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Editorial: "Eight is Enough" May Be Too Much June 20th, 2002
Editorial: Cedar Key Plantation: Albatross or Opportunity June 16th, 2002
Editorial: Hello Cedar Key Plantation, Goodbye Clam Beds June 14th, 2002
Editorial: All`s Quiet on the Water Front June 8th, 2002
Editorial: A Cop in Trouble June 6th, 2002
Editorial: Community Redevelopment Wish Lists June 3rd, 2002
Editorial: Heath Davis and the Power of Politics May 19th, 2002
Editorial: Do We Need Another Hero? May 16th, 2002
Editorial: Support Groups May 8th, 2002
Editorial: Clarification of Speak Out May 7th, 2002
Editorial: Introducing Our Editor April 22nd, 2002
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Editorial: State of the Birds | Editorial: State of the BirdsEditor State of the Birds Message Bird watching is a hobby enjoyed by an estimated one out of every four people, despite the worst intentions of Alfred Hitchcock. Some of those people are casual observers of back yard birds. Some bird watchers are obsessive, traveling great distances to see a rare sight such as a flock of Whooping Cranes. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar has issued a State of the Birds report that has both good news and bad. The status of coastal birds is of particular interest in Cedar Key which draws tourists in pursuit of one of our attractions - the birds. We may take our Brown Pelicans for granted, but thirty years ago they had become rare. Likewise, our Bald Eagles and Ospreys were in danger of extinction prior to the banning of DDT in the United States. Whooping Cranes are of special local interest. Establishment of a Gulf Coast migratory population is well under way, thanks to Herculean efforts by Canadian and U.S. ornithologists who rear and train young Whoopers to fly from Wisconsin to over-wintering sites in Florida. With recognition of conservation success stories like the return of Bald Eagles to Florida, consider shore bird species currently in danger. Red Knots depend on horseshoe crab eggs to fuel their long migration. Over-harvest of horseshoe crabs for pharmaceutical purposes has reduced the breeding success of the Red Knot by 82 percent. (This new value of horseshoe crabs illustrates the formerly unrecognized value of a marine species.) Habitat destruction to build condos on beaches has hurt other shoreline species such as Plovers and Sanderlings. Hurricanes, exotic mosquito borne diseases and rising sea level all afflict shore birds. Yet there is good news in the Department of Interior report. Several species of gulls are thriving. Garbage dumps are their buffet. In the past twenty years, Department of Interior programs have protected or restored 250,000 acres of coastal wetlands. Whooping Cranes, who depend on coastal marshes as over wintering grounds, have rebounded from 15 birds to 266 birds in seventy years. This recovery is proof that, with help, an endangered species can be saved. The next time special interests call for repeal of endangered species legislation please remember that these species can be saved, and the hospitality industry will benefit as well. |
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