Conservation Blog

Protect Rare Nesting Birds

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:03:05 -0400

Temporary protections have helped nesting birds like this Least Tern and its chicks. Tell the National Park Service that wildlife protection is not optional.  Photo: Lindsay Addison
Decades of unregulated beach driving have pushed the birds at Cape Hatteras National Seashore — a globally significant Important Bird Area — to the brink. Populations of waterbirds that nest on the Seashore's beaches, like Least Terns and Black Skimmers, plummeted 84% in just ten years from 1997 to 2007. Rare sea turtles were also suffering alarming declines. Audubon and other conservation groups successfully pushed for a temporary science-based management plan, which, in just four years, has allowed these birds and turtles to make a comeback.
Now the National Park Service is proposing new, permanent regulations for off-road vehicle use on the Seashore's beaches that jeopardize much-needed wildlife protections and put the future for birds like the Piping Plover, Least Tern, Black Skimmer, and many other shorebird species in doubt.

Submit your public comments on this proposed regulation today. Tell the National Park Service to protect the wildlife that depends upon Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The deadline to submit public comments is next Tuesday, September 6.
The proposed regulations will control what happens at Cape Hatteras for decades and set a precedent for other national parks. A balanced plan would guarantee adequate space and protections for wildlife, while still allowing responsible beach driving in some areas so that all visitors can fully enjoy this national treasure. As written, the proposed regulation does not mandate specific, science-based protections for the wildlife that depends on the Seashore. In fact, it protects ONLY the rights of off-road vehicle users to drive on large areas of the beach to the exclusion of wildlife, it treats wildlife protection as optional, and it provides few areas for families to safely enjoy vehicle-free beaches. The National Park Service needs to know that people like you support management at your national parks that safeguards wildlife from off-road driving and balances the needs of all user groups.

Tell the National Park Service that you support protection for birds, sea turtles, and other natural resources.
Thank you for taking the time to speak out on behalf of Cape Hatteras and all of our National Parks.

Sincerely,  David Yarnold President & CEO

Trouble with the "Take Action" links in the message? Try cutting-and-pasting this link into your web browser: www.audubonaction.org/site/Advocacy?id=1147

Audubon 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 861-2242 | audubonaction@audubon.org 

A War on Wildlife

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:53:24 -0400

The House of Representatives has left town for their summer recess, but not before unveiling a barrage of new anti-wildlife provisions in the Interior spending bill. These provisions threaten the extinction of Mexican gray wolves in the wild, endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles and gentle manatees. We must stop them. I just sent a message to my representative, and I hope you will too. It's easy to help. Just take action online at http://dfnd.us/r1yMoR

Click on Take Action for Wolves, Sea Turtles and Manatees – if you are a member - please identify yourself as a Friends of Wertheim member – it is very important that we get as many signatures as possible.

Thank you
Claire Goad
Friends of Wertheim NWR
President

Wind Project Threatens Birds

Fri, 8 Jul 2011 22:04:42 -0400

Piping Plovers are among the species that could be impacted by large scale wind development along the TX coast. Ask the Corps for a full Environmental Impact Statement before approving permits for a massive wind project in Texas. 
A proposed wind development off the Texas coast is being rushed through without the scientific information necessary to ensure that critical bird and wildlife habitat is protected. Audubon supports properly sited wind development but only after careful review and appropriate scientific study is done to minimize impacts to birds and wildlife and ensure that sensitive habitat is avoided.
What's the Rush? Currently, the Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing a 500-turbine project that would dot the coastline south of Corpus Christi because of impacts to wetlands in the area. Due to impacts to critical coastal shoreline and wetland habitat, Audubon believes a full Environmental Impact Statement is needed before any permits can go forward.

Send a comment to the Army Corps asking them to take the time needed to carefully and fully evaluate this project.
The Texas Gulf Coast, including the Laguna Madre, is one of the most important regions in North America for migrating songbirds and shorebirds. After crossing the Gulf of Mexico, the Texas coastline is the first opportunity for millions of migrants to land and rest. Such a bottleneck of high numbers of birds at one time makes them vulnerable to obstacles and conditions encountered as they approach the coast. Many shorebirds and waterbirds also nest on the Texas coast, and/or winter there. The number of shorebirds is so high in habitats throughout the Laguna Madre and Padre Island National Seashore that they are designated as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site.

Don't let this project be rushed through without adequate study. Tell the Army Corps of Engineers that a full environmental impact statement must be done before this project can be approved.

Trouble with the "Take Action" links in the message? Try cutting-and-pasting this link into your web browser: www.audubonaction.org/site/Advocacy?id=1103

Audubon 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036 (512) 782-0895 | audubonaction@audubon.org 