Thanks to all your efforts, we have collected over 120 signatures on the Audubon petition to stop the poisoning of blackbirds. We are continuing to collect signatures, so you can still sign the letter that was attached to last month's newsletter and mail it to me.

At our meeting with Department of Conservation officials at Busch on September 26, we learned that the prairie project in Busch will cost approximately 1.4 million dollars and will take out 300 to 500 acres of mixed habitat (trees, shrubs, fields). Forbs will not be planted with the grasses but will be planted later. Prairie species no longer exist in Eastern Missouri (Upland Sandpiper, Bobolink, Henslow's Sparrow, Regal Fritillary, Aragos Skipper) so the ultimate benefit of this project is not clear. The prairie in Busch is in addition to the prairie that the Department of Conservation will put in at Weldon Spring near Blue Grosbeak Trail once it takes back the land that is being used by the federal government for the hazardous waste removal project.

Another action item is to write a letter to President Clinton asking him to designate the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge as a National Monument to keep the area safe from oil drilling. The area is completely undeveloped so far and it is the home of polar bears, caribou, muskoxen, grizzly bears, wolves, foxes, Golden Eagles, Snowy Owls and many other species of birds and animals. This is a campaign of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Just send your letter to the White House, Washington, D.C. If you want to copy the NRDC, their address is 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011. For more information, check out their web site at www.nrdc.org.

At the time of writing this report in early October, the Corps of Engineers has still not issued a permit to Gateway International Raceway on their scaled-down application that will now impact just ½ acre of wetlands instead of their previous plan that would have taken or impacted over 30 acres of wetlands. Stay tuned for the final chapter.

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