Audubon articles from March 2003

Audubon archives from March 2003

Editor's note.(Editorial)
March 1, 2003... IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, AMONG THE LAST BASTIONS OF unabashed progressivism, two well-dressed men in suits were recently having a spirited debate about the environment. "But what grandchildren?" one asked. "That's their problem," the other shot...

Audubonview.
March 1, 2003... CLEAN WATER IS VITAL TO AMERICA. IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR COMMUNITY drinking water, agriculture, fishing and swimming, birds and other wildlife, and a strong economy. It is a legacy we all hope to leave for our children and grandchildren. In...

Trout truth. (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... IN YOUR DECEMBER ARTICLE "TROUT Are Wildlife, Too," by Ted Williams, I find my name mentioned in a most derogatory manner regarding the poisoning project planned for Cherry Creek, Montana. I am the plaintiff in a lawsuit that will take the...

Hope for the condors.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... I WAS PLEASED TO SEE JANE BRAXTON Little's article "Project Gutpile" on the plight of California condors. There was much controversy over the research effort in the early 1980s, primarily from other environmental groups that said the program...

High on IBAs.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2003... I APPRECIATE THE ARTICLE ON Important Bird Areas ["Putting Birds on the Map," December 2002]. This program is an innovative, proactive conservation tool that is already showing results here in Pennsylvania, and it provides an opportunity for...

Read the fine print. (White House).(of the Federal Register)
March 1, 2003... IT COMES OUT ON FLIMSY NEWSPRINT, AND even fans call its dense pages "mind-numbing." But these days the Federal Register--a daily digest of new government regulations that's largely unknown outside the Beltway--is a must-read for environmental...

Sticking up for endangered species. (Reports).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... In recent years Viagra has worked wonders for Bob Dole and countless other men. Now, it turns out, those blessings could benefit wildlife as well. Take harp seals. For centuries these seals have been killed in Canada for their genitalia, which,...

Green babies. (Reports).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Think adults waste a lot of paper? They're hardly alone. In fact, the average American baby uses 20 to 25 mature trees' worth of disposable diapers before becoming potty-trained. This means that annually, 20 billion diapers--that's about 7...

Monkey man. (Reports).(smuggling endangered species into U.S.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... After a bird of paradise flew out of Robert Cusack's suitcase at Los Angeles International Airport, surprised customs inspectors asked him if there was anything else they should know about. "Yes," Cusack admitted, "I've got monkeys in my...

The rush to save a thrush. (Watchlist).(in Little White Face Mountain)
March 1, 2003... AS SKIERS HURTLE DOWN LITTLE WHITE-face Mountain in New York's Adirondack Mountains, its doubtful that a lot of them ate thinking about the Bicknell's thrush--a palm-size songbird. Many of them, however, might be alarmed to learn that if the...

Bambi scanner. (Reports).(infrared, heat-seeking camera helps prevent wildlife collisions with vehicles)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... An infrared, heat-seeking camera originally developed by NASA to help satellites detect incoming missiles is now part of a first-of-its-kind system for preventing wildlife--vehicle collisions. Last year, from July to October, Parks Canada...

One last chance. (Endangered Species).(caribou)
March 1, 2003... LIKE SHIPWRECK SURVIVORS TOSSED UP On separate islands, the world's 13 remaining mountain caribou populations face a perilous future. In the past five years the species' total population has dropped from 2,450 to 1,900, and the mountain...

There goes the neighborhood. (Sprawl).(Smart Growth America report)
March 1, 2003... HOUSING SUBDIVISIONS AND STRIP MALLS keep mutating ever farther from town centers, begetting more congested highways and roads. Now "Measuring Sprawl and Its Impact," a pioneering, recently published report by Smart Growth America, shows that...

Oldies but goodies. (Reports).(sparrow behavior)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... If you're a male sparrow who's unlucky at love, it might be because you didn't study hard enough when you were young. According to a recent report in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, male sparrows that learned songs well when they...

Magpies! Run for your life.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... In springtime in Australia, many children know enough to cover their heads with lunch boxes, backpacks, folders, umbrellas, books, or whatever else they can find to protect themselves. Others just run as fast as they can. It's not the bus-stop...

Under the influence. (Special Interests).(lobbyists)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... IN RECENT YEARS THE DEBATE OVER CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM HAS CENTERED on the corrosive influence of big-moneyed special interests in Washington, D.C. There, armies of industry lobbyists roam the corridors of Congress and the White House, putting...

The natural attractions of Florida: all things old and new, wild and wonderful. (Special Advertising Section).
March 1, 2003... A host of theme-parks and other man-made attractions makes Florida the country's most popular year-round vacation destination--but a short drive away from its vibrant cities lie awe-inspiring lakes and oceans; spectacular sandy beaches and...

Here today, gone tomorrow: fed by fall rains, winter snowmelt, and spring showers, seasonal wetlands provide a vital breeding ground--but just once a year. After the annual explosion of plant and animal life, they dry up. Now, just as scientists are grasping the crucial role of these ecological wonders, they are in danger of disappearing--forever. (true nature).
March 1, 2003... THE SUN HAS BEEN DOWN FOR LESS THAN AN HOUR, BUT already the chorus has reached a fevered pitch. The spring performance features a steady backbeat of frogs' cheeps and American toads' whirs. Northern leopard frogs kick in with baritone croaks,...

Passing the test: Pennsylvania middle schoolers, mucking about in streams, have made a great discovery: studying the environment is not only interesting, it improves the world around them and their grades, too. (education).
March 1, 2003... SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG WITH MUDDY RUN. THE amount of dissolved oxygen in the creek's water was zero, the macroinvertebrate diversity was low, and the nitrate levels were high--all indications of severe pollution. A sample sent for testing...

The natural attractions of South Dakota & Wyoming. (Special Advertising Section).
March 1, 2003... Heading west across America, the great metropolises give way to forests even more diverse and dense, to vast river systems and wide open plains, a journey deep into the country's heart and a region that's been the subject of lore, legend and...

Real enviros live in town: as urban sprawl invades the Big Sky State, the city-or-country debate intensifies across the Rocky Mountain West. (journal).(Bozeman, Montana)
March 1, 2003... MY FRIEND SCOTT LIVES ABOUT EIGHT MILES OUTSIDE of Bozeman, Montana, in a quiet development bordering Forest Service land, near the base of Leverich Canyon. I live two blocks off Main Street, in a residential district in the heart of downtown...

Roads to ruin: these forests--from oak and maple woodlands in Illinois to old-growth in Washington--are among our most magnificent. Now the Bush administration is poised to punch holes through the forests and let the log trucks roll. Could 2 million public comments urging their protection be wrong? (Forests).
March 1, 2003... PICTURE YOURSELF IN YOUR FAVORITE national forest. You could be camped in a damp and fragrant grove of old-growth cedars in the Pacific Northwest. Or you might be hiking a trail in the Rockies that's littered with the golden hearts of aspen...

Logrolls and logjams. (Forests).(Colville National Forest, Washington)
March 1, 2003... WHERE: Twin Sisters and Hoodoo Roadless Areas, Colville National Forest, Washington THREAT: Timber Sales As you fly west from Glacier National Park, in northwestern Montana, mountain ranges fall and rise and blend one into the other:...

Slow burn. (Forests).(wildfire prevention techniques for Tahoe National Forest, California)
March 1, 2003... WHERE: Duncan Canyon Roadless Area, Tahoe National Forest, California THREAT: Salvage logging Old growth red and white firs, sugar pines and incense cedar mingle in this California forest west of Lake Tahoe, but it's the giant red...

The big drill. (Forests).(Gunnison National Forest, Colorado)
March 1, 2003... WHERE: Springhouse Park Roadless Area, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado THREAT: Coal-bed methane development The Springhouse Park Roadless Area sits at elevations between 6,000 and 10,000 feet, bridging a gap between the West Elk...

Off-road rage. (Forests).
March 1, 2003... WHERE: Burke Branch Roadless Area, Shawnee National Forest, Illinois THREAT: All-terrain vehicles Located in the far southeastern corner of Illinois, the Burke Branch Roadless Area typifies many of the problems associated with...

Eastward Ho. (Forests).
March 1, 2003... WHERE: Wilson Creek, Harper Creek, Lost Cove, Dobson Knob, and Linville George Addition Roadless Areas, Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina THREATS: Multiple In recent years researchers and volunteers have hiked deep into the...

A place time forgot: in one Idaho's remote reaches, there is a place that looks much as it did 200 years ago, when Lewis & Clark journeyed through. Now this forest--along with its prehistoric trees and abundant wildlife--may be doomed. (Forests).
March 1, 2003... It is late in the day when our small party reaches the Kelly Creek trailhead in Idaho's Clearwater National Forest, and the talk is about Lewis and Clark. All day, as we drove from Orofino to Greer to Weippe to Pierce, we found ourselves in...

Keeping their legacy alive.(Meriwether Lewis and William Clark)
March 1, 2003... Two hundred years ago the Corps of Discovery, led by captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, struck out from the Falls of Ohio, near Louisville, Kentucky, to explore the newly acquired territories of the Louisiana Purchase. Their...

5 days, 5 nights, 3,000 miles, and 10 hours of sleep, but who's counting? Contestants in the Great Texas Birding Classic face off in fierce competition. The real winners, though, are the birds themselves. (Birding Marathon).
March 1, 2003... Two hours before dawn, and the valley's blast-furnace heat was already intensifying. Four men padded along a dirt road. A half-mile away, flatbed trucks made their way along Highway 83, a narrow strip of asphalt near the U.S.--Mexico border,...

Traffic jam: in Indonesia, an illegal animal trade packs local markets with wildlife and peddles it abroad. You can do your part to help stop poachers and keep these animals where they belong--in the wild. (photo essay).
March 1, 2003... WHEN PHOTOJOURNALIST ANDREW KAUFMAN TRAVELED TO INDONESIA FOR AN assignment on Asia's recent economic crisis, he discovered there was one industry that was actually flourishing: the trade in wildlife. The species diversity he found was as...

Toxic truths: tales of poisons and public health.(Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution)(When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception and the Battle Against Pollution)(Book Review)
March 1, 2003... Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution By Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner University of California Press, 408 pages, $34.95 When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception and the Battle Against...

Conservation in the Internet Age: Threats and Opportunities.(Book Review)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Edited by James N. Levitt Island Press, 365 pages, $30 CONSERVATIONISTS WHO USE THE Internet to do everything from research to e-mail activism embrace it as an-answer to their prayers. "[But] we are only beginning to understand [its]...

The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World.(Book Review)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Edited by Alison H. Deming and Lauret E. Savoy Milkweed Editions, 210 pages, $18.95 THE EARTH SPEAKS IN MANY languages, but only in one voice," writes Enrique Salmon, a Mexican ethnobotanist based in Durango, Colorado. In The Colors of...

Confronting Consumption.(Book Review)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Edited by Thomas Princen, Michael Maniates, and Ken Conca The MIT Press, 382 pages, $26.95 CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, purchasing "ecofriendly" laundry detergent and organic-juice boxes will not lead directly to a healthier planet, argue...

Arizona, grand at the canyon and beyond.(Grand Canyon)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2003... It's the state with the last free-flowing river in the southwest and the deepest depths in the nation. It's the state of Arizona, a place of ponderosa pine and trees of stone. Where chasms may be rimmed in red or carved with white-water foam....

The United States and Russia recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the signing of the U.S.-Russia Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Birds and Their Environment, which involves the protection of more than 200 shared avian species. (Alaska).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The United States and Russia recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the signing of the U.S.-Russia Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Birds and Their Environment, which involves the protection of more than 200 shared avian...

Audubon's Wildcat Park, in Joplin, is renowned for having the last chert glades--a dry, rocky habitat with dwarf plants--in the world. (Missouri).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Audubon's Wildcat Park, in Joplin, is renowned for having the last chert glades--a dry, rocky habitat with dwarf plants--in the world. Now scientists from the New York Botanical Gardens (NYBG) suspect that the park might also contain a...

Movers & shakersOne step ahead. (Movers & Shakers).(Jerry Secundy)(Interview)
March 1, 2003... Q & A IF ANYONE IS PRIMED TO FACE THE 21ST CENTURY'S ENVIRONMENTAL challenges, it's Jerry Secundy--Audubon California's new executive director--because of his background, professional experience, and passion. We talked to him recently at his...

The shores of Long Island Sound will soon boast a 520-acre state park, the result of a collaboration between Audubon, the KeySpan corporation, and the state of New York. (New York).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The shores of Long Island Sound will soon boast a 520-acre state park, the result of a collaboration between Audubon, the KeySpan corporation, and the state of New York. This KeySpan property, in Jamesport, is the largest underdeveloped...

Giving Audubon the boot. (Audubon Center).(Jean Ellen duPont Shehan Audubon Center and Sanctuary )
March 1, 2003... REINECKE FUCHS FARM, THE EXCLUSIVE preserve of the late financier William duPont Jr., has morphed into something he might never have imagined. But considering his deep love for the outdoors and nature, it seems certain he would be pleased with...

A great blue heron rookery in Weathersfield has been restored using artificial tripods in place of the trees that once housed the birds. (Vermont).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A great blue heron rookery in Weathersfield has been restored using artificial tripods in place of the trees that once housed the birds. Since the rookery was discovered in a beaver pond in 1985, concerned citizens and the Ascutney Mountain...

In January David Henderson, executive director of Audubon New Mexico, was appointed by Governor Bill Richardson to serve on the New Mexico State Game Commission. (New Mexico).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... In January David Henderson, executive director of Audubon New Mexico, was appointed by Governor Bill Richardson to serve on the New Mexico State Game Commission. "This is a volunteer position but perhaps the highest honor that can be bestowed...

Audubon and its partners in conservation are planning events and family activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System, which includes more than 500 refuges across the country. (Refuge Centennial).
March 1, 2003... Audubon and its partners in conservation are planning events and family activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System, which includes more than 500 refuges across the country. To find out about activities...

Audubon's advocacy, coordinated by its policy office in Washington, D.C., ensures that national and state lawmakers support policies that are created, funded, and implemented in a way that protects the best bird habitat across the country. (Taking Action).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Audubon's advocacy, coordinated by its policy office in Washington, D.C., ensures that national and state lawmakers support policies that are created, funded, and implemented in a way that protects the best bird habitat across the country....

Phantom fliers: prepare and persist, and the elusive flycatcher could turn up in your neighborhood. (backyard).
March 1, 2003... THE GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER MAY SEEM TO THE CASUAL watcher a phantom of the forest: a haunting call, a flash of bright yellow or russet high among a tremor of leaves. Even for experienced birders this flycatcher of the eastern woodlands is...

One picture.(bats)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Photographer: Tim Flach Subject: Spectacled flying foxes Camera: Hassleblad with 150mm lens and ring flash Film: HP5 Ilford 400 ASA PLEASE, NO LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. WE KNOW THAT BATS DON'T STAND UPRIGHT. However, that's how...