited, so a good show of opposition is 
important!

Where to Go
The program portion of the June 12 LPAC meeting runs from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. 
The Lincoln Park Cultural is on Stockton Drive west of Lincoln Park Zoo, next 
to the old Chicago Academy of Sciences building in Lincoln Park. 
Parking can be tight in this area. Several buses (151, 157 and others) stop 
right in front of the Cultural Center. Bike racks are located outside the 
Cultural Center. Car pooling is also available. Call Jill Niland after June 7 
if you need a ride at 773/880-1307.

Questions?
Call Jill or Christine Williamson at 773/935-8439 if you have any questions 
about this issue or visit the web site of the Chicago Ornithological Society 
at www.chicagobirder.org.