From rbdoeker at yahoo.com Wed Apr 2 07:19:20 2008 From: rbdoeker at yahoo.com (Randi Doeker - Chicago) Date: Wed Apr 2 07:19:26 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Tribune Editorial on Split Proposal Message-ID: <001001c894bb$c7e862f0$4001a8c0@rbde5348707dc8> Kudos to Benjamin, et al, for the Tribune editorial supporting the split. Randi Doeker Chicago chicagotribune.com Preserving treasured land April 2, 2008 You've encountered the notion on this page and elsewhere: Other cities have renowned architecture, diverse economies, good universities, world-class cultural institutions and so on. Most do not, though, have such long histories of so aggressively protecting their most treasured public lands. High on the list: the 68,000 acres owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. That emerald necklace wouldn't exist if generations of conservationists-some of them public officials, many of them ordinary but devoted citizens-hadn't fought to protect it from influential people who had their own plans for the land. But the Forest Preserve District, a distinct unit of government that turns 95 this year, often has had to survive abuse and neglect from members of the Cook County Board . Those 17 commissioners by law oversee the district in addition to their (often equally abusive and neglectful) oversight of county government. Two respected civic groups, the Civic Federation and the Friends of the Forest Preserves, now propose the creation-at no additional cost-of a separate board with the sole responsibility of running the Forest Preserve District. Good idea. This is more than a snoozy exercise in promoting good government. The two groups' 20-page proposal chronicles a chilling litany of threats to the forest preserves-threats that trace to the County Board's conflicts of interests. It's unwise to have the same board members responsible for protecting the preserves from developers and promoting economic development in Cook County. Since its creation, the Forest Preserve District has had an intentionally narrow mission: to acquire, preserve and protect natural lands. As former county Commissioner Carl Hansen famously (in conservation circles) argued during an attempted land grab of "just a little" district property in the 1990s: Preservation of our diminishing open lands can't be justified on grounds of economic benefit or most-visitors-per-square-foot. If the goal were to exploit the dollar potential of spaces our ancestors set aside permanently, then the district would have to sell every acre it owns. County Board members have, though, at times treated the district as both a land bank and a piggy bank. One example of each: In 1999 they explicitly violated the district's sacrosanct land policy to sell a 2.4-acre parcel to the Village of Rosemont for a convention center expansion. And in 2007, they concocted a dead-wrong revision of history to justify a $13 million rip-off. The same County Board members who supposedly protect the Forest Preserve District's interests essentially stole district money to balance the county budget. The current proposal for changing governance-that is, for preserving the forest preserves-isn't the first. Financial scandals so plagued the district in 2002 that folding it into county government seemed to make sense. That idea foundered with the realization that then-County Board President John Stronger saw a merger as part of an elaborate plan to evade tax caps. One traditional and cynical scam: County Board members and presidents like to boast of not having raised Cook County property taxes in recent years. What they don't admit is that, instead, they've raised revenue by hiking Forest Preserve District property taxes. Once again, think Forest Preserve District-as-piggy-bank. Creating a separate board to oversee the district makes better sense: That would eliminate the County Board's conflicts of interests. The Civic Committee and Friends of the Forest Preserves suggest five unpaid commissioners elected countywide. We'd prefer choosing commissioners from five separate districts. The proposal notes that this wouldn't involve hiring any employees; the Forest Preserve District, as a distinct government, already has its own office staff. A separate board paying closer attention to the preserves might have avoided the County Board's mismanagement and also expanded the district's holdings. Creating that new board is a job for state legislators; their predecessors created the district in 1913. The sooner they do so, the better for the forest preserves and the citizens who should be able to enjoy them in perpetuity. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080402/5afa9c9d/attachment.html From donniebird at yahoo.com Thu Apr 3 12:55:44 2008 From: donniebird at yahoo.com (Donnie R. Dann) Date: Thu Apr 3 12:56:23 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Lake County Hearing on Rollins Savanna - No Sightings Message-ID: <687949.1425.qm@web35608.mail.mud.yahoo.com> As expected the hearing room was packed this morning, but I'm pleased to say it was fairly evenly divided between snowmobilers and birders, educators and supporters of conservation. Thanks to all who came. Jim Anderson of LCFPD staff gave an outstanding presentation, making all the essential points about how special Rollins is, and the need to avoid disturbance to the SHORT EARED OWLS AND NORTHERN HARRIERS by snowmobiles so they might attempt nesting. He suggested an alternate trail route for snowmobilers that would take them largely along the periphery of the preserve, well await from the prime habitat. When the board votes on the final policy to be adopted I will notify all. Donnie Dann Highland Park, Lake County donniebird@yahoo.com Donnie R. Dann 60 Ravinoaks Lane Highland Park, IL 60035 Ph/Fx, 847-266-2222 Cell, 847-997-1011 Email, donniebird@yahoo.com 41355 Fleming Springs Rd. Cave Creek, AZ 85331 480-575-5469 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080403/313c04ad/attachment-0001.html From imir at ameritech.net Thu Apr 3 18:32:04 2008 From: imir at ameritech.net (Ingrid Richards) Date: Thu Apr 3 18:32:58 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Tribune Editorial on Split Proposal References: <001001c894bb$c7e862f0$4001a8c0@rbde5348707dc8> Message-ID: <013101c895e2$ef709720$4001a8c0@HOME> ----- Original Message ----- From: Randi Doeker - Chicago To: fpfriends@yahoogroups.com ; bcnnet@ece.iit.edu Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 7:19 AM Subject: [BCNnet] Tribune Editorial on Split Proposal Kudos to Benjamin, et al, for the Tribune editorial supporting the split. Randi Doeker Chicago chicagotribune.com Preserving treasured land April 2, 2008 You've encountered the notion on this page and elsewhere: Other cities have renowned architecture, diverse economies, good universities, world-class cultural institutions and so on. Most do not, though, have such long histories of so aggressively protecting their most treasured public lands. High on the list: the 68,000 acres owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. That emerald necklace wouldn't exist if generations of conservationists-some of them public officials, many of them ordinary but devoted citizens-hadn't fought to protect it from influential people who had their own plans for the land. But the Forest Preserve District, a distinct unit of government that turns 95 this year, often has had to survive abuse and neglect from members of the Cook County Board. Those 17 commissioners by law oversee the district in addition to their (often equally abusive and neglectful) oversight of county government. Two respected civic groups, the Civic Federation and the Friends of the Forest Preserves, now propose the creation-at no additional cost-of a separate board with the sole responsibility of running the Forest Preserve District. Good idea. This is more than a snoozy exercise in promoting good government. The two groups' 20-page proposal chronicles a chilling litany of threats to the forest preserves-threats that trace to the County Board's conflicts of interests. It's unwise to have the same board members responsible for protecting the preserves from developers and promoting economic development in Cook County. Since its creation, the Forest Preserve District has had an intentionally narrow mission: to acquire, preserve and protect natural lands. As former county Commissioner Carl Hansen famously (in conservation circles) argued during an attempted land grab of "just a little" district property in the 1990s: Preservation of our diminishing open lands can't be justified on grounds of economic benefit or most-visitors-per-square-foot. If the goal were to exploit the dollar potential of spaces our ancestors set aside permanently, then the district would have to sell every acre it owns. County Board members have, though, at times treated the district as both a land bank and a piggy bank. One example of each: In 1999 they explicitly violated the district's sacrosanct land policy to sell a 2.4-acre parcel to the Village of Rosemont for a convention center expansion. And in 2007, they concocted a dead-wrong revision of history to justify a $13 million rip-off. The same County Board members who supposedly protect the Forest Preserve District's interests essentially stole district money to balance the county budget. The current proposal for changing governance-that is, for preserving the forest preserves-isn't the first. Financial scandals so plagued the district in 2002 that folding it into county government seemed to make sense. That idea foundered with the realization that then-County Board President John Stronger saw a merger as part of an elaborate plan to evade tax caps. One traditional and cynical scam: County Board members and presidents like to boast of not having raised Cook County property taxes in recent years. What they don't admit is that, instead, they've raised revenue by hiking Forest Preserve District property taxes. Once again, think Forest Preserve District-as-piggy-bank. Creating a separate board to oversee the district makes better sense: That would eliminate the County Board's conflicts of interests. The Civic Committee and Friends of the Forest Preserves suggest five unpaid commissioners elected countywide. We'd prefer choosing commissioners from five separate districts. The proposal notes that this wouldn't involve hiring any employees; the Forest Preserve District, as a distinct government, already has its own office staff. A separate board paying closer attention to the preserves might have avoided the County Board's mismanagement and also expanded the district's holdings. Creating that new board is a job for state legislators; their predecessors created the district in 1913. The sooner they do so, the better for the forest preserves and the citizens who should be able to enjoy them in perpetuity. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ bcnnet mailing list bcnnet@ece.iit.edu http://www.ece.iit.edu/mailman/listinfo/bcnnet -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080403/2d6251e6/attachment.html From evan.craig at illinois.sierraclub.org Sat Apr 5 08:49:31 2008 From: evan.craig at illinois.sierraclub.org (Evan Craig) Date: Sat Apr 5 08:50:05 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Lake County Hearing on Rollins Savanna - No Sightings In-Reply-To: <687949.1425.qm@web35608.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <003e01c89723$e01a5210$1902a8c0@HPAthlon523> Thanks for this update, Donnie. Unfortunately, I was unaware it was happening until I read your e-mail. We had Vic Berardi out to talk to our Sierra Club W&W Group a few months ago, and his practice of birding from his car confirmed what I first experienced at Bosque Del Apache: Birds are more alarmed by bipedal creatures than by modern vehicles (big yellow school buses in that case). So as much as I would appreciate having snowmobile access limited to respect the natural serenity of a big preserve like Rollins, I'd have to see Jim Andersen's research to be convinced that oblivious snowmobilers are more of a threat to nesting Northern Harriers and Short Eared Owls than are hopeful and curious hikers with binoculars. Evan H:847-680-6437 W:847-573-6536 -----Original Message----- From: bcnnet-bounces@ece.iit.edu [mailto:bcnnet-bounces@ece.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Donnie R. Dann Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 12:56 PM To: IBET IBET; BCNnet Subject: [BCNnet] Lake County Hearing on Rollins Savanna - No Sightings As expected the hearing room was packed this morning, but I'm pleased to say it was fairly evenly divided between snowmobilers and birders, educators and supporters of conservation. Thanks to all who came. Jim Anderson of LCFPD staff gave an outstanding presentation, making all the essential points about how special Rollins is, and the need to avoid disturbance to the SHORT EARED OWLS AND NORTHERN HARRIERS by snowmobiles so they might attempt nesting. He suggested an alternate trail route for snowmobilers that would take them largely along the periphery of the preserve, well await from the prime habitat. When the board votes on the final policy to be adopted I will notify all. Donnie Dann Highland Park, Lake County donniebird@yahoo.com Donnie R. Dann 60 Ravinoaks Lane Highland Park, IL 60035 Ph/Fx, 847-266-2222 Cell, 847-997-1011 Email, donniebird@yahoo.com 41355 Fleming Springs Rd. Cave Creek, AZ 85331 480-575-5469 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080405/55a4d220/attachment-0001.html From evan.craig at illinois.sierraclub.org Mon Apr 7 00:07:18 2008 From: evan.craig at illinois.sierraclub.org (Evan Craig) Date: Mon Apr 7 00:07:38 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Lake County Hearing on Rollins Savanna - No Sightings In-Reply-To: <687949.1425.qm@web35608.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <000201c8986d$4213a4e0$0202fea9@HPAthlon523> I've learned more since my previous post to this list, and realize that my remarks, at best, were inaccurate and not reflective of the critical situation at Rollins. I oppose brinksmanship when it comes to species protection, and both personally, and as a Sierra Club spokesperson, I would like to clarify my position. Snowmobiles must not be allowed to disturb these magnificent birds in one of the few remaining grassland wintering habitats in our region. Further, I appreciate the efforts by Donnie and so many others to speak out on behalf of the wildlife, and apologize if my uninformed comments detracted from BCN and the conservation community's effort to protect a wintering home for these creatures. As many of you might know, the Sierra Club has an ongoing campaign to eliminate snowmobiles from Yellowstone National Park, based on their noise, emissions, and disturbance of wildlife. The Illinois Chapter has been battling habitat destruction by illicit ORV use on public lands in the Shawnee, Illinois' only National Forest, because of the damage they have caused, both on and off-trail. Snowmobiles have continued to become noisier and more polluting, and less compatible with wildlife and humans seeking to enjoy nature. Any visitor to Rollins can cause damage by inappropriate behavior, but the damage caused by those who bring motorized vehicles is amplified, and the peril to wintering Short-eared Owls, N. Harriers and Rough-legged Hawks is substantial. While some species might gradually become habituated to some obtrusive vehicles, it speaks more to their adaptability (and their desperation) than to what we should choose for their conservation. Think of the dune buggies on the beach, casually harassing shorebirds who are trying to feed and fatten up for their long migration, or rails and bitterns attempting to nest in a marsh being crisscrossed by amphibious ATVs. These vehicles severely strain the ability of the wildlife to adapt. Snowmobiles are the winter equivalent for owls and hawks, disrupting their ability to hunt and locate prey at Rollins. Sacrificing these owls and hawks in their last remaining habitat through snowmobile use is unacceptable. Rather than expect these birds to adapt, we should take every opportunity to provide a more receptive environment for their recovery, with hope that they will survive as species, and our children and grandchildren can enjoy glimpsing them. Evan Craig H:847-680-6437 W:847-573-6536 Chair Sierra Club Woods & Wetlands Group -----Original Message----- From: bcnnet-bounces@ece.iit.edu [mailto:bcnnet-bounces@ece.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Donnie R. Dann Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 12:56 PM To: IBET IBET; BCNnet Subject: [BCNnet] Lake County Hearing on Rollins Savanna - No Sightings As expected the hearing room was packed this morning, but I'm pleased to say it was fairly evenly divided between snowmobilers and birders, educators and supporters of conservation. Thanks to all who came. Jim Anderson of LCFPD staff gave an outstanding presentation, making all the essential points about how special Rollins is, and the need to avoid disturbance to the SHORT EARED OWLS AND NORTHERN HARRIERS by snowmobiles so they might attempt nesting. He suggested an alternate trail route for snowmobilers that would take them largely along the periphery of the preserve, well await from the prime habitat. When the board votes on the final policy to be adopted I will notify all. Donnie Dann Highland Park, Lake County donniebird@yahoo.com Donnie R. Dann 60 Ravinoaks Lane Highland Park, IL 60035 Ph/Fx, 847-266-2222 Cell, 847-997-1011 Email, donniebird@yahoo.com 41355 Fleming Springs Rd. Cave Creek, AZ 85331 480-575-5469 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080407/92a78bdd/attachment.html From donniebird at yahoo.com Mon Apr 7 20:38:54 2008 From: donniebird at yahoo.com (donnie dann) Date: Mon Apr 7 20:39:16 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] [BCAlist] Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting Announcement Message-ID: <008901c89919$4f118700$ed349500$@com> This is a meeting of considerable interest for bird conservationists and is forwarded from the Bird Conservation Alliance. Donnie R. Dann Highland Park. IL/Lake County donniebird@yahoo.com From: bcalist-bounces@lists.abcbirds.org [mailto:bcalist-bounces@lists.abcbirds.org] On Behalf Of CKennedy Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 2:50 PM To: bcalist@lists.abcbirds.org Subject: [BCAlist] Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting Announcement [Federal Register: April 7, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 67)] [Notices] [Page 18806] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr07ap08-81] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will host the second meeting of the Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee), on April 23-24, 2008. The meeting is open to the public. The agenda will include the review and approval of Committee groundrules; reports from the Subcommittees on: Existing Guidelines, Guiding Principles, Legal, Landscape Habitat (Mapping), and Other Models/Uncertainty; and briefings from Service regional offices on wind/wildlife issues. DATES: The meeting will take place on April 23-24, 2008. On April 23, the meeting will be held from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On April 24, the meeting will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Following the adjourning of the Committee on April 24th, an administrative training will be held for Committee members only. ADDRESSES: Holiday Inn Arlington, 4610 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203. For more information, see ``Meeting Location Information'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel London, Division of Habitat and Resource Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, (703) 358-2161. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background On March 13, 2007, the Department of the Interior (Interior) published a notice of establishment of the Committee and call for nominations in the Federal Register (72 FR 11373). The Committee's purpose is to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) on developing effective measures to avoid or minimize impacts to wildlife and their habitats related to land-based wind energy facilities. The Committee is expected to exist for 2 years. Its continuation is subject to biennial renewal. The Committee will meet approximately four times per year. All Committee members serve without compensation. In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), a copy of the Committee's charter has been filed with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration; Committee on Environment and Public Works, U.S. Senate; Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives; and the Library of Congress. The Secretary appointed 22 individuals to the Committee on October 24, 2007, representing the varied interests associated with wind energy development and its potential impacts to wildlife species and their habitats. The USFWS hosted a technical workshop on February 26-27, 2008, and held the first Committee meeting on February 28, 2008. The workshop and first meeting were open to the public. The public will have an opportunity to comment at all Committee meetings. Meeting Location Information Please note that the Holiday Inn is accessible to wheelchair users. If you require additional accommodations, please notify us by April 16, 2008. If you plan on attending the meeting, please register at http:// www.fws.gov/habitatconservation/windpower/wind_turbine_advisory_ committee.html by April 16, 2008. While this meeting is open to the public, seating is limited due to room capacity. We will give preference to registrants based on date and time of registration. There will be standing room available if seats are filled. Dated: April 2, 2008. Dave Stout, Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee Designated Federal Officer. [FR Doc. E8-7170 Filed 4-4-08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P Caroline Kennedy Senior Director of Field Conservation 1130 17th Street N.W. Washington D.C. 20036-4604 Tel: 202-682-9400 ext 107 | Fax: 202-463-3074 ckennedy@defenders.org | www.defenders.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080407/9f4d168e/attachment-0001.html From cmarshbird at prodigy.net Thu Apr 10 15:25:36 2008 From: cmarshbird at prodigy.net (Carolyn A. Marsh) Date: Thu Apr 10 15:25:36 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Boreal Forest Birds/Earth Day/Whiting, IN Message-ID: <007101c89b49$0a70ed70$cf144a0c@CLOVER> During the winter months, birders enjoyed watching boreal ducks such as scaups, scoters, buffleheads, common goldeneyes and mergansers along the Lake Michigan shoreline. More than 300 different species of birds, including these ducks, breed in the Canadian Boreal Forest. There is an excellent article in Bird Watcher's Digest - March/April 2008, Birds of the Boreal Forest by Mel White. White interviews Jeffrey Wells, Ph.D., the senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. ) Please check the Chicago Audubon Society website for information on the Whiting, Indiana Earth Day event to be held April 19 at 1:00 p.m. http://www.chicagoaudubon.org/. There are 18 global, national, state and local organizations co-sponsoring the event including Chicago Audubon and Sand Ridge Audubon Societies. Carolyn Marsh, Whiting, Lake County, IN -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080410/599a1dcb/attachment.html From donniebird at yahoo.com Wed Apr 16 17:30:12 2008 From: donniebird at yahoo.com (Donnie R) Date: Wed Apr 16 17:30:26 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Announcement of ABA Award to Mayor Daley - No Sightings Message-ID: <005501c8a011$706032e0$6501a8c0@drdmacbook> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 11097 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080416/5493aedf/attachment-0001.jpe From cmarshbird at prodigy.net Wed Apr 16 21:32:12 2008 From: cmarshbird at prodigy.net (Carolyn A. Marsh) Date: Wed Apr 16 21:32:20 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Announcement of ABA Award to Mayor Daley - No Sightings In-Reply-To: <005501c8a011$706032e0$6501a8c0@drdmacbook> References: <005501c8a011$706032e0$6501a8c0@drdmacbook> Message-ID: <001e01c8a033$40201600$a7184a0c@CLOVER> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 11097 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080416/d3e3676e/attachment-0001.jpe From Birdchris at aol.com Wed Apr 16 21:40:08 2008 From: Birdchris at aol.com (Birdchris@aol.com) Date: Wed Apr 16 21:40:22 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Announcement of ABA Award to Mayor Daley - No Sightings Message-ID: The Mayor is not perfect when it comes to wildlife (the cougar shooting incident fills me with absolute fury), but he is much better than most municipal leaders when it comes to establishing a wildlife agenda and implementing it; planning and planting for wildlife especially birds; and making the city a much safer place for birds with regard to collision issues. I will say that getting the award will hopefully be thought of by conservationists (and the mayor himself) as merely a starting point for discussions about the many ways he can improve the situation for birds in Chicago even more. In other words, that Mr. Daley doesn't become content about sitting on his laurels. Christine Williamson Chicago, Cook County birdchris@aol.com **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080416/7b6e5dc8/attachment.html From donniebird at yahoo.com Mon Apr 21 07:02:23 2008 From: donniebird at yahoo.com (Donnie R) Date: Mon Apr 21 10:04:52 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Legislation affecting birds Message-ID: <001601c8a3a7$9220fb00$6401a8c0@drdmacbook> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Alicia King" Subject: Support Reauthorization of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:56:46 -0500 Size: 393611 Url: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080421/660d5921/attachment-0002.mht -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Alicia King" Subject: [BCAlist] Inside BCA Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:24:33 -0500 Size: 193860 Url: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080421/660d5921/attachment-0003.mht -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Farm Bill conference priorities.doc Type: application/msword Size: 158208 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080421/660d5921/FarmBillconferencepriorities-0001.doc -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Border Wall.doc.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 21220 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20080421/660d5921/BorderWall.doc-0001.bin From williamson at iit.edu Mon Apr 21 10:08:20 2008 From: williamson at iit.edu (Geoffrey Williamson) Date: Mon Apr 21 10:08:19 2008 Subject: [BCNnet] Great Texas/American birding areas & The Wall (s) Message-ID: The message below was sent by Steve Bailey (sdbailey@mail.inhs.uiuc.edu) to BCNNet on 7 Apr 2008, but it didn't manage to be posted to the list. - G. Williamson Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:43:59 -0500 To: BCN Net From: Steve Bailey Subject: Great Texas/American birding areas & The Wall (s) Hello all, Hopefully this fits within the rules of BCN. After Sheryl DeVore having just returned from a very enjoyable Rio Grande Valley birding trip a few weeks ago, I am extremely saddened, shocked and dismayed at many of the plans for a wall (actually a double-wall), that apparently is to be built through some of the United States best and most visited birding locations, very soon. There may not be anything that we can do at this point, but letters, phone calls and/or e-mails are appropriate from the many Illinois birders I know who bird this area. I check the sign- in sheets at many of these places and there are always several Illinois birders names when I do. I strongly encourage folks to at least read several of the posts currently accessible on the Texas birding listserve ( http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/TEXS.html ) involving the severe affects that will be had on places like Salineno, Sabal Palm Grove, Santa Margarita Ranch, Santa Ana NWR and many other areas near the Rio Grande River. To me it seems pretty amazing about the destruction that will be wrought on some of these areas! To me, especially from reading posts on the Texas birdlist, this issue could really benefit from the input from folks from out of the state of Texas speaking out about how important the Rio Grande Valley birding areas are to them. I will likely dump my membership in the ABA if I find no active role from them on this topic. After all, if the birding community has no role in helping concerning this topic, then who?! Although there are other issues concerning this topic, other parties, not knowing all of the stakes involved in this project, will likely opt for putting up the wall(s). Steve Bailey Rantoul (Champaign Co) sdbailey@mail.inhs.uiuc.edu