My post? I first became interested in Alaska’s Aleutian chain in 1968 when I was issued orders to the Alaskan Air Command’s radar site at Shemya, which is also in the chain.
Luckily, I was diverted to Sparrevohn, AFS, on the mainland which was still remote, but considerably less barren.
I commend your efforts and add my best wishes for your continued successes.
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Last summer, when biologists walked along the rocky cliffs on Rat Island, one of more than 2,000 islands in Alaska’s Aleutian chain, they encountered an eerie silence. This place should have been a cacophonous and lively melee of bird calls.
The reason for the silence? Invasive rats. They colonized the island after a Japanese fishing vessel wrecked against its rocky shore in 1798. Their numbers multiplied, and for more than two centuries the voracious rats have preyed on bird eggs and young chicks. The birds gone, silence spread from shore to shore.
Showing posts with label bird conservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bird conservation. Show all posts
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
More Than $88,000 for Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation in Illinois
Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced more than $88,000 in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant funds will support neotropical migratory bird conservation in Illinois. Audubon-Chicago Region will receive $88,310 and partners will match with $265,170 to return publicly owned hayfields and degraded grasslands in surrounding Chicago to a diverse prairie habitat, greatly increasing numbers of neotropical migrant grassland birds.
“Chicago is a major migration stop-over point in the Midwest for neotropical migratory birds,” said Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius. “Birds are indicators of the health of our environment. Our partnership with Audubon-Chicago helps ensure that we are doing everything we can to address the conservation concerns affecting this important habitat for migrating birds in Illinois.”
The State of the Birds 2009, a report released earlier this year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state agencies and non-federal partners, revealed sobering declines of bird populations during the past 40 years. In the grasslands of the Midwest, conservation efforts are critical to protect grasslands that are essential for the birds in a landscape where little native prairie remains. This report calls attention to the collective efforts needed to protect nature's resources for the benefit of people and wildlife. (For the full report, visit http://www.stateofthebirds.org .)
“Chicago is a major migration stop-over point in the Midwest for neotropical migratory birds,” said Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius. “Birds are indicators of the health of our environment. Our partnership with Audubon-Chicago helps ensure that we are doing everything we can to address the conservation concerns affecting this important habitat for migrating birds in Illinois.”
The State of the Birds 2009, a report released earlier this year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state agencies and non-federal partners, revealed sobering declines of bird populations during the past 40 years. In the grasslands of the Midwest, conservation efforts are critical to protect grasslands that are essential for the birds in a landscape where little native prairie remains. This report calls attention to the collective efforts needed to protect nature's resources for the benefit of people and wildlife. (For the full report, visit http://www.stateofthebirds.org .)
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