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EVERGLADE KITENEWSLETTEROFTHE
AUDUBONSOCIETYOFTHEEVERGLADESServingPalmBeachCounty,Florida
Volume46,Number8a(WWWversion)May2006
CALENDARTues.May2,7:30p.m.Generalmeeting,HowardParkCommunityCenter.
Sat.May68:00a.m.Spanish River Park, Boca Raton.MeetatsouthsideofSpanishRiv-erBlvd.justwestofA1A.Leader:ChuckWeber
Tues.May9,4:00p.m.SUNSET Walk: WakodahatcheeWetlands, Boynton Beach. Meetat boardwalk. East side of JogRoad, 1.5 mi north of AtlanticAve.Leader:WilmaZane.
Sat.May13,alldaySpringMigrationCount.CompilerCynthiaPlockelman
SAVETHEDATE!AudubonAssembly2006
October19-21Duetothecancellationlastfall,wearegearingupforagreateventthisOctober!Joinusforthisweekendofnetworking, education, advocacyandbirding!Location:HolidayInnCocoaBeachOceanfrontResortSpecialrate:$89.99/night.Reservationsat800-206-2724.SpecialAudubonrategoodthroughSeptember27only.Don’tmissit!PlantoattendFlorida’slargest gathering of conservation-mindedcitizens. Joinchapter leadersand members, Audubon staff,wildlife professionals, environmentaladvocates,scientists,students,agencyand elected officials, and otherFloridianstonetworkandlearnabouttheenvironment.DetailsincludingAssemblyregistrationinformation, programs, exhibits andfield tripswillappear in thesummerNaturalist, and available online atwww.audubonofflorida.orginJuly.
TuesdayMay2ndProgramWayneBoynton:WoodDucks
Our program this month features Mr. Wayne Boynton. A fourth-generation Floridian, he is a sugar cane grower in the Glades. A distant cousin of his is the namesake for the city of Boynton Beach. His avocation, however, is wood ducks. Constructing a number of wood boxes on his property, he has attracted mated wood ducks who have successfully nested on his land. He will present a video program of his ducks building a nest, laying their eggs, and rearing their chicks. Please join us at 7:30 P.M. at the Howard Park Community Center.
As incoming president of the Audubon Society of the Everglades, I am honored and humbled by the trust you have placed in me. Over the next two years I will do everything I can to reward that trust and help continue to ensure ASE’s place as a leader in environmental causes here in Palm Beach County. I also look forward to getting the chance to know each of you better over the course of the next two years—by pooling our resources, energy, and ideas we can accomplish great things!As we all know, this is a crucial time for the county. Each new day brings fresh news of major environmental policy debates and decisions (think Scripps Florida, for example). It is no exaggeration to say that the future health of our environment depends on the actions we take now. And this is where our chapter has made, and can continue to make, a major difference. Through educational programs, which instill an appreciation of nature in young students, to other chapter activities (such as birdwalks) that enable community members to make a connection with nature, our chapter’s purpose is to promote the conservation of wildlife and the natural environment and to advance human understanding of our place in the total ecological system. But remember, we can’t accomplish this important work without you! Please consider getting more involved in our chapter in whatever capacity you can—whether it’s as chapter greeter, bird-walk participant, news column contributor, or even (!) chapter secretary, we will benefit from your talents.My first President’s Comments column wouldn’t be complete without a heartfelt thanks to Claudine Laabs for her many years of service on the board, including her two years of service as ASE president. My job will be that much easier since, just a few months ago, Claudine created a business committee to help the chapter make major advances in fundraising in the months and years to come. Thank you, Claudine, for all of your hard work – and I hope we’ll continue to benefit from your artistic vision, energy, and enthusiasm! I’d also like to take a quick moment to salute Carol Shields, indefatigable environmental advocate, two-term ASE president, and long-time board member whose bright cheer brought us all closer together. We wish you the best of luck in your new adventures in Georgia, and we will miss you.
President’sCommentsMarcellaMunson
TheEvergladeKiteisthenewsletteroftheAudubon
SocietyoftheEverglades,published12timesayear.
PresidentMarcellaMunson [email protected]
1stVicePresidentCynthiaPlockelman 585-1278
2ndVicePresidentRickByrnes 798-6566
SecretaryANYVOLUNTEERS?
TreasurerLeahSchad 848-9984
FieldTripsGloriaHunter [email protected]
BirdID GloriaHunter 585-7714
ConservationRosa(Cissie)Durando 965-2420
EducationSusanSnyder [email protected]
MembershipDebbieSmith 712-1100
SalesStellaRossi 732-4786
LibraryGloriaHunter 585-7714
HospitalitySheilaReiss 627-0510
BusinessCommitteeRobertDebbs [email protected]
GrantsEstherZaresky 689-6689
[email protected]://www.auduboneverglades.org
Audubon Society of the Everglades,incorporated in 1966, serves com-munitiesinPalmBeachCounty.Ourpurposeistopromotetheconserva-tionofwildlifeandthenaturalenvi-ronmentandtoadvancehumanun-derstandingofourplaceinthetotalecologicalsystem.
For those of you who missed all the good times of our annual meeting on April 4, you should know we presented a beautiful plaque, our Conservation Award, to the Palm Beach Post. They consistently, through editorials, reporting, and even some humorous columns, supported our environmental issues. Freedom of the press has got to be THE most important of our freedoms. Without that, we have nothing!On March 20, John Flicker, president of the National Audubon Society, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Assistant Secretary of the Army. The Army Corps of Engineers loves birds and wetlands and will give us the time of day. The caveat: “subject to the availability of resources and in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and Army policies.” Seven hoped-for guidelines follow, five of which are constrained by the phrase “as appropriate.”The problem is, the mentions of Audubon, MOU, and Corps will lull some of you folks into no action or comment mode because “God’s in his Heaven and all’s right with the world.”Our county commissioners behaved badly in changing three rural (no utilities), agricultural, one unit/ten acres into urban areas (many units/acre) and caused the need to extend county water and sewage lines into new areas. No justification.With two commissioners voting to continue a road across the Site 1 water impoundment (reservoir) near the Refuge and the Hillsboro canal, they finally decided to propose taking this road off the county thoroughfare plan. A developer’s representative did not want to see this happen because of a near future intention to apply for a new 1400 urban type development. All of this on agricultural land between the Refuge and west of S.R. 7.The all-powerful South Florida Water Management District placidly voted to give a permit to develop in Wellington, around the Big Blue Cypress Preserve, and not require a conservation easement, nor do the words “in perpetuity” occur. They also decided not to dismantle Acme pumps 1 and 2 near Wellington. These are the pumps that have been pumping that cruddy water directly, sans treatment, into the Refuge.And the beat goes on…
ConservationReportRosaDurando
ReadtheKiteontheWeb!For more information about this and other stories (book reviews, details on the Great Backyard Bird Count results for Florida, and more) read the extended version of our newsletter at our website:www.auduboneverglades.org
Black-throatedBlueWarblerbyStevend’Amato
AttheLibraryThe Audubon collection at the main library (3650 Summitt Blvd. in West Palm Beach) has lots of summer reading for you—check it out!Kenn Kaufman’s Kingbird Highway is a fabulous read about a penniless young man crossing the country attempting to see more bird species in one year than many birders see in a lifetime. Pete Dunne’s collections of essays (3 of them are in the library: Tales of a Low-Rent Birder, More Tales of a Low-Rent Birder, and Before the Echo) are always entertaining. His own version of the big year, Feather Quest, recounts, among other adventures, his day at the inaugural World Series of Birding with Roger Tory Peterson. If you’ll be traveling this summer, check out the library’s collection of regional birdfinding guides, species and family guides, and more—there’s sure to be something to strike your fancy.
Newatyourlocalbookstore Michael Grunwald, The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. The author of this history of the Everglades took two years off from his job at the Washington Post to write this book, and we’re all glad he did. Grunwald provides a thoroughly researched and readable account of the environmental destruction perpetrated on south Florida in the name of progress. From Browardization to Hollandizing the Glades, Grunwald sheds light on the history of ditches, drainage, and dirt moving spearheaded by the Army Corps of Engineers. An absolute must read for anyone who lives in, visits, has ever been to, or knows anyone who has been to, our state.(Web article Continued on page 4)
SummerReadingBenKolstad
GreatBackyardBirdCountBreaksRecords
The ninth annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which took place February 17–20, set new records as participation soared across the United States and Canada. From backyards to wildlife refuges, bird watchers tallied a record-breaking 623 bird species and 7.5 million individual birds during the four-day event, coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Participants sent in more than 60,000 checklists, providing a wealth of information unmatched in previous years.The flood of reports yielded what would have been otherwise impossible—a comprehensive snapshot of the continent’s birdlife. “With more people watching birds, together we discovered amazing things,” said Paul Green, director of Citizen Science for National Audubon Society. “In some places, observers described flocks of robins so large their combined calls were louder than jetliners, and good seed crops in northwest Canada caused several species of seedeaters to remain in sub-zero northern Canada rather than move to warmer areas further south.”American Robins are typically reported in greatest number by observers in the balmy southern states, but they inundated the Northwest this year, including Washington State, where flocks of 40,000 or more were seen and totals skyrocketed to 96 percent above last year’s count. In contrast, tallies of robins were down to less than one-half of their 2005 numbers in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi for reasons that are as yet unclear.Although most insect-loving birds travel south of the United States in winter, warm weather may also have enticed some swallow and warbler species to stay farther north than usual, living on a partly vegetarian diet. The number of bird watchers who reported Orange-crowned Warblers rose by more than 50 percent compared with last year and they reported twice as many birds, some of which were eating suet and nectar from feeders. Tree Swallows, which can feed on bayberry berries during winter, have broadened their distribution from 11 states in 2001 to 20 states in 2006. Adjusted numbers were up by 134 percent compared with last year. (Web Article Continued on page 4)
ASE Vice President Cynthia Plockelman, long-time employee of the South Florida Water Management District, is “an individual who deeply understands the interconnectedness of our natural world and its influence on the well-being of humanity” according to Art Cason of John D. MacArthur Beach State Park. On April 15th Plockelman was honored with the Environmental Champion Award at the park, during their annual Earth Day celebration event, “Naturescaping.” She received a paradise tree to replace one of the two she lost in last year’s hurricanes.Cynthia, co-chair of ASE’s conservation committee, has long believed that the community must maintain its connection to the native environment through county and state activism. She was instrumental in establishing the Palm Beach County chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and has held many offices in that organization.We all congratulate Cynthia on this well deserved honor celebrating her tireless efforts on behalf of the environment here in Palm Beach County.
CynthiaPlockelmannamedEnvironmentalChampion
Great Backyard Bird Count continued from page 3.Complete tallies and maps are available at the Great Backyard Bird Count web site www.birdsource.org/gbbc. along with photos and narratives about other birds—including species in southern states hit by hurricanes, the stunning invasion of Snowy Owls in the Pacific Northwest, migratory pathways of Sandhill Cranes, regional rarities such as a Black-throated Blue Warbler in Connecticut, and continued drops in counts of American Crows, which have been plagued by West Nile virus.The web site also announces winners of this year’s contests for localities with the highest participation, and features some of the more than 3,000 bird photos sent in for the photo contest. CHECKLIST CHAMPS FOR 2006Florida placed ninth in number of counts submitted this year, and set a new record in the process with 2,263 checklists submitted, up from the previous year’s record total of 2,164. Let’s see if we can top this in 2007!With more than 60,000 checklists submitted continent-wide, the 2006 Great Backyard Bird Count ranks as the second-highest ever in participation, up 15 percent compared with last year and up a whopping 40 percent from two years ago. Fifteen states set new records for checklists submitted. The following are the checklist champs for this year’s competition:Top10States:1.NewYork(3,978)2.Pennsylvania(3,173)3.Virginia(2,863)4.NorthCarolina(2,847)5.Ohio(2,833)6.Texas(2,754)7.California(2,550)8.Georgia(2,507)9.Florida(2,263)10.Michigan(2,071)
“The success of citizen-science projects such as the Great Backyard Bird Count is built upon the generosity, skill, and enthusiasm of our participants. It was incredibly exciting to watch the number of checklists climb this year,” said Janis Dickinson, director of Citizen Science for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Next year’s Great Backyard Bird Count takes place February 16–19, 2007.[Ed. Note: most of this article can be found at Cornell’s web site; I include it here in hopes of inspiring you to search for it yourselves!]
Book reviews continued from page 3.Jonathan Alderfer, Complete Birds of North America. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2006. With two major publications in the last three years and a host of small, region- and state-specific photo guides, National Geographic looks poised to control the market for birding references. However, they seem to be relying on name recognition, rather than any inherent strength, to sell their product. Their pocket-sized state bird guides, if the one for Florida is anything to judge by, are aimed at enticing new birders into the field, rather than providing state-specific coverage on the level of their national guide. Using only one photo per bird doesn’t even allow the reader to see sexual dimorphism, let alone seasonal variations in plumage. These inexpensive guides are to be avoided. Another way to say inexpensive is closer to the truth: cheap.It’s a different story, however, with their recent (2003) Reference Atlas to the Birds of North America, and their new (2006) companion to their field guide, the Complete Birds of North America. Both of these volumes, while not expensive, are anything but cheap. The Reference Atlas relies on the incredible cartographic resources available to “the Geo” to provide hundreds of range and distribution maps and scores of migration route maps.Most birders will find the Complete Birds has a familiar look, because it picks up the art from the 4th edition of the Field Guide, supplementing it with a few new pieces here and there. While it may have a familiar look, it definitely has an unfamiliar feel. The spine is so tight it seems to insist on holding the book shut; the paper stock is heavy gloss, which must be extremely expensive, because the print extends so far into the inside margins that it’s difficult to read at times. However, for those who make the effort, the rewards are substantial. Species accounts and art combine to make this book a strong contender to replace some of its worthy predecessors, like Kenn Kaufmann’s Lives of North American Birds and Fred Alsop’s Smithsonian guide to birds. Only Paul Erlich’s Birder’s Handbook is unthreatened by this affordable new volume from National Geographic. I still don’t understand why no major publisher is able to combine the art and range maps of this type of book with the consistent and systematic presentation of lifecycle status (nesting, fledging, habitat, range) of Erlich.
Audubon,CorpsAgreetoProtectandRestoreHabitatsforBirds,FishandOtherWildlife
On March 20, the National Audubon Society signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to agree to work together to take measures that protect, restore and manage habitat that benefits birds, fish and other wildlife while meeting human needs and fulfilling congressional authorizations.John Flicker, President of the National Audubon Society, and John Paul Woodley Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), co-signed the MOU to provide a foundation for collaboration between the two organizations.“Audubon is committed to working with the Corps of Engineers in the preservation of our nation’s natural resources,” said Mr. Flicker. “This memorandum will allow Audubon and the Corps to strengthen our coordination. The Corps’ operations around the country include land and water resources vital to birds and wildlife; by working together we can not only improve habitat quality, but also improve the environment and public understanding.”“The National Audubon Society is a leader in protecting habitat and educating citizens about conservation,” Mr. Woodley said. “This partnership combines our expertise toward the worthy goal of conserving habitats and ecosystems which in turn provides a healthy, diverse and sustainable environment for wildlife and people.”We hope that this attempt at collaboration between the National Audubon Society and the Corps of Engineers will have a positive impact on diverse landscapes throughout the United States, such as the Mississippi River and the Everglades. [Ed.: Tropical Audubon is still suing the Corps over their approach to issuing permits near Everglades National Park; ASE has serious reservations about the good faith of the corps in our area as well. Theoretically, the MOU] calls on the two organizations to:
• Encourage water management measures that benefit migratory and resident native birds, other wildlife, plants and natural communities while meeting human needs;• Foster wetland protection and restoration and demonstration projects to test promising innovative water management strategies;• Promote non-structural flood protection, where appropriate and consistent with human health and safety, and other measures to restore or maintain natural ecosystem functions at sustainable levels;• Promote the gathering and sharing of scientific data and research; and• Cooperate in public information and education efforts.
The press release put out by National and the Corps refers to a set of Environmental Operating Principles that the Corps first announced in 2002 (available at http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/envprinciples.htm). These principles, as legally unenforceable as the MOU just signed, are supposed to “ensure that the Corps considers conservation, environmental preservation and restoration in all its activities and, by implementing them, the Corps will continue its efforts to develop the scientific, economic and sociological measures to achieve environmentally sustainable solutions to the nation’s water resources problems.” [Ed.: According to the MOU, it will be up to the state office of Audubon (for us, AoF) to coordinate the communication between the local Corps offices and Audubon. If you’re interested in protecting and restoring the Everglades, please contact the conservation committee.]
TheBorealForest:BirdNurseryoftheNorth:InternationalMigratory
BirdDay,May13,2006The Boreal Forest: Bird Nursery ofthe North is the theme for this year’sInternational Migratory Bird Day(IMBD)Saturday,May13. IMBDisanannual celebration ofmigratory birds:theirbeauty,amazingabilities,andthebenefits they provide. Special eventsheld around the country, includingbird festivals, birdwatching trips, andeducational programs aim to increaseawareness about the threats to birdsand encourage bird conservation.IMBD is observed each year on thesecond Saturday in May to coincidewiththereturnofspringmigrants.Each spring and fall, migratory birdsmakeincrediblejourneysbetweentheirbreeding grounds in North AmericaandtheirwinteringgroundsinMexico,Central,andSouthAmerica.Thisyear,IMBD celebrates the North AmericanBoreal Forest, the largest remainingunspoiled forest left on the earth andthebirthplaceofbillionsofbirdseachyear.TheBorealForestRegionofNorthAmerica stretches across 3,500 milesfromAlaskatotheAtlanticOcean.The Boreal Forest ecosystem is amosaicofhabitatsmadeupof forests,lakes, wetlands, rivers and tundra. Itiscritical to thesurvivalofnearlyhalfof all NorthAmerican species, whichreturneachyeartotheforesttobreed.At least 20 percent of birds at NorthAmerican birdfeeders in winter havereturned after a summer in theBorealForest.Threats to the North AmericanBoreal Forest include forestry,mining,andagriculture.Currently,muchoftheboreal is untouched by development,butone-thirdoftheregionhasalreadybeensetasideforindustrialuse.Manyof thebirdsweseeinouryardsandenjoyinourparksandrefugesusetheBoreal ForestRegion tohatchandraise their young. Some examples ofBoreal birds include several warblerspecies such as Nashville, Tennessee,Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Black-throatedGreen, CapeMay,Magnolia,and Yellow-rumped warbler. Theendangered Whooping Crane, aspeciesrecentlyreintroducedtoFloridaandWisconsin,isalsoaborealbird.
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protect, and conserve our natural world, especially the birds.
Name ____________________________________
Address __________________________________
City _______________ State ____ Zip _________
Phone _______________________
e-mail _______________________
How did you hear about us? _____________________________________________________________Regular membership $20.00
I would like to donate an additional$20$50$100$__________
MembershipsintheNationalAudubonSocietymakegreatgifts!In Florida, a special 3-way membership automatically makes you a member in the National Audubon Society,
Audubon of Florida, and Audubon Society of the Everglades. Your membership will include subscriptions to AUDUBON magazine and the EVERGLADE KITE.
Make check payable to National Audubon Society and send to: Membership Chair Audubon Society of the Everglades PO Box 16914 West Palm Beach, FL 33416-6914
E007XCH
Recipient of Gift Membership:
Name _____________________________________
Address ___________________________________
City ______________________________________
The Audubon Society of the Everglades General Meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at Howard Park Community Center in West Palm Beach. The phone number for the Community
Center is (561) 835-7055. The public is welcome to attend.
GETPUBLISHED!ThedeadlineforsubmissionsfortheJune2006issueisMay10th
AudubonSocietyoftheEvergladesPOBox16914WestPalmBeach,FL33416-6914(561)588-6908
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PAIDWestPalmBeach,Florida
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TheEvergladeKiteisamonthlypublicationoftheAudubonSocietyoftheEverglades,P.O.Box16914,West Palm Beach, Florida, 33416-6914. Also available on the web: www.auduboneverglades.org.Members:AdvertiseintheKite.3linesfor$10.Contactnewsletter@auduboneverglades.org
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