November-December 2002 Delaware Audubon Society Newsletter

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Vol. XXV No.2

November-December 2002

Bird Tales ................................7

Books of Interest & OtherChristmas Gifts ........................8

Calendar ..................................4

Dear Audrey ............................4

Letter From the President ..........2

News & Views ......................6-7

Officers & Committees..............2

Site Seeing................................3

What You Can Do ................3,5

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPERc

DELAWARE AUDUBON SOCIETY, INC.

A State-wide Chapter of National Audubon

D e l a w a r eAu d u b o n Journal

P R E S E R V I N G OU R

NA T U R A L ST A T E

IN TH I S IS S U E

Audubon Senior Vice President of Science, Dr. Frank Gill, has called onhealth and pest control authorities in affected states to employ an integratedapproach to the management of mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus.

Our experience with West Nile in the Northeast shows that an integratedapproach to pest management is the most effective and safest method

available. Audubon advises states to enact measures that will quickly effectthis change.

Aerial spraying of pesticides has been shown to be less effective thantargeted, localized spraying. If pesticides are to be employed, a focused,limited, and timely response works best. Combining this approach with theuse of highly effective bacterial larvacides and community and homecleanup of standing water is the most effective and efficient use of our statesenergies and limited resources.

Gil l also notes the effect of West Nile falls primarily on our nations birdl ife.Americas birdsespecially crows and jays, and increasingly, it seems, ourbeloved hawks and owlsare the most common fatal victims of the

disease, he stated. This integrated approach to controlling mosquitoes willnot only help people, but will also help our beleaguered birds to be moreresistant to West Nile.

What You Can DoIntegrated pest management calls for elimination of mosquito breedinghabitat, the use of environmentally sound tools to combat the insects, and amore targeted approach to the use of pesticides.

Communities can greatly enhance their ability to eliminate the threat ofdisease-carrying mosquitoes by replacing chemical larvacides with bacteria-based products, which kill mosquitoes, but not beneficial insects, such asdragonflies; amphibians; and fish that prey upon mosquitoes. By eliminating

pools of stagnant water in parks and at dumps, and by allowing somedrainage of dammed areas, communities also decrease the availablebreeding ponds for mosquitoes.

Homeowners can help by cleaning out gutters and removing tarps, tires, andother objects where water can collect also prevents mosquitoes fromreproducing.

CO N T R O L W E S T N I L E VI R U SW I T H IN T E G R AT E D AP P R O A C H

But for their cries,

The herons would be lost

Amidst the morning snow.

Chiyo-Ni

(1701-1775)


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DE AU D U B O N SO C I E T Y2002-2003OF F I C E R S & C O M M I T T E E S

If there are any issues you feel strongly aboutthat you think Audubon should address, pleasewrite Issues, P.O. Box 1713, Wilmington, DE19899, or call the office at (302) 428-3959.Chairpersons can always be reached through the

office answering machine - (302) 428-3959.

Honorary Chairman of the Board

Russell W. PetersonPresident Matthew DelPizzoVice President Leslie Savage

Secretary Ellen WrightTreasurer Mark Martell

CONSERVATION COMMITTEES:Environmental Advocate Grace Pierce-BeckRecycling Open

Dredging Leslie SavageProposal/policy Review Dave Chambers

Nest Box Projects Peggy JahnArmchair Activists OpenAdopt-a-Wetland

Peggy Jahn, Kathy TidballWhite Clay Creek Adopt-a-Highway

Dorothy Miller

Important Bird Area Program Ann RydgrenPrograms Committee OpenPubli city Committee

Internet-Fred [email protected]

Membership Committee Open

Education Committee Kathy TidballSocial Committee

Annual D inner-Nancy Frampton

Field Trips Committee Peggy Jahn

Publications Committee Ann Rydgren

FINANCE COMMITTEESFundraising-Grants Andrew Urquhart

Fundraising-Bird Seed SaleMark and Susan Martell

Fundraising Birdathon

Ruth Holden, Maud DaytonFundraising-Silent Auction Asha IyengarFundraising-Wildlife Sanctuary Open

Fundraising-Piping Plover Suite Ann RydgrenNominating Committee Matthew DelPizzo,

Asha Iyengar, Leslie Savage

DIRECTORS FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2003

Dorothy Miller Grace Pierce-BeckAnn Rydgren

DIRECTORS FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2004:Fred Breukelman David Chambers

DIRECTORS FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2005:Peggy Jahn Leslie SavageAndrew Urquhart

REPRESENTATIVESSharon Burchenal, DoverKay Tebbens Greene, MilfordTill Purnell, Mil lsboro

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t WEB SITEhttp://www.delawareaudubon.org

t MAILING ADD RESS:Delaware Audubon Society

P.O. Box 1713

Wilmington, DE 19899

t TELEPHONE:(302) 428-3959

t DELAWAREAUDUBON SOCIETY E-MAIL:[email protected]

We can receive contributionsthrough your United Way

payroll deduction designation.

Our U nited Way designation

number is 9017.

LE T T E R FR O M T H E PR E S I D E N T

Hello members,

As you probably all know, the Secretary of theDepartment of Natural Resources andEnvironmental control, Nick Di Pasquale,

resigned some time ago. We at DelawareAudubon Society would like to thank him forthe effort he put forth in trying to preserve ourfragile natural state. It is probably as tough a jobas one could have in Delaware government.

John A. Hughes has been nominated by Governor Ruth Ann Minner to fi llthe post. Hughes has worked at DNREC for 32 years. We can only hope thathe will do as much good as Di Pasquale tried to do, and that he willvigorously go after Motiva, stop the Corps of Engineers efforts to deepen theDelaware River, and protect our quality of l ife in Delaware.

Thanks for Caring,

Matt Del Pizzo

VISIT DELAWARE AUDUBON'S WEBSITE

http://www.delawareaudubon.org.

Sample educational, informative articles and features. Order books and othergoodies from the Marketplace! Search the archive of past articles. Visit our photogallery. Survey legislative updates and Action Alerts. Email policy makers.

The Audubon Journal is

published bi-monthly by the

Delaware Audubon Society.

Original articles may be

reprinted without permission. Please give

credit to the Delaware Audubon Journal and

the author.

Editor: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ann Rydgren

Assistant Editors: . . . . .Mary Leah Christmas

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara Roewe

Design & Layout : . . . . . . .Maryellen F. Birk

Printing: . . . . . .Sprint Quali ty Printing, Inc.

Delaware Audubon Society, incorporated i n

1977, is a state- wide chapter of the National

Audubon Society.

YO UR E I N V I T E D!

Members of Audubon are invited to a reception for elected officials onMonday, December 2, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Terrace at Greenhill, 800DuPont Road, Wi lmington.

The reception is an opportunity for you to discuss ideas on numerousquality of l ife issues which are facing our elected officials.

There will be a cash bar and a $3 admittance fee. Cheese, crackers, fruit,crudi ts/dip wil l be served. Please come.


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P reserve Our N atural State

W H A T Y O U C A N D O . . .

S I T E SE E I N G

This column will suggest Internet websitesthat may be of interest to readers. If you

have a favorite that you think will interestothers, please send the address to us,ma i l@de l aware aud ub on.o rg or call us at(302) 428-3959.

http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/DNRECeis/Delaware Environmental Navigator (DEN). Use DEN to explore the manytypes of information collected by DNREC such as permitted facilities,enforcement actions and environmental monitoring.

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VO L U N T E E RO P P O RT U N I T I E S

Join the fun! Meet new people!Do a great thing!

We need help in the followingareas.

WE NEED YOU!

V BLUEBIRDSBluebird Trail Captain neededfor Buena Vista and otherareas. Nice outdoor activityonce a week from Aprilthrough August. Trainingavailable.

V BIRDSEEDMarketing Manager for ourfundraising birdseed sale inOctober. We need more

customers. One month a year.

If you are interested in helping,please call 428-3959 andleave a message.

Volunt eersMake It

Happen!

NO M I N AT E YO U R S E L F O R AN O T H E RTO T H E DE L AWA R E AU D U B O N BO A R D

We are seeking enthusiastic people to help guide Delaware Audubons activi tiesand legislative actions by serving on the Board of Directors. Serving in thiscapacity entails about eight meetings a year as well as participation in a fewtelephone calls/e-mail sessions. This is a prime opportunity to directly andpositively affect the environment in Delaware. Please submit the name ofsomeone you would like to see on the Board. Self-nominations are also welcome,so dont be shy!

The mission of Delaware Audubon Society is to promote an appreciation andunderstanding of nature; to preserve and protect our natural environment; and, toaffirm the necessity for clean air and water and the stewardship of our naturalresources.

To maintain the mission of the Delaware Audubon Society, dedicated peoplemust make it happen. This starts with a strong Board. Now is the time for Boardnominations for the coming year.

As a Board member , you can take great pride in knowing that yourdownpayment of time and hard work will help secure the preservation of ahealthy environment.

Please send your nominations for the Delaware Audubon Board to:Nominations, Delaware Audubon, P.O. Box 1713, Wi lmington, DE 19899 [email protected].

Nominees name:................................................................................................

Nominees phone number: ................................................................................

Name of the person making the nomination: ......................................................


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DE A R AU D R E YFrom time to time we receive inquiriesthat we think are worth sharing for onereason or another. Email your birdquestion to Audrey Audubon [email protected]. Somenames have been changed to protect the

innocent.

Dear AudreyWe have one baby cardinal with a

black bill to go with his black face.

He is just about five days old. Mywife and I think he is unique. He is

the only one we have ever seen. All

the other baby cardinal babies havethe light-colored bills. Please reply.

Thank you,

Tom

Tom - Congratulations on your

cardinal nesting! I consulted wi thChip Chipley of American Bird

Conservancy among others and thisis what his response is. I dont know

which Birds of North America book

he is referring to. It seems all thebird books use that title. Now the

question is...what about those

nestlings with already orange bills?Hmmm.

Audrey Audubon

To: Audrey Audubon

According to the Birds of NorthAmerica account of the cardinal,

bill of nestlings and juveniles is

gray to black, but becomes orangeby winter. Hope this helps! Best,

Chip

Thank you for all your help. The

little cardinal comes to the feeder

with his mother and father. Thefemale makes him stay in the bush

and the female takes him seeds andthe male stays on the ground andwatches out for them both. If you

would like to see him, contact me. I

live in Delaware just below oldNew Castle.

Yours Truly,

TomIncidentally, I made a feeder from a

bird magazine that said it wouldattract cardinals and it has!!!

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Christmas BirdCount Schedule

D E C E M B E R

15 Sunday, MiddletownCompiler-Bruce Lantz378-8469

15 Sunday, Wi lmington

Compiler-HowardBrokaw655-8076

22 Sunday, Bombay

Hook Compiler-AndyEdnie792-9591

28 Saturday, RehobothCompi ler-Joe Swertinski292-1592

29 Sunday,

Cape HenlopenCompiler-FrankRohrbacker475-5771

J A N U A RY 2 0034 Saturday, Seaford

Compiler - Glen Lovelace302-628-3978

5 Sunday, Mi lford

Compiler - Glen Lovelace(302)-628-3978

EV E N T S

NOVEMBER3 Sunday 9:00 amAdopt-a-Highway Pick-UpAdopt-a-Highway pick-upon Creek Rd., Newark.Come lend a hand for acouple of hours and enjoybeing outdoors withcongenial people. We willbe working on Creek Roadfrom Wedgewood Road toWhite Clay Dr. Bring yourown work gloves. Apointed stick for pickingup pieces of paper is ahandy thing to use. Dressfor the weather and bring alunch and binoculars for

birding afterwards, if youwish. Any questions? Callthe Audubon office 428-3959. Meet at theChambers House VisitorCenter north of HopkinsBridge Rd. on Creek Rd.

10 Sunday 9:00 amConowingo DamBald Eagles and Water

Birds. Meet in the parkinglot at the first overlook.

This is a half-day trip.Dress for the weather, as itis always colder near thewater. You may want tobring your lunch andtelescope. Please callPeggy Jahn if you intend togo, 378-6474.

G I V E A W I L D G I F T

NO N G A M E

WI L D L I F E

TA X

CH E C K

-O F F

Please support Delawares Nongame Wildlife program with a donation on yourstate tax return.

The nongame tax checkoff is the primary funding source for Delawares Nongameand Endangered Species Program and is Delawares likeliest source for matchingfunds. The larger the Nongame Wildlife Fund, the more money Delaware cangarner from CARA for the benefit of nongame wildlife.

Let your tax preparer know that you want to contribute to the Nongame WildlifeFund this tax season.


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P reserve Our N atural State

W H A T Y O U C A N D O . . .

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C O N S E RVAT I O N AWA R D NO M I N AT I O N S

Delaware Audubon Society is accepting nominations of individualswho have made significant contributions to the environmental healthof Delaware. The Audubon Conservation Award will be presented atour annual dinner.

The Award is granted to an individual for their significantcontribution, or unusual volunteer service in environmental affairs,for a period of years. Past recipients have been Peggy Jahn, LynneFrink, Gwynne Smith, Rick West, Jacob Kreshtool , Til Purnell , DonSharpe, Barbara Lundberg, Leah Roedel, Ruth Ann Minner, JosephBiden, Winston Wayne, Russell Peterson, Grace Pierce-Beck,Dorothy Mil ler, Edward W. Cooch, Jr., Lynn Wil liams, Thomas Sharpand Ann Rydgren.

To nominate, please fill out the following form and return to:AwardDelaware Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 1713Wilmington, DE 19899

Nominations must be received before December 15, 2002.

FE D E R A L W E T L A N D S BI L L

Federal Senate Bill 2780 and House Bill 5194 propose legislation that willrestore federal protection for millions of acres of wetlands that provide

crucial habitat for birds and other wildli fe.

These bills called the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2002 seekto remedy a Supreme Court decision last year that removed federalprotection for isolated wetlands across the United States. That decisionsaid federal officials could not rely on the Migratory Bird Treaty Actorthe presence of migrating birdsas the sole factor when acting to protectwetlands that are separated from navigable waterways or other wetlands.

These wetlands are not isolated from wildlife, they are a haven for birds,and the Supreme Court decision seriously undercuts their protections, saidBob Perciasepe, Audubons Senior VP for Public Policy. Millions of birdsdepend on isolated wetlands for their survival. More than half of the duck

population produced each year in North America comes from breeding inisolated wetlands known as prairie potholes, for example.

Other types of isolated wetlands, such as bogs and playas, provide crucialhabitat for shore birds, raptors, cranes and other migratory birds. Isolatedwetlands, which are connected hydrologically to navigable waters, alsofilter pollutants from surface run-off, removing pollutants before the wateris taken up by animals, birds and plants.

The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wi s.) and in the House by Reps. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and JohnDingell (D-Mich.).

What you can doPlease contact your legislators and ask themto co-sponsor and support the Clean WaterAuthority Restoration Act of 2002. In theSenate it is Senate Bill 2780. In the House itis House Bill 5194.

SENATOR JOSEPH R. BIDEN1105 N. Market Street, Suite 2000Wilmington, DE 19801-1233(302) 573-6345 (NCC)(302) 678-9483 (K)(302) 856-9275 (S)[email protected]

SENATOR THOMAS R. CARPER3021 Federal BuildingWilmington, DE 19801

(302) 573-6291 (NCC)(302) 674-3308 (K)(302) 856-7690 (S)http://carper.senate.gov/email-form.html

REP. MICHAEL N. CASTLE201 North Walnut Street, Suite 107Wilmington, DE 19801-3970(800) 292-9541(302) 428-1902 (NCC)(302) 736-1666 (K)(302) 856-3334 (S)Delaware@mail .house.gov

2002 NO M I N AT I O N FO R M

Nominee Phone Number: ............................

Title/Position: ................................................

Address: ........................................................

....................................................................

City State Zip: ..............................................

Nominator Phone Number: ..........................

Address: ........................................................

....................................................................

City State Zip: ..............................................

Please provide several brief sentences stating whythe nominee should be considered for this award.Detailed information may be required at a laterdate if the Awards Committee accepts thenomination. This form may be copied if you needmore forms.


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N ews & Views

U pdatesPU R P L E MA RT I NRE P O RT:

Fledgings increased at the Universityof Delaware Agriculture Campus with36 young fledging. Last year thenumber was 20.

The Artesian Water Company boxesproduced a whopping 70 young thisyear. A spectacular recovery from lastyears ten birds.

The Purple Martins at my house aredoing about the same as last year.Forty-eight young fledged.

Peggy Jahn

BL U E B I R D RE P O RT :

The largest number of Bluebirds wehave ever had at MBNA DeerfieldGolf Course were fledged. Seventybirds fledged from 13 nest boxes. Lastyear there were 65 fledged.

The DuPont Golf Course produced36 young.

Peggy Jahn

P I P I N G PL O V E RNE S T I N G SE A S O N

It looks like we will wrap up theseason with seven chicks, accordingto Holly Niederriter, the Division ofFish and Wildlifes nongame andendangered species biologist. Nomatter how hard DNREC andvolunteers work to help the ploversrecover, we always seem to behanging by our fingertips. There is so

little piping plover habitat left that itis very dif f icult to turn thingsaround.

Last year there were nine fledglings.In 2000, five chicks fledged and in1999 six chicks fledged.

DNREC News

ED U C AT I O N RE P O RT

This month approximately 175Audubon Adventure Kits are arrivingin classrooms throughout the state.Cape Henlopen School DistrictsScience Coalition Specialist, LindaGregory reports, My Audubonadventure Kit just arrived!!! It is aperfect fit for the 5th grade eco-systems kit! This years kit focuseson four biomes or ecosystems;North American wetlands, deserts,forests and coasts.

To assist Delaware teachers with theimplementation of these four

newspapers, Delaware Audubonwill be sponsoring workshops forteachers. The first workshop wi ll beNov. 21, from 4-6 pm at CapeHenlopen District Office, 1270Kings Highway, Lewes.

To register, contact Linda Gregory [email protected] or cal l302 -645-6686 ext. 232. Pleasecontact her by November 14 sinceDelaware Audubon Society will beproviding pizza and beverages andwe will need to know the numberattending. Be sure to include yourname, school, district and phonenumber (home and school) and e-mail address.

A second workshop is in theplanning stages for Kent and NewCastle County. An invitation to theworkshops will be mailed to allAudubon Adventures Teachers.

Kathy Tidball,

Education Chair

JO I N DE L AWA R E AU D U B O N NO W !


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what course of action they findsupported by the data.

Delaware Audubon is a member ofthe alliance of environmental/citizensgroups who are opposed to thedeepening. The report found there tobe no clear benefit to the State ofDelaware and that the economics ofthe project were not justified, and

there remain environmentalconcerns. After the release of thisreport, DNREC gave the Corps 30days in which to amend theDelaware permit request. The 30-dayperiod ends September 30, 2002. Thepublic will then have until October30 to respond on the Corpssamendments. The final decision onthe subaqueous lands permit will bemade by the Secretary of DNRECsometime after October 30. DelawareAudubon and the Alliance strongly

believe that the Secretary shoulddeny the permit in total based on theunbiased, expert analysis done byEconomic Analysis, Inc., and theGeneral Accounting Office report.

Leslie Savage

Leslie Savage is the Delaware Audubonrepresentative to the Alliance to Dump theDelaware Deepening.

In the woods you may hear the Blue Jayscreaming what sounds like, "Thief! Thief!Thief!" Its loud cries warn other birds andmammals of an approaching predator, whetheranimal or human. The Blue Jay's scienti fi cname is derived from Greek and Latin wordsand means, in reverse, "crested, blue chatteringbird," an apt designation.

For more information and a color picture of thebird go to our website delawareaudubon.org.

B i rd T a l e s . . .

HE R E I S A B I R D F O R Y O U T O C O L O R.

In the late spring, the GeneralAccounting Office, the investigativearm of Congress, issued their findingsconcluding their investigation of theproposed project and its viability.They found a number of falseassumptions and economic dataerrors by the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers that, when corrected,would change the cost/benefit ratio

(which is required by Congress to bebetter than 1:1) to below the requiredthreshold. The GAO concluded thatthe project was not economicallyjustified and the Corps overstated thebenefits of this project.

In Delaware, we are still waiting forthe decision by the Secretary ofDNREC whether or not to grant theArmy Corps of Engineers asubaqueous lands permit. In May, areport and recommendation were

made to DNREC by EconomicAnalysis, Inc., after a study of all thepertinent data submitted by both theCorps and all those opposing thisproject. Economic Analysis, Inc., is agroup of consultants hired by DNRECto evaluate all the data pertaining tothe deepening dredge proposal andto make a report andrecommendation to DNREC as to

N ews & Views

C H R I S T M A SBI R D C O U N T

The Christmas Bird Count season isupon us! Every winter in lateDecember and early January, forover 100 years, birders throughout

the country have spent veryenjoyable days surveying localwinter bird populations for theChristmas Bird Count.

Started by the National AudubonSociety as an option to the thencommon annual winter ChristmasBird Hu nt, the counts are nowcoordinated by BirdSource, a jointeffort between National Audubonand Cornell Laboratory ofOrnithology. All the data collectedover the years is now available at

.

There are a number of counts inDelaware sponsored by theDelmarva Ornithological Society. Alist of counts appears in theCalendar. Find a date and countthat suits your holiday scheduleand call the leader to see how youcan participate.

PR O J E C T T O DR E D G E T H E DE L AWA R E RI V E RMA I N CH A N N E L AN AD D I T I O N A L F I V E FE E T


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BO O K S O F I N T E R E S T& OT H E R C H R I S T M A S G I F T S

The Sibley Guide to Birdsby David Sibley. Knopf, 2000.

544pp. $28.Produced in conjunction with the

National Audubon Society, thisstunning guidebook provides 6,600drawings by the authors hand,illustrating more than 800 species ofbirds indigenous to North America.Each entry depicts a bird in itsvarious stages of maturity, whilesitting and standing, and in flight.

West Ni le Storyby Dickson Despommier.

Apple Trees Productions, LLC, 2001.133pp. (103pp. of text plusreferences and index.) $14.99. Orderfrom [email protected].

The author, a Columbia U.Professor of Public Health andMicrobiology, describes the scienceand drama of identifying WNV, theforeign agent, and the link amongdying humans, horses, and birds.This is a nice background sourcewith references and without

journalistic hype.

Vital Signs 2002: The TrendsThat Are Shaping Our Future.Norton, 2002. 215pp. $14.95.

Produced annually by theWorldwatch Institute, a nonprofit,environmental and public policyresearch organi zation, this guideidentifi es trends marki ng social ,economic and environmentalprogressor the lack thereof. Topicsspan food and agriculture, energy,atmosphere, transportation, health,and the mili tary.

Water: The Fate of O ur MostPrecious Resourceby Marq de Villiers. Mariner Books,2001. 352pp. $15.

De Vill iers provides a globalperspective on potable watersupplies and the impact that peoplehave on them. He identifies effectivewater-management policies already

in place and offers ideas forpromoting conservation worldwide.

Any book ordered through the

DelawareAudubon.org book store

benefits Delaware Audubon. Please use

http:/ /d ela war eaudu bon.org/marke t.html

. Help support Delaware Audubon!

Membership in D elawareAudubon (see page 6 forapplication).

Bluebird Nest BoxesPriced at $20/pine and $25/cedar.Order now for yourself and yourfriends. Please arrange for pick-upwhen you order from Fred Jahn,(302) 378-6474. Designed byWarren Lauder, this box has provento be one of the best. Nest boxesshould go up in February beforeBluebirds return to nest. Ha ppy

Ho l i d a ys !

November-December 2002 Delaware Audubon Society Newsletter

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Transcript of November-December 2002 Delaware Audubon Society Newsletter