Our Butterfly Garden at Busch CA has been staked off and the ground is ready for planting to begin in early May. The surrounding area will be seeded with prairie plants by the Department of Conservation. If you would like to volunteer plants or time, please contact the project Coordinators, Jack Harris or Jeannie Moe.

The Rookery near Alorton/Centreville, Illinois is out of danger - we have received additional information that it is not located as close to the proposed site development as originally believed. Thanks to all who sent in letters.

Our Committee is going forward with plans to gather data for the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service project (in conjunction with the American Ornithologists' Union and American Bird Conservancy) on tower kills of birds. The purpose of the USFWS study is to determine scientifically what changes can be made to the towers that will reduce bird strikes and still provide a safe warning to aircraft. If you are an early riser and would like to help gather data, please contact Ken Cohen or Sue Gustafson). We have targeted two large towers and are waiting for permission from the owners of the towers and adjacent properties to go in looking for dead and injured birds this spring. On a recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley, Jim Ziebol and I met Bill Evans, whose web site "www.towerkill.com" is a good resource on this subject. He has been studying the problem for many years. Because birds are shrinking in numbers (some species are down by 50% or more in the last 20 years), it is all the more important to try and stop or decrease the number killed by towers. It is estimated that there are 75,000 "problem" towers - over 200 feet in height - in existence today, and another 100,000 such towers will be constructed in the next decade! So the problem will get worse as the telecommunications industry expands.

Data of bird fatalities and injuries from striking lighted buildings in New York City and Toronto indicate that White-throated Sparrows are one of the 5 most frequently found species. Perhaps it is more than a coincidence to note the declining numbers of this species each spring in Tower Grove Park. The other species most frequently found in Manhattan are Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, Junco, and Woodcock.

Our Committee is looking into requesting Important Bird Area (IBA) status for several of our local birding spots. The IBA program is a Partners in Flight project and in the U.S. it is administered by the National Audubon Society. The Board enthusiastically supported this idea at its April meeting.

[Conservation Committee Page] [WGNSS Home]