From bobolnk at ix.netcom.com Tue Apr 7 14:31:20 2009 From: bobolnk at ix.netcom.com (bobolnk@ix.netcom.com) Date: Tue Apr 7 14:31:22 2009 Subject: [BCNnet] Chicago Lakefront birders needed (no sightings) Message-ID: <7080043.1239132680872.JavaMail.root@elwamui-rubis.atl.sa.earthlink.net> The Chicago Park District is planning a 30-acre bird habitat in Burnham Park south of McCormick Place. They have several creative ideas, and would like to set up a monitoring program so that they can gauge the results of the project. They are considering installing prairie, savanna, and a small conifer grove, and allowing some areas with savanna-like structure to naturalize. Birders are needed to visit these places in the early morning, primarily during migration, record bird species numbers, and share observations with project partners about how birds are using the habitat. Birders will play a critical role in decision-making for this exciting project. If you are familiar with the McCormick Place Bird Sanctuary, this project ought to be similar, but bigger, and with a higher proportion of shrubs and trees. Points will be accessible via 31st Street and 39th street, although the northernmost ones might be better reached by bike. The route could be divided up among a few people to make for a fairly quick stop for each person (a half hour minimum). Please let me know if you are interested in working with Audubon Chicago Region and the Park District on this project. Judy Pollock jpollock@audubon.org From Birdchris at aol.com Wed Apr 15 22:16:31 2009 From: Birdchris at aol.com (Birdchris@aol.com) Date: Wed Apr 15 22:17:17 2009 Subject: [BCNnet] BCNnet: Endangered Species Act Action Alert Message-ID: ACTION ALERT: Act NOW to Save the Endangered Species Act Immediate Action Needed: The Obama Administration has until May 11 to reverse last-minute Bush era regulations changes that weaken the Endangered Species Act. Write or call Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today and demand that he restore the Endangered Species Act to its full strength. Call Secretary Salazar at 202/208-3100 during business hours. Send an e-mail letter (see a sample letter below) to feedback@ios.doi.gov. Send a printed letter to Secretary Ken Salazar Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240 Sample letter Your Name and address The Honorable Ken Salazar, Secretary U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington, D.C, 20240 Date Dear Secretary Salazar: I am writing to ask that you restore the Endangered Species Act, as amended, to its full strength before May 11 to protect America?s rarest plant and animal species. In December 2008, the Bush Administration authorized a rule change which altered the Endangered Species Act regulations to eliminate the requirement that Federal agencies must consult with the federal government?s two most scientifically qualified agencies ? the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service - about the potential impact their activity may have on federally-listed Threatened and Endangered (T&E) Species. Further, a rule was passed in January which limited protection given to Polar Bears under the Endangered Species Act to less than the level offered by its 'Threatened' status, including permitting drilling offshore in the bear?s fragile Arctic environment. Earlier this year, President Obama called a halt to the immediate enactment of the Endangered Species Act changes and charged your agency to assess these issues. Congress gave you until May 11 to drop the new regulations and to restore the Endangered Species Act to full strength. I urge you to do the RIGHT thing and restore the Endangered Species Act to its full powers and to repeal the rule that denies Polar Bear full Threatened species protections. Yours sincerely, Your Name Background Information on the Endangered Species Act: 2009 and Beyond 2008: The Bush Extinction Plan In December, the Bush Administration altered the Endangered Species Act through regulatory changes made by U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) that strip protections for America?s rarest and most imperiled animals, fish and plants. DOI received more than 250,000 comments opposing the rule changes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service recommended rule changes to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, that purported to streamline the consultation process required under Section 7 of the Act. The new rule allows federal agencies to decide for themselves whether their actions would negatively impact a Threatened or Endangered Species (T&E) or adversely modify its critical habitat. The changes would eliminate the current requirement that federal agencies consult with the U.S.?s two most scientifically qualified agencies ? the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service - about the potential impact their activity may have on a federally-listed species. Prior to the rules change, the independent consultative process was ? designed to figure out how a project can move forward without harming a species at risk of disappearing forever,? said Jon Hunter, policy director of the Endangered Species Coalition, an ally of the Sierra Club. ?The new rule takes decision-making on Threatened and Endangered Species listings out of the hands of scientists and wildlife professionals at agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and instead puts those decisions in the hands of agencies working on projects that may be adversely affected by a listing,? said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club in a statement after the proposed rule changes were made public in the Federal Register. The press in reporting on the issue last summer noted that the rule changes were written by the U.S. Solicitor General?s office, not scientists and administrators of either the U.S. Fish and Wildlife or the National Marine Fisheries Service. For example, the rules now permit the U.S. Department of Transportation to decide whether a listed species' habitat would be compromised by a highway project, rather than trained biologists from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In what the U.S. Department of the Interior characterized as an effort to make endangered species considerations ?less contentious? between federal agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and National Marine Fisheries Service and ?to provide greater clarify and certainty to the consultation process,? the rule changed the definition of ?cumulative impact? on a species. The new regulation would permit a federal agency to break up its projects into smaller pieces and assess how each of those phases impacts a listed species, rather than the whole project. For example, the new rule does not require the U.S. Department of Transportation to consider whether a completed road would present a cumulative impact in the form of road injuries and deaths for Endangered or Threatened species. Most alarming to many conservation activists these days, the new Endangered Species Act regulation ?reinforces the Services? current view that there is no requirement to consult on greenhouse gas emissions? contribution to global warming and its associated impacts on listed species.? The new rule redefines the ?essential causes? that might harm an Endangered species resulting from a project of a federal agency. The revisions make explicit that while the impact of tailpipe emissions (from a new highway) on local air pollution could be an effect of the action, the greenhouse gas emissions? contribution to global warming and associated impacts to listed species are not and the effects of those impacts would not need to be considered in any consultation. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming threatens up to one-third of all species on earth with extinction. It is irresponsible of the U.S. government to shirk its responsibility in requiring that its federal agencies assess the global warming impact of their actions on Threatened and Endangered Species. Across the U.S., climate change is already impacting humans and their wildlife through hotter summer temperatures and more violent storms. The last thing the humans and the threatened and endangered species that live across the U.S. in national forests, state and local parks, agricultural lands and in urban and suburban areas need is the blatant disregard of the U.S. government when it comes to the impact of federal projects. Especially vulnerable to global warming climate impacts, the Polar Bear was listed as a Threatened species in May 2008, but another Bush Extinction Plan rules change passed in January reduces its protection under the ES Act because it permits drilling in the Polar Bears? fragile Arctic habitat. The Sierra Club and many of its allies in the environmental community submitted comments opposing the U.S. Department of the Interior?s proposals to weaken the Endangered Species Act. Soon after the rules were finalized, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups engaged in legal action regarding the changes because they violate the requirements of the ESA. 2009: Urgent Action Needed. There is a short window of opportunity to stop what many wildlife conservationists call The Bush Extinction Plan. On Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, President Obama said his Administration would freeze all regulatory changes made by the Bush Administration in its last days. The President charged Interior, the USFWS and other agencies to examine the new Endangered Species Act and Polar Bear protection regulations. On March 11, President Obama signed the Omnibus Appropriations Bill (HR 1105) which included an amendment that gave the administration 60 days to drop the Endangered Species Act rule changes and to give the Polar Bear full protection as a Threatened species. That gives President Obama and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar until May 11 to do the RIGHT thing by restoring the Endangered Species Act to full strength and to protect the Polar Bear to the full extent of the law. Take Action: It?s time you expressed your opinion! Tell Secretary to save the Polar Bear and other Threatened and Endangered Species by killing the Bush Extinction Plan. Modify the sample letter and make it your own. Tell Secretary Salazar how much you care about the future of American endangered species and all wildlife. Call Secretary Salazar at 202-208-3100 during business hours. Send an e-mail letter (see a sample letter above) to feedback@ios.doi.gov. Send a printed letter to The Honorable Ken Salazar, Secretary U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240 **************Great deals on Dell?s most popular laptops ? Starting at $479 (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1220631252x1201390195/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B213968550%3B35701427%3Bh) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20090415/ed441225/attachment-0001.html From mocassin at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 21 21:55:34 2009 From: mocassin at sbcglobal.net (Mike Rzepka) Date: Tue Apr 21 21:55:32 2009 Subject: [BCNnet] FW: Bird Surveys Message-ID: <40B880678E1544DA88781343509A5BC7@Compaq> FYI - Help Needed For Bird Monitoring At Midewin - See Below _____ From: William D Glass [mailto:wglass@fs.fed.us] Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 2:20 PM Subject: Bird Surveys If any of you are interested in helping on the bird surveys let me know. You don't have to know all the birds or any (we need scribes also). You also don't need to be able to identify or hear all the bird songs (again you can be a scribe). I've spread my net wide to catch anyone who might be interested in bird monitoring or in bird restoration at Midewin. Here are the planned surveys. May 11 - May 13. This is the annual upland sandpiper/grassland bird survey. It is going to be done a little different this year. We are going to be just looking for upland sandpipers and loggerhead shrikes. Groups will be given fields to search (walk around looking for these two species). We will try to cover about 5,000 acres. If we need the 13th it will probably be only a half day. If it rains towards the beginning of the week wie'll push the survey back towards the end of the week. We'll start at 6am each morning. June 8 - June 11. There will be two different surveys this week. June 8 - June 10 we'll do point counts similar to what we used to do during the old upland sandpiper survey. We may be able to get thisdone in two days. On June 11th we'll do a one day bird blitz to try and cover most of the other habitats at Midewin -shrubland, woodland, wetland along with grassland. We are hoping to get lots of volunteers out for the bird blitz. So pass the word. Volunteers should call Allison Hedden at 815/423-2149. If you are interested in any of these let me know. Also if you know anyone that might want to help let me know or pass this on to them. I'm going to be away from April 24th through May 4th. When I get back I'll send out more detailed information. Bill William Glass Ecologist Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie 30239 S. State Route 53 Wilmington, IL 60481 815/423-6370 815/423-6376 FAX -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20090421/58b0b8ca/attachment.html From cmarshbird at prodigy.net Wed Apr 22 14:17:52 2009 From: cmarshbird at prodigy.net (Carolyn A. Marsh) Date: Wed Apr 22 14:17:54 2009 Subject: [BCNnet] FW: Protect science in the Endangered Species Act Message-ID: <8F377087CE314FFFAD3811C6C8681334@CLOVER> FYI, Carolyn Marsh From: Union of Concerned Scientists Action Network [mailto:action@ucsusa.org] Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:38 AM To: cmarshbird@prodigy.net Subject: Protect science in the Endangered Species Act UCS Action Alert Protect Science in the Endangered Species Act Dear Carolyn, In its final days, the Bush administration changed the Endangered Species Act to allow federal agencies to decide for themselves how much their own projects (such as roads, dams, and mines) would impact imperiled species. This allowed agencies, often lacking their own adequate scientific expertise, to no longer consult expert biologists in making key decisions. The Interior and Commerce Departments have the opportunity to roll back these flawed changes, but they must do it by May 9. Please urge both department secretaries to restore the scientific foundation of the Endangered Species Act. Take Action Now Sincerely, MichaelHalpern_jpg Michael Halpern National Field Organizer Scientific Integrity Program P.S. If you are a scientist with biological expertise, please sign the biologists' letter on the Endangered Species Act. Contact Secretary Ken Salazar and Secretary Gary Locke today Dear Secretary Salazar and Secretary Locke, I am writing to urge you to roll back the Bush administration rule changes that weaken the scientific foundation of the Endangered Species Act. The rules in question allow any federal agency to decide for itself whether protected species would be threatened by its projects. Previously, when a federal agency considered a project, such as a highway, dam, or mine, it was required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service. The rules also sharply limit the types of information federal scientists can consider when evaluating federal projects. Many government agencies do not have the scientific expertise to determine the consequences of federal projects for endangered species, and may have vested interests in the implementation of a project. Consultations have, for decades, served as important checks and balances to keep our nation's biodiversity safe. Please act by the May 9 deadline to ensure that science, not politics, determines whether or not an endangered species is protected from extinction. Take Action Now Take Action Urge Secretary Ken Salazar and Secretary Gary Locke to roll back the rule changes to the Endangered Species Act Tell A Friend You can help ensure this action has the greatest effect. Please pass this alert along to your friends and family. Donate The Union of Concerned Scientists relies on individuals like you to support our research and advocacy. Join us to promote practical, science-based environmental and security solutions. Become a member today. If this message was forwarded to you, join the UCS Action Network today. To ensure you continue to receive emails from UCS, be sure to add action@ucsusa.org to your address book. If you have general questions, comments, or concerns send email to ucsaction@ucsusa.org This message was sent to cmarshbird@prodigy.net. To stop receiving UCS Action Network emails, click to unsubscribe. Powered by Convio. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20090422/4da66699/attachment-0001.html From birdchris at aol.com Tue Apr 28 15:26:54 2009 From: birdchris at aol.com (birdchris@aol.com) Date: Tue Apr 28 15:27:40 2009 Subject: [BCNnet] BCNnet: Stupendous good news about the Endangered Species Act Message-ID: <8CB9656CDAF3F75-FDC-326F@MBLK-M04.sysops.aol.com> THANKS to everyone who wrote letters. Christine Williamson Chicago/Cook birdchris@aol.com MEDIA RELEASE Contact: Steve Holmer, American Bird Conservancy, 202-234-7181, ext. 216, sholmer@abcbirds.org, www.abcbirds.org ? Administration Moves to Restore Endangered Species Act ? (Washington, D.C. April 28, 2009) Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced today that the Obama administration will reverse an Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulation finalized in the final months of the Bush administration. The rule removed the long-standing requirement under Section 7 of the ESA for federal agencies to consult with experts at FWS and NMFS in cases where their actions may impact endangered species. Instead, it permitted each agency to decide on its own whether or not to consult. ? ?We are gratified Secretary Salazar and Secretary Locke acted to restore the Endangered Species Act to its intended strength,? said Darin Schroeder, Vice President for Conservation Advocacy at American Bird Conservancy. ?The consultation process is one of the cornerstones of the ESA, and one of the key checks and balances that ensures protection for the 90 birds and 1,263 other animals and plants it covers.?? ? Congress granted the administration the authority in the recent omnibus appropriations bill to fast-track the reversal of the regulations.? A coalition of Chief Executive Officers of national environmental groups, including American Bird Conservancy President=2 0George Fenwick, had called on Secretary Salazar to reverse the ESA regulation.? ? ?The Western Oregon Plan Revisions, a plan to increase logging of mature and old growth forests in Oregon, is an example of why ESA consultation is so important,? said Schroeder. ?The plan, which was approved without consulting with wildlife experts, reduces habitat protection for dwindling salmon stocks and increases take of the threatened Northern Spotted Owl and Marbled Murrelet including the elimination of an estimated 680 Spotted Owl sites over the course of its implementation. It should be withdrawn so that consultation can take place.? ? At a celebration in March honoring the 160th anniversary of the creation of the Department of the Interior, President Obama announced his intention to ??restore the scientific process to its rightful place at the heart of the Endangered Species Act; a process undermined by past administrations.? He went on to say, ?For more than three decades, the Endangered Species Act has successfully protected our nation's most threatened wildlife, and we should be looking for ways to improve it, not weaken it.? ? Soon after this speech, the President released a memorandum requesting that the Secretaries of Interior and Commerce determine whether to issue a new rule that would restore the consultation requirements of the ESA. Until such time, he requested that all agency heads use their discretion and follow the prior long-standing consu ltation process. #30# American Bird Conservancy (ABC) conserves native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator. ? ? ? ? Steve Holmer Director of Public Relations American Bird Conservancy 202/234-7181 ext. 216 or 202/744-6459 (cell) sholmer@abcbirds.org www.abcbirds.org ? ? American Bird Conservancy operates the Bird News Network, which distributes the latest information about birds and bird conservation through videos, press releases, and news stories.? Video releases are available at Bird News Network Videos or view the latest news stories and subscribe to the network's RSS feed at?http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/latestnews.html ? ? ? ____________________________________________________________ ou received this message as a subscriber on the list: abcbirds-news@npogroups.org o be removed from the list, send any message to: abcbirds-news-unsubscribe@npogroups.org For all list information and functions, see: http://npogroups.org/lists/info/abcbirds-news -------------- next part -------------- Skipped content of type multipart/related From cmarshbird at prodigy.net Tue Apr 28 17:00:53 2009 From: cmarshbird at prodigy.net (Carolyn A. Marsh) Date: Tue Apr 28 17:00:49 2009 Subject: [BCNnet] BCNnet: Stupendous good news about the Endangered SpeciesAct In-Reply-To: <8CB9656CDAF3F75-FDC-326F@MBLK-M04.sysops.aol.com> References: <8CB9656CDAF3F75-FDC-326F@MBLK-M04.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <88F917BF604247D48B3CBE93725612FD@CLOVER> What a relief! Without consultation rights the US Fish & Wildlife Service was gutted. Carolyn Marsh -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20090428/a9ecc484/attachment.html From garysibio at gmail.com Thu Apr 30 23:51:28 2009 From: garysibio at gmail.com (Gary J Sibio) Date: Thu Apr 30 23:51:37 2009 Subject: [BCNnet] Wind Power Generators Message-ID: <49FA7FD0.8040106@gmail.com> This afternoon I thought I heard something on the radio about someone trying to get permission to build wind power generators in the lake just off Chicago. However I came in in the middle of the story so I'm not sure I got it right. Does anyone know anything about this? I'm concerned because of the migrating birds. Gary -- Gary J Sibio To see my photos: http://garysibio.smugmug.com