Environmental Issues and Birds

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(Reasons why Species today are going extinct)
(Making Easy Choices)
== Making Easy Choices ==
== Making Easy Choices ==
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**Do great art.** This one’s real easy. The primary idea behind the “Threatened, Endangered, Extinct” theme is that artist will be able to create imagery using the included bird species and help spread awareness. You have some tools with the “More Threatened, Endangered, Extinct” Songbird ReMix package. Use them and make a difference. Post your artwork featuring the endangered birds and tell your audience of their plights. Use the text in the Field Guide or write your own. I guarantee you someone will be moved, and perhaps, moved enough to also make a difference.
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'''Do great art.''' This one’s real easy. The primary idea behind the “Threatened, Endangered, Extinct” theme is that artist will be able to create imagery using the included bird species and help spread awareness. You have some tools with the “More Threatened, Endangered, Extinct” Songbird ReMix package. Use them and make a difference. Post your artwork featuring the endangered birds and tell your audience of their plights. Use the text in the Field Guide or write your own. I guarantee you someone will be moved, and perhaps, moved enough to also make a difference.
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**Heal the earth one garden at a time.** One of the primary causes for endangerment and extinction is habitat loss. While few of us can purchase tracts of land to protect and save habitat, almost everyone can garden. Here’s your opportunity to give back to the planet. If you have planting space, whether it be acres or a couple pots on your balcony, use it and plant native plants. You know, the ones that actually belong there. If you’re not aware of what’s native to your area, contact your local native plant society or do internet searches. Native plants and the birds, insects and other wildlife have ancient relationships.  Once you start planting the right plants, the wildlife will rekindle these relationships.  From my own experience, our bird count when from 40 different species a year to over 100 within a three year period. The types of butterflies tripled and the native mammals and insects I didn’t even know existed in our area now are frequent visitors.  
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'''Heal the earth one garden at a time.''' One of the primary causes for endangerment and extinction is habitat loss. While few of us can purchase tracts of land to protect and save habitat, almost everyone can garden. Here’s your opportunity to give back to the planet. If you have planting space, whether it be acres or a couple pots on your balcony, use it and plant native plants. You know, the ones that actually belong there. If you’re not aware of what’s native to your area, contact your local native plant society or do internet searches. Native plants and the birds, insects and other wildlife have ancient relationships.  Once you start planting the right plants, the wildlife will rekindle these relationships.  From my own experience, our bird count when from 40 different species a year to over 100 within a three year period. The types of butterflies tripled and the native mammals and insects I didn’t even know existed in our area now are frequent visitors.  
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**Provide water sources on your property.** Whether it’s a bird bath, a mister, a pond or stream, a water source is probably the most important feature you can put on your property for birds. Feeder, nesting boxes, or secluded cover (trees, shrubs, thickets) are also important. Don’t rake away all the leaves. Natural mulch is important to the health of native plants.  For many birds, mulch is their forage area. The National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org/backyard/) and Audubon (http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/) have home wildlife habitat programs. If you have native plants, shelter, food sources and water for wildlife you can be certified as a NWF “Backyard Wildlife Habitat” and for a small fee even get a placard to display out in your yard or on your fence saying so. If neighbors pass by and look at your garden, wondering why it looks a little different (native plants), tell them why. That too, has the snowball effect.
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'''Provide water sources on your property.''' Whether it’s a bird bath, a mister, a pond or stream, a water source is probably the most important feature you can put on your property for birds. Feeder, nesting boxes, or secluded cover (trees, shrubs, thickets) are also important. Don’t rake away all the leaves. Natural mulch is important to the health of native plants.  For many birds, mulch is their forage area. The National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org/backyard/) and Audubon (http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/) have home wildlife habitat programs. If you have native plants, shelter, food sources and water for wildlife you can be certified as a NWF “Backyard Wildlife Habitat” and for a small fee even get a placard to display out in your yard or on your fence saying so. If neighbors pass by and look at your garden, wondering why it looks a little different (native plants), tell them why. That too, has the snowball effect.
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**Shop and live green.** This is easy to do. If you drink coffee, buy shade grown coffee. Buy organically grown products. Yes, there a little more expensive, but they’re generally better for you. If your city has a recycling service, use it. Also, many power companies offer “green power” options, sign up and if they don’t have one, ask why.  Use water, power and gas more wisely. Get energy saving bulbs and water saving toilets and showerheads.
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'''Shop and live green.''' This is easy to do. If you drink coffee, buy shade grown coffee. Buy organically grown products. Yes, there a little more expensive, but they’re generally better for you. If your city has a recycling service, use it. Also, many power companies offer “green power” options, sign up and if they don’t have one, ask why.  Use water, power and gas more wisely. Get energy saving bulbs and water saving toilets and showerheads.
When car shopping, consider less polluting vehicles or hybrids. Drive less by planning and grouping your stops ahead of time.  
When car shopping, consider less polluting vehicles or hybrids. Drive less by planning and grouping your stops ahead of time.  
If you dabble in the stock market, consider a “green” mutual fund and if you own stock, demand at shareholder’ meetings that the company become more eco-friendly. If a company is known to exploit the environment, don’t buy their products and let them know why you’re not. Write them. Call them. Email them. Believe it or not, they are concerned about losing your business which hurts their bottom line.
If you dabble in the stock market, consider a “green” mutual fund and if you own stock, demand at shareholder’ meetings that the company become more eco-friendly. If a company is known to exploit the environment, don’t buy their products and let them know why you’re not. Write them. Call them. Email them. Believe it or not, they are concerned about losing your business which hurts their bottom line.
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**Pets…** Before everyone starts with the hate mail—I do not hate cats. The average well-fed outdoor housecat kills over a dozen songbirds a year. The housecat being well fed, cared for, with a safe place to sleep has a much clearer advantage than real predators (such as coyotes or hawks). While housecats are predators, they are not endemic (meaning they are foreign to the ecosystem). Let me put it another way… what if lions or cougars were let loose in a shopping mall? Would that be “nature taking its’ course”? No, big cats are not endemic to shopping malls or cities; they’re dangerous and don’t belong there. They belong in their natural habitat or locked up in a zoo.  So why are domestic cats treated differently? Simply said, cats are a domestic pet that belongs indoors. If you want to give that tired “roam free” argument, get a Cougar or similar cat, then I’ll listen… but my guess is the cougar will be more interested in the people within the house than a songbird outside.
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'''Pets…''' Before everyone starts with the hate mail—I do not hate cats. The average well-fed outdoor housecat kills over a dozen songbirds a year. The housecat being well fed, cared for, with a safe place to sleep has a much clearer advantage than real predators (such as coyotes or hawks). While housecats are predators, they are not endemic (meaning they are foreign to the ecosystem). Let me put it another way… what if lions or cougars were let loose in a shopping mall? Would that be “nature taking its’ course”? No, big cats are not endemic to shopping malls or cities; they’re dangerous and don’t belong there. They belong in their natural habitat or locked up in a zoo.  So why are domestic cats treated differently? Simply said, cats are a domestic pet that belongs indoors. If you want to give that tired “roam free” argument, get a Cougar or similar cat, then I’ll listen… but my guess is the cougar will be more interested in the people within the house than a songbird outside.
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**Be aware what goes on in your community.** Of all the government layers, the local levels are the most accessible to you. Hearings regarding important decisions in your community happen all the time. Attend some, and make a difference. I attended a hearing regarding the re-landscaping of a local park. Now they’re going to be planting native plants in the park. My wife, neighbors and I commented on a housing project asking for radical zoning changes on an area, which is currently wilderness. Now the city has to consider whether it wants to rubber stamp the developer’s vision or face the wrath of the community. Let your community leaders know you want “smart growth” and expect them to obey their own zoning laws. Building should occur in places where it’s appropriate to build, not because it’s the place where maximum profit can be achieved.
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'''Be aware what goes on in your community.''' Of all the government layers, the local levels are the most accessible to you. Hearings regarding important decisions in your community happen all the time. Attend some, and make a difference. I attended a hearing regarding the re-landscaping of a local park. Now they’re going to be planting native plants in the park. My wife, neighbors and I commented on a housing project asking for radical zoning changes on an area, which is currently wilderness. Now the city has to consider whether it wants to rubber stamp the developer’s vision or face the wrath of the community. Let your community leaders know you want “smart growth” and expect them to obey their own zoning laws. Building should occur in places where it’s appropriate to build, not because it’s the place where maximum profit can be achieved.
Building in inappropriate places is happening everywhere around the world. People develop areas that are prone to flooding, fire and mudslide, then are shocked when disaster strikes. They build houses on the wilderness edges, then complain about the displaced coyotes and mountain lions attacking their children and pets. They plow over the last refuges that birds have and then complain when they share our outdoor dining facilities or poop on their cars.
Building in inappropriate places is happening everywhere around the world. People develop areas that are prone to flooding, fire and mudslide, then are shocked when disaster strikes. They build houses on the wilderness edges, then complain about the displaced coyotes and mountain lions attacking their children and pets. They plow over the last refuges that birds have and then complain when they share our outdoor dining facilities or poop on their cars.
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**Vote Smart.** When deciding whom to vote for, don’t trust the mailers or the candidate’s lip service. Just because they may title initiatives “Clean Air” or “Healthy Forests” doesn’t make it so.  Check their records. How did they really vote? The internet is great for that. The League of Women Voters (www.lwv.org) even has environmental score cards. The National Audubon Society (http://www.audubon.org/campaign) has an “Advisory” newsletter it emails out that states what going on in the Capital and even provides links to your elected officials along with editable form letters to express your concerns.  
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'''Vote Smart.''' When deciding whom to vote for, don’t trust the mailers or the candidate’s lip service. Just because they may title initiatives “Clean Air” or “Healthy Forests” doesn’t make it so.  Check their records. How did they really vote? The internet is great for that. The League of Women Voters (www.lwv.org) even has environmental score cards. The National Audubon Society (http://www.audubon.org/campaign) has an “Advisory” newsletter it emails out that states what going on in the Capital and even provides links to your elected officials along with editable form letters to express your concerns.  
Even more important is phone calls and letters to your elected officials expressing how important environmental issues are to you. Consider this, PR firms, lobbyists and others make daily contact with your representatives “helping” to explain the “needs” of their constituents. I’m sure your representatives hearing this day in and day out might start to believe that’s what you want. Call them and set them straight.
Even more important is phone calls and letters to your elected officials expressing how important environmental issues are to you. Consider this, PR firms, lobbyists and others make daily contact with your representatives “helping” to explain the “needs” of their constituents. I’m sure your representatives hearing this day in and day out might start to believe that’s what you want. Call them and set them straight.
Yes, you can make a difference, if you want to…
Yes, you can make a difference, if you want to…
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== Tougher Choices: Look in the Mirror ==
== Tougher Choices: Look in the Mirror ==

Revision as of 04:14, 30 January 2009

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