[BCNnet] Duck Stamps/ABC Stamps

[Donnie]

Thank you for the insights, Jed.  A way to support bird conservation with no
ambiguity as to how your contributions are directed, is by buying regular U.
S. postage stamps but through the American Bird Conservancy.  Go to
http://abcbirds.org/, and at the upper left corner of their home page you
can find a choice between Cerulean Warbler or Ivory-billed Woodpecker; both
are beautiful.  

 

Donnie Dann

Highland Park/Lake County

donniebird at yahoo.com

 

Posted by: "Jed Hertz"
<mailto:jhh_60910 at yahoo.com?Subject=%20Re%3A%20%5BBCNnet%5D%20Duck%20Stamps>
jhh_60910 at yahoo.com    <http://profiles.yahoo.com/jhh_60910> jhh_60910 

Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:00 am (PST) 

Hi Donnie,

A few thought on your appeal:

I think the USFWS ought to start managing some of these FWA for serious
declining species, eg. shorebirds and grassland species. We might be more
inclined to donate to their programs if we had some say in how they're
managed. I don't get the impression from the FWA areas I frequent there's
serious interest in anything other than fishing and hunting. 

Take for instance LaSalle FWA, Lake Village, IN. Here's a perfect site for
shorebird/waterfowl habitat. The water level at Black Oak Bayou could easily
be regulated for mud flats in the late summer, enhancing stop-over habitat
for shorebirds as well as emergent vegetation for waterfowl. Instead they
maintain the water level for fishing (?) and harm both shorebirds and
waterfowl. 

And then during waterfowl hunting - a good part of the fall/winter season -
they prohibit access to folks with other interests. Limiting access for the
majority so a handful of folks can have the place to themselves doesn't bode
well for attracting conservation dollars from these same folks. 

It seems the USFWS has got the proverbial "cart-in-front-of-the-horse" in
this campaign. Let's see better access to the decision makers and
improvements in FWA management and then talk about "conservation stamps."
Otherwise, all we get is lip-service and they continue to do what they've
been doing.

BTW: I'm not against managed hunting/fishing, but I don't like to be kept
out of FWA for extended periods and then asked to help fund these interests.


BTW2: I think "conservation stamps" should be sold separately from "duck
stamps." Let's make sure we get a voice in FWA management for our dollar.
Otherwise, we're being setup for "taxation without representation." Seems
sometime back folks had a "tea party" over similar circumstances.

BTW3: I would point out that the "Wildlife" preservation checkoff on our IL
income tax form is the second highest (Breast Cancer Research being #1) in
donations. This says something about people's values and gives
conservationist a right to a voice in FWA management - even at this point in
time.

 

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