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| BE A CONSERVATIONIST EVERY DAY.. DO IT FOR THE BIRDS!!! |
| THINGS YOU CAN DO EVERY DAY TO SHOW YOU BELIEVE!! - Join wildlife & conservation groups; contribute donations or time. - Participate in citizen-science projects. (see above) - Landscape your garden with native plants that attract birds. - Maintain a birdhouse or provide breeding sites for cavity-nesting birds. - Keep cats indoors! - Avoid using pesticides. - Drink shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee: conserves habitat. - Consume sustainable seafoods; support seabird conservation. - Lobby the government for stronger legal protections. - Help establish Important Bird Areas. - Support land trusts. - Donate your old binoculars. - Share your appreciation of birds with others. |
| LONG ISLAND BIRDING CONSERVATION ISSUES |
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| LEARN & ACT! YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! |
| IN THE NEWS - click here |
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| BIRD, & OTHER, CONSERVATION ISSUES! You can do your part...check these links periodically and send emails to support environmental issues and legislation. BE PRO-ACTIVE.... DO IT FOR THE BIRDS!!! National Audubon Action Alert Page American Bird Conservancy Priority Issues National Wildlife Federation - Act for the Environment Group for the South Fork - Group Action Page Long Island Pine Barrens Society - Action Alerts |
| A Site About Long Island Birds & Birdwatching |
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| NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATIONS ACT NOW CAMPAIGN (CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT NEEDS YOUR ATTENTION NOW! AND FOR WAYS TO HELP |
| BROADWATER FLOATING LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS TERMINAL Description: In November 2004, a floating liquefied natural gas terminal was proposed by Broadwater Energy, a joint venture between Shell U.S. Gas & Power and the TransCanada Corporation. If approved, this floating terminal would be situated in the heart of Long Island Sound. It could be the first of its kind in the nation. The $700 million Broadwater terminal would be about 1,200 feet long, 180 feet wide and 85 feet high - roughly the size of the Queen Mary II cruise ship. The terminal would serve as a depot for liquefied natural gas, a more easily transportable form of natural gas. Its tanks would be kept filled by visiting supply ships (about 2 or 3 per week), and the floating terminal, in turn, would connect to the underwater portion of the Iroquois natural gas pipeline. The terminal, which would be moored to a structure fixed to the Sound floor, would be able to store as much as 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Location: The facility would be located nine miles off the shore of Wading River, Long Island and 11 miles from the shore of Connecticut. The terminal would be moored in New York waters. Environmental Impact: The Broadwater energy project would be, by far, the largest industrial use within the Sound posing a direct threat to the estuary ecosystem and public health alike. Among the potential impacts to be considered by the environmental review process are those to water quality, air quality, marine life and scenic view shed. YES OR NO?? EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THIS ISSUE! LEARN MORE by visiting the following websites: CITIZENS CAMPAIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT FRIENDS OF THE BAY WELCOME TO BROADWATER |
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| THE DARK SKIES PROJECT
Information from The Town of East Hampton, Energy & Light Advisory Committee , 159 Pantigo Road, East Hampton, NY 11937 http://www.town.east-hampton.ny.us You can help protect our night sky, our environment, and our quality of life (and save money for yourself at the same time). Light pollution costs Americans an estimated $4.5 billion per year in wasted electrical energy, consuming millions of barrels of oil and millions of tons of coal, releasing millions of tons of pollutants into the air. Wasted light is expensive in many ways. We pay the price with unhealthy air, water, and land, with increased taxes on our municipal bills, and inflated costs for consumer products and services. LIGHT POLLUTION is caused by misdirected, unshielded, excessive, or unnecessary night lighting. Results: SKYGLOW blocks our view of the starry skies. GLARE blinds drivers, boaters, and pedestrians. LIGHT TRESPASS annoys neighbors. DISRUPTED ECO-SYSTEMS affect the natural cycles of plants & animals. ENERGY EXCESS wastes money and pollutes our environment. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP! Most Light Pollution comes from l50-500 watt floodlights, aimed outward and left on all night, costing at least $225 per year in electricity (based on average rates per LIPA). These lights often disturb our neighbors and light up the night sky with “sky glow”, obscuring the stars. You can help by making these simple changes! - Point your spot and floodlights toward the ground and turn off at 10pm. (Be a better neighbor; check for light trespass.) Savings: $150 per year - Cut the watts. Brighter is not necessarily better. 40-watt porch lights and 45 watt floodlights are usually sufficient to see at night, and save energy. Savings: $l75 per year - Attach a motion sensor (one hour per night). Savings: over $212 per year - Replace with a shielded fixture, which directs the light downward using l/3 less energy and protects the Night Sky. For shielded fixtures go to www.darksky.org/fixtures/fixtures.html Savings: over $221 per year - Use Energy Smart “compact fluorescent” light bulbs for EVERYTHING! Savings: an additional 75% savings and 1/5 as many light bulbs (Remember to buy ¼ the watts for the same light output.) Did you know that the Milky Way is visible to only 1/3 of the world’s population due to Light Pollution? You can help!! |
| CITIZEN SCIENCE (from Bird Scope, Autumn 2005) You can help advance research and conservation by doing what you love….watching birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology (and many other research organizations) depends on volunteers to submit data on birds they see in their travels, or in their own backyards. Reports from volunteers, or Citizen Scientists, are used “to explore questions such as the dynamics of infectious disease in bird populations and the impact of acid rain on their reproductive success”. “Citizen-science participants helped advance research, including conservation work related to forest fragmentation and pollution, and documentation of the spread of a new malady, House Finch eye disease.” Below are some projects that you may be interested in participating in. Join in… help the birds! The Birdhouse Network: Collect breeding data on cavity-nesting birds in your nest box(es). Go to www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse or call 607-254-2416. Birds in Forested Landscapes: Study habitat requirements of forest birds. Go to www.birds.cornell.edu/bfl or call 607-254-2413. Classroom FeederWatch: Kids do research and submit data to scientists via the internet. www.birds.cornell.edu/cfw or call 607-254-2403. EBird: Report and explore bird sightings year-round with this continent-wide online checklist. Go to www.ebird.org or call 607-254-2106. Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project: Survey breeding sites of golden-wings, blue-wings, and hybrids. Go to www.birds.cornell.edu/gowap or call 607-254-2465. Great Backyard Bird Count: Help create a continent-wide snapshot of winter bird populations. Go to www.birdsource.org/gbbc or call 800-843-2473. House Finch Disease Survey: Help researchers track the spread of House Finch eye disease. Go to www.birds.cornell.edu/hofi or call 607-254-2469. Project FeederWatch: Count birds at your feeders for science. Go to www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw or call 607-254-2427. Project PigeonWatch: Help answer the question, “Why are there so many colors of pigeons?” Go to www.birds.cornell.edu/ppw or call 607-254-2455. Urban Bird Studies: People of all ages study doves, crows, gulls, and other city birds. Go to www.urbanbirds.org or call 607-254-2455. |
| ALBATROSSES IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE Government buildings on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge are shedding lead paint that is being eaten by curious albatrosses. Midway is home to the world's largest breeding colony of Laysan Albatrosses, a species already listed as globally vulnerable to extinction. Lead poisoning from the peeling paint is predicted to kill 100,000 of these magnificent ocean wanderers in the next ten years unless action is taken soon. YOU CAN HELP!! CLICK HERE TO SEND EMAIL |
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| GRUMMAN GRASSLANDS, CALVERTON WHAT CAN WE DO TO SAVE THIS AREA? click here for thoughts & information |