NEWSLETTER
OF THE
BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
Showdown lime for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge SEF 2 2 995
Editor's note: This is not just another
Alaska issue. The values of all conservation­ists
are being challenged on this one.
We need pressure on the Senate and on
President Clinton. Here's a letter from our
guy on the spot.
August 18, 1995
Dear Fellow Auduboners:
I'm writing today because I need
help from friends nationwide to save
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Having had the honor to serve
with Audubon ill. Alaska for some 17
years now, I have to tell you that the
grand spectacles of nature that we have
worked so hard to get protected here
over the years are being threatened like
never before.
Leading the charge is the Alaska
congressional delegation: Senators Ted
Stevens and Frank Murkowski, and
Congressman Don Young.
Their target is the Arctic Refuge!
Through an obscure back door po­litical
maneuver in the federal budget
process, the Alaska politicians are using
their new-found' political muscle to si­lence
public debate on the issue and
force President Clinton to open the ref­uge's
coastal plain to full-scale oil and
gas development.
Their resolution il1 the 1995 federal
budget uses speculative income projec­tions
from leasing the refuge as a way
to balance the federal budget.
In reality, such income would be a
drop in the budget bucket. The truth is,
Alaska's politicians want to give both
domestic and foreign oil companies
easy access to refuge oil. After all, there
could be a lot of money to be made.
And why do they want to avoid
open public debate? Because that's
where they lost on the issue before.
And that's where they would lose the
debate again.
A recent national poll commis­sioned
by the The Wilderness Society
shows that 70 per cent of the American
people polled said the Arctic Refuge
should be protected rather than used to
generate oilleasmg revenue to reduce
the federal deficit.
I believe Americans are smart
enough to see what's really goil1g on.
After getting the export ban on North
Slope oil lifted, the delegation has set
the stage to desecrate a national treas­ure
on behalf of special interests, to sell
oil to foreign consumers at fire sale
prices. It really comes down to a choice
of values.
Audupon has a long history of in­volvement
in and familiarity with the
Arctic Refuge. We supported its estab­lishment
in 1960 by President Eisen­hower
"to preserve unique wildlife,
wilderness, and recreation values."
Through the Alaska National Inter­est
Lands Conservation Act of 1980 we
worked with Congress and thous~nds
of Americans to get the refuge more
than doubled in size and a portion in­cluded
il1 wilderness. Then from 1987
to 1992 we participated in an exhaus­tive
reevaluation of
whether or not the
Arctic Refuge should
be opened to oil and
gas development.
As you know, after
thorough examination
of facts on both sides of the
issue, the American peo­ple
sent Congress a
resounding NO!
Don't develop
the Arctic Refuge!
, Ongoing wild­life
studies have
simply confirmed
earlier findings
that the coastal
plain constitutes the biological heart of
the refuge. Bio1og,is;tr)~~1?J> t~~-J~ me
just this month that.92 percent of calv-ing
by the some 150,000 strong Porcu­pine
caribou herd this last spring was
concentrated in.the so-called 1002area,
that section of the coastal plain pro­posed
for leasing.
And last fall, more than 300,000
snow geese that we share with Canada,
stopped to feed on the coastal plain
before proceedil1g on their long migra­tion
to wmtering grounds in the south
where they are enjoyed by millions of
Americans. Biologists have found the
geese extremely sensitive to human
disturbance during this critical part of
their life cycle.
No reputable wildlife biologist that
I know feels that placing an industrial
oil complex in the heart of the refuge's
coastal plain habitats will not seriously
disrupt StJ.Ch spectacles of nature so im­portant
to so many people.
In fact, they predict serious de­clines
in caribou, muskox, wolves, wol­verines,
grizzly bears and a host of
migratory birds should full-scale oil de­velopment
be allowed.
But the biggest loss of all
would be the refuge's unparal­leled
wilderness values. It's a
myriad of wildlife in a grand
wilderness setting that makes
the Arctic Refuge special to con­servation-
minded Americans.
As Auduboners and as
mericans committed to
the conservation of
birds, other wildlife
and their habitats, es­pecially
those in na­tional
wildlife
refuges, we sm1ply
cannot stand by and
continued on page 4
BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY
P. 0. Box 6084, San Antonio, TX 78209
210-822-4503
Chapter of the National Audubon Society
The Chapter's primary goals are to promote
species and habitat conservation,
and environmental education
in the community.
OFFICERS AND BOARD
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Susan K. Hughes
Harriet Wiygul
Bill Sain
Anita L. Reeves
Walter Barfield
Claire Drenowatz
Jim Garriott
Patty Leslie Pasztor
Katie Nava-Ragazzi
Richard Pipes
Bill Woller
532-2332; fax 532-2023
534-7505
408-7731
308-9254
736-0355
599-4168
695-9520
824-1235
804-1226
281-2452
696-3186
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Birdathon
Conservation
Education
Hospitality
Membership
Natural Initiatives
Outings
Programs
Publicity
Ways S Means
Bexar Tracks Editor
Marge Lumpe
Richard Pipes
Betty Minyard
Harriet Wiygul
Dan S Kristy Davis
Harriet Wiygul
Patty Leslie Pasztor
Chris Dullnig
Susan K. Hughes
Bill Sain
Claire Drenowatz
545-1822
281-2452
344-6128
534-7505
609-5678
534-7505
824-1235
828-4017
532-2332
408-7731
599-4168; fax599-3545
CompuServe 73232,506
Bexar Tracks is your newsletter. We welcome
your contributions. Next paper (hard copy, fax)
deadline 9/23, electronic (diskette, email) deadline
9/29. Please send fax or email to Claire Drenowatz,
as above; diskettes and hard copy should be sent
to BAS, P. 0. Box 6084, San Antonio, TX 98209.
Bexar Audubon Society ge11eral meetings are .
held on 3rd Thursdays at 7:30 pm, at the Ruble
Center, 419 East Magnolia; board meeti11gs usually
2nd Thursdays at 7:00.
Iutroductory memberships to NAS, including
AUDUBON Magazine, cost only $20. Great gift.
Send check to BAS (payable to.NAS) at P. 0. above.
Note chapter code W19, and name address, and
phone number of new member.
800-659-2622
210-733-8306
210-227-6143
800-453-SMOG
September 1995
USEFUL NUMBERS:
NAS Actionline
Rare bird alert number.
To report local water waste.
To report smoking vehicles
(License #, date, time & location
of sighting are requested).
BENEATH THE GAVJ:l
The highlight of August for me was preparing for the meeting
of the Rangeland Environmental Issues Forum. Along with Dr. Jim
McMullan, representing the South Texas Farm & Ranch Club, I
agreed to speak at the meeting, representh1g "environmental" inter­ests
on behalf of Bexar Audubon, on Common Ground: Aligning
Agricultural and Environmental Interests. (See article on page 5.)
WARMING UP
Jim is the fourth generation of his family to ranch on the same
land in Crockett County. After graduath1g from A&M Vet School and
serving a stint in the Air Force, he has practiced veterinary medicine
for about thirty years-mostly part time-while raising cattle, sheep,
a~1d goats in Crockett County and cattle in Guadalupe County.
COMMON GROUND
We agreed that there were four key interests that draw us
together: wildlife, biodiversjty, habitat, and clean water.
Related issues, however-the ones that provide the greatest
challenges, perhaps-focus on economic impacts. These are areas we
can work on together to develop new alternatives and creative ideas
that will make it feasible to protect these four key interests.
OPTIONS FOR PROTECTION
Some of tl1e alternatives discussed included recreational uses of
land, managing wildlife to provide hunting revenues, the "bird and
breakfast" concept, providing tax relief for pt:otecting wildlife habi­tat,
and seeking estate tax changes that will permit large tracts o fland
to be kept coherent, rather than caush1g tracts to be broken up and
sold off as "ranchettes" in order to pay inheritance taxes. The habitat
fragmentation that often results has serious impacts on wildlife as
well as ranch management options.
WORKING TOGETHER
I am eager to work together with Jim and other members of the
South Texas Farm & Ranch Club, the Ag Extension Service, and
related landowner organizations in our area to get past the hyper­bole,
focus on our common interests, and put some programs in
place to help us all-and the wildlife and habitat we all care about. ,
We have many mechanisms for promoth1g this collaborative
spirit among our groups and members: positive communication;
actively investigating allegations, alleviating concerns, and dispel­ling
fears and myths; forming coalitions and parhi.erships; develop­ing
educational services and strategies; and promoting incentives
and rewards for good stewardship of the land.
PROPOSITION 11 MUST PASS
One way we can all work together right away for the benefit of
wildlife and habitat is to talk with our friends and neighbors, write
letters to the editor, and get out the vote in November to support
adoption of proposition No. 11 (HJR 72). '
This reads as follows: "The constitutional amendment to allow
open-space land used for wildlife management to qualify for tax
appraisal in the same manner as open-space agricultural land, sub­ject
to eligibility limitations provided by the legislature."
95 PER CENT PRIVATE
Ninety-five percent of Texas lands are privately owned. Wildlife,
habitat, and biodiversity in Texas will be preserved and enhanced by
working with the landowners: supporting programs that provide
h1formation and education on ecosystem management approaches;
helping to make it economically feasible to maintain habitat and to
keep large tracts of land intact; and by continuing to inculcate a
"culture of conservation" in all citizens of our state. ·
- Susa11 Hughes
2 Bexar Tracks
'
Hawk Migration Reid Trip
On September 16, we will head
south to Hazel Bazemore County Park
near Corpus Christi to view the spec­tacular
fall migration of hawks.
Literally tens of thousands of
hawks, kites, and peregrine falcons can
be seen in the sky at this concentration
point on their southward migration.
John Economidy, who presented
our July program, and other expertss
from around the state, will be on hand
that day to estimate the numbers of
these birds.
Last month, we advised that we'd
rent a van for the trip, but all callers so
far have indicated they'd rather make
their own arrangements. Let us know
soon if you need a ride, and we can still
rent a van if it's needed.
We will leave from the Ruble Cen­ter
(419 East Magnolia) parking lot, east
side, at 7 am. Bring binoculars, liquids,
and lunch. Call Pattie Leslie Pasztor for
reservations at 824-1235.
Beneficial Bugs
Interested in identifying and en­couraging
beneficial insects in your
garden? Then attend the September
meeting of the Native I;'lant Society of
Texas, San Antonio Chapter, when
Christina O'Connell wt.Il tell you how
to do just that.
Uon's Field Clubhouse, 2809
Broadway at Mulberry, 7 to 9 pm, Tues­day,
September 26.
Garqge Sale
The Bexar Audubon Fall Garage
Sale has been postponed until Novem­ber,
to take advantage of the festivities
in the King William Area.
Meantime, clean out the garage .
and that closet you can't close and save
all the good st~ff for the BAS sale.
Bexar Tracks
LOCAL NEWS
AG Meeting-and Outing--in Houston
The Houston Audubon Society will host the fall meeting of the Audubon
Council of Texas (ACT) October 7-8. There will be fun, fellowship, and entertaining
activities on some tiny natural treasures in the big city. Activities will begin at 7:30
Saturday morning at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center in Memorial Park.
All three meals are provided on Saturday, including a pasta dinner in down­town
Houston near historic Allen's Lan:ding. A slide presentation, "Nature at Your
Doorstep," will be given by naturalist author John Tveten. John will be happy to
autograph his books on Texas birds, Houston wildflowers, and coastal Texas, and
the Arboretum wili'have them for sale in their shop for early Christmas shoppers.
Sunday offers a choice of half-day field trips to either Brazos Bend State Park
or to the Smith Point Hawk Count. Thenyou are ·free to return home or extend
your visit through Columbus day to explore High Island, Anahuac, and/or Bolivar.
Other options are a visit to Houston's Museum of Natural Science Butterfly House
and IMAX theater, or G~lveston's Moody Gardens Rainforest and 3-D IMAX.
The registration fee for the planned activities is $35, and any unused funds will
be donated to ACI: To reserve your space, mail your check to Houston Audubon
Society, Attn. ACT, 440 Wilchester, Houston, TX 77070-7329. Include your PRINTED
name, address, phone number, and choice of field trip. We recommend early motel
reservations at one of the following:
Ramada Inn, 7787 IH 10
Holiday Inn, 7611 IH 10
Rodeway Inn, 5820 IH 10
La Quinta, 8017 IH 10.
Telephone inquiries to Houston Audubon Society office at 713-732-1639.
September Meeting: Texas Horned lizard
The Texas Horned Lizard is a critter
which evokes fond childhood memo­ries
for most people who grew up in
South, Central, and West Texas. Once
easy to find-and capture-today their
numbers have declined dramatically in
urban environments.
They are not gone, however. At the
September 21 meeting of the Bexar
Audubon Society, Melissa Montemayor
will discuss her work with horned liz­ards
at the Texas Parks & Wildlife De­partment's
· Chaparral Wildlife
Management Area in Artesia Wells.
Her research involved captl1ring
the lizards, implanting PITs (pas­sive
integrated transponders),
then releasing and later re­capturing
them for the
purpose of determining their popula­tion
dynamics, habits, and habitats.
Montemayor is presently district
enviromnental specialist with the Texas
Department of Transportation in
Laredo. She is president of the Texas
Chapter of the Horned Lizard Conser­vation
Society in Austin.
Who should 11tte11d1 Those inter­ested
· in threatened and endangered
species, reptiles, arid habitat, habitat
· protection, or field biological research
are encouraged to attend. Student'! are
especially welcome.
Co11servatio11 Committee: Come at
6:00pm for a joint meeting of the Bexar
Audubon Sol;iety and Sierra Club Con­servation
Committees.
Specifics: Bexar Audubon Society
monthly meeting, Thursday, Sept 21.
Refreshments
will be avail­able
at 7:00.
Come early to
socialize. Meeting
starts at 7:30.
Free and open
to the public. For more inf~nnation
call822-4503.
Locatio11: Ruble Center,419 East
Magnolia. Nearest freeway exit is
North St. Mary's; off Highway 281.
Public Tra11sportatio11: VIA Route 5
(St. Mary's-McCullough-North Star
Mall) to Magnolia Street.
September 1995
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Showdooo on the Arctic Refuge
- cot~ti11ued from fHlge 1 the Arctic Refuge that make life worth
allow this raid on our nation's most living. c
superlative wilderness refuge for Arctic · Thanks, friends! Your support and
wildlife to succeed. involvement means a lot. Togefher we
If this protected area falls, what na• can keep the wild in Alaska. Let's go to
tiona) park or wildlife refuge in Amer- batt)~ to keep -the Arctic Refuge. wild
ica is safe from the modern day plume ilnd free.
hunters? Its fall could in fact start a The many conservation warriors
domino effect unprecedented in the .who proceeded us and who got the
history of the American conservation refuge e:;;tablished for o~r benefit-and
movement. . ···that o(our.chil<;lren ~recounting on us.
So please join me and conserva--·-. ; -· . ·sincerely, . .
tionists in sister organizations through- . ; · . · D~ve Cline
out America in writi_ng our U.S. :RegiomdVite.President
Senators and Representatives, and Anchorage, Alaska·
President Ointon now.~ need to urge ·
them to take forceful actiori to keep the Write to. you~ Senatom(U:S. Se!late;
coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge closed Washingtot1, D<;: · 205~Q) and_ Rep_re-tooilandgasdeve1oeinent.
sentatives (US House _ot Rep-re-
This will allow -its myriad of wild- sentatives, Washington~. OC 20515)
life to continue their age-old life ways in _urging them to,:vote_·against !:Jsin_i oil
one of the most spectacular wilderness· leasing revemies from the Arctic Ref-settings
left on earth. -. · uge to balance the federal bt~dget.
Then too, the Gwitch'in lndi- Most importantly.write President
ans-the caribou peopl~~will be alJle . Clinton (The White Hou~e, Washing-to
continue their lifew<J.ys in company tori, DC 205oo;· phone _202-456-6224;
with the great intemalional Porcupine email president@whitehouse.gov)
herd. And you and I arid 9ur. children urging him to use his executive powers
will be able to share w~th ot~ets the joys to st.Qp this raid· on the Arctic National
and wonders of nature ~ _portrayed in Wildlife Refuge. · · ·
San Arlt~~ EnVironmental Pep Rally
Music, fun, food:, -information- sifi.gingand skits, b_ut_there-wm also be
come and partY: -~ : ~ _ -. · s~rious information and .opportunities
· Sierra Club's ~Iaino 'Gto!Jp invites to sign u_p to be 1nvo1v~d in specific
you to an Enviromi1entai Pejr.&aUy on topics. . .
Tuesday, October i7, 1995, ~m 7-9pm. -·_ If you want flyers to post, or if you
This is an effort to .geJ as many en~iron- can help~ call Tom Dukes at 828-3721.
mentally aware San·Anto.rfians to- · We !lre -invith1g lhe press, and we
gether at one tiine as -possi\>le, to want then) · ~() .see th~t mi!ny san An-celebrate
our past succes5es ·and pre~ toilians·are cOI1cer~1ed:abol!t conserva-pare
for future challenge.s. ·- <", _ :tion issues" Quite I)onestly, we need a
Our main goal is to lnl:J>rave our ·big turnout from the et1vironmental
ability to network with eachotlter"i!nd . COH\mUnity. '
to let the ~~embers of one organ_~ation · · Spread the word- in· your organiza-le<
lrn-about sii1l.Uar groups m tow~:ilnd tion, and pl~ase come-and bring a
tl:te issues they.ad~ress. - - ' friend or two, to 'H\e- First Unitarian
Entertain}nent wHl be provided by -Universalist Church, 7150 W. Loop 410,
BilfOiiver, a na-tionally known eirviro11~ ~: -at. ~i1e· intersection of IH 10. It's on the
mental troubado.ur_:.._you'·re in for a .- ac~~s -road, acro:;s- IH 10 from Cross-howling
good tiin!:!: · . . road~M•dl.
The cost is free <md snaekS will he : .. - Attdy Balittsky, Presidmt
provided. Hali of tl1e .eve'ning wil~ be . __ Alamo Group Sierra Club
-~- "" ;... ' -
September 1995 4
Project Vote Smart
Here's an update on Project Vote
Smart, from which you can get cam­paign
contribution information on
your congressperson, .and also their
voting-records on any of twenty areas
of interest.
Just dip into the "104th Congress"
section of Project Vote Smart's web site
at http:/ /www.peak.org/vote-smart/
or gopher to
gopher:/ /chaos.dac.neu.edu:70/ 11/p vs­data
or call Project Vote Smart's Voter
Research Hotline at 800-622-7627 and a
volunteer researcher will tell you
everything you want to know abotit
your congressthings: their voting re­cords,
biographical details of service in
Congress, performance evaluations by .
70 liberal to conservative organizations,
who has paid for their campaigns, their
telephone numbers and mailing ad­dresses,
their past campaign position
statements, and lots of other stuff.
They also have a more extensive
research service for journalists, the Re­porter's
Resource Center (503-n7-
4000), that will actually do journalistic
research for you.
They are doing this all at no charge,
folks, so use them! Project Vote Smart
does not and willnotacceptanymoney
from political; business or labor inter­ests,
so they depend on memberships
to fund their effort. You don't l)aVe 1o ·
be a member to use their services, but
you can be a member for just $35. Call
the hotline for membership info.
The Texas Vote
Here's how the Texas delegation
voted on an amendment to kill riders to
strangle EPA enforcement powers:
Voting for the amendment (this is
the good vote): Wilson, Bryant, Dog­gett,
Coleman, Jackson-Lee, Gonzalez,
Frost, Bentsen, Green, E.B. Johnson.
Voting against: Johnson, Barton,
Archer, Fields, Stockman, Thornberry,
Combest, Stenhohn, Smith, DeLay, Ar­mey,
Bonilla, Chapman, Hall, Edwards,
Geren, de la Garza, Ortiz, Tejeda.
Bexar Tracks
. ENVIRONMENTALISSUES
New Books
National Audubon Society's North
Americ~tt . Bird feeder Handbook (over
200,000 copie~ sold) will have a com­panion
book called' The Bird Garden.
Darling Kindersley, the publisher
of these and other highly successful
four-color illustrated books, plans tore­lease
Bird Garde~~ in the fall.
Written by Steve· Kress, the editor
of North American Birdfeeder Hand~
book (which is being revised and will
debut at the same time as Bird Garden),
this book shows you how to garden to
attract birds and provides a compre­hensive
guide to which shrubs, vines,
and ground cover will attract specific
birds to any back yard.
And Cornell_ Laboratory of Orni­thology
has announced publication of
. their new Citizen's Guide to Migratory
Bird Cmtservation, which provides the
tools nece~ary to act on behalf of your
favorite birds. It is loaded with great
ideas for projects ai1q activities you can
. do on your own or with a group of
-. 'like_-minded conservationists.
From how to write effective letters
-· to the editor, to b~ck yard projects
which will attract neotropical:tpigrants,
to as$i..c;ting with federal and volunteer
--· cenMJ.s programs, the new book will be
· - of hi!lp to any bird lover.
Individual guides $5.00; more than
5 guides are $2.00 each. Send check
made payable to Cornell Laboratory of
Ornithology, and send to Martha Fis-
. cher, CLO, 159Sapsucker Woods Road,
~ Jthaca, NY 14850. 1
Call607-~-2440, or email Martha
. ·: ~ Fischer (mf26@co.rnell.edu) for more
• · -~ information.
. Quote of the Month
From Ron Pucek, still planning to
reopen his water-wasting catfish farm,
·- in protesting that the city has no
authority to regulate him:
"I think they're trying to get into a
property-rights Issue here."
And, of course, his rights are more
· important than those of everyone else
in the San Antonio area.
. Bexar Tracks
A Rancher's Viewpoint
In his preliminary notes for our
joint presentation at the Rangeland En­vironmental
Issues Forum in Augus_t,
which Jim McMullan shared with me,
he wrote , "I try to ' ranch in order to
sustain a clean, healthy ecosystem by
using advanced grazing 'techniques
and utilizing , a minimum amount of
herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and
heavy machinery."
"As our lands become more
·crowded and our ag practices
more intensive, ·changes both
good and bad wil1 happen faster
and more pro.fouridly. Technol­ogy
· and creativity are needed now
more than ever, and we need to utilize
all that are available."
Seeking Common Giound
Jhti continued, "When we decided
on our topic tonight, I asked myself,
'What is an environmentaliSt and do
ranchers really need their ideas about
what ranchers shoul,f"or shouldn't b~
doh1g?'
"I got to thinking, when I was a kid,
we rounded up Hve11tock often and
spr~yed to prevent screwworms. We
useg DDT, Lindane, BHC, Chlordane,
and other stuff. We ~ven sprayed our
own shirts and hats because of the horn
flies. It didn't make us or the livestock
sick, so it was all right. It killed a lot of
. cats, but that seemed acceptable for
some reason.
Silent Spring
"I don't ,remember the government
or chemical companies going, to great
effort to educate us about possible dam­age.
But, after Rachael Carson wrote
Silent Spring, things began to happen.
It was several years before hnpacts on
egg shell fragility, fish hatching, earth­worm
survival, etc. became significant
"Environmentalists, most with no
economic ax to grind or protect, led the
charge and eventually the whole coun­try
·realized the dangers that existed.
Because of the latent toxicity and the
fad that we weren't getting rid of
screwworms, the sterile screwworm fly
release program was developed. It
proved successful and has been a
model for non-toxic insect control
methods since then.
"The chemicals we used then are
still available in many parts of the .
world and will continue to be so
until those countries develop an
environmental awareness that
will curtail them. Until then, chemi­cal
companies will make and sell
them."
W~ Are All Environmentalists
"Everyone likes to think he is an
environmentalist, but in qualified
ways. Nobody wants to destroy forests,
rivers, or rangeland, but I might accept
a little more damage in an area that you
might consider terrible and vice versa.
Usually the an1ount of tolerance we'll
accept is tied into management or eco­nomic
principles," Jim assessed.
A Final Note
As an afterthought, one afternoon
Jhn and I were talking about the fact
that few ranchers knew much, if any­thing,
about the Golden-cheeked War­_
bler before the "crisis" last summer. We
agreed that it is surely true that the
Warbler has been in this part of Texas
for a very long time..,_it didn't just
;'showup."
But I, for one, surely didn't know
anything about songbirds when I was
growing up in San Antonio, and Jim
allowed as how all those little birds
were "sparrows" as far as he knew. Or­nithology
was pretty much "doves,
ducks, and dickey-birds." You know, as
I think back, that really explains a lot.
- Susa11 Hughes
America's one of the finest coontries
anyone ever stole ..
-Bobcat Goldthwaite
5 . • Seotember 1995 .
MISCELLANY
Electronic Audubon
An Invitation ..... .
...... to subscribe to the National
Audubon Society's online discussion
area and e-mail list server, Audubon-L
This new area is designed to let all
of those with internet access, but who
cannot join our very productive forum
on Compu?erve, have a place to carry
on discussions and learn about
Audubon issues and programs.
It will be an important addition to
our communication capabilities, and
will allow for greater chapter and indi­vidual
member representation online
from across the country.
Audubon-L is not a moderated list
but it is monitored to insure that re­sponse
and input from NAS staff is both
timely and complete. Subscription to
the discussion area is completely open
and neither subscription requests or
postings will be given any prior review.
To subscribe to the new discussion
area simply send a message to
majordomo@igc.apc.org
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The National Audubon Society has
established a private Audubon Forum
on CompuServe--one of the largest na­tional
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In honor of Rush and G. Gordon -
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members, activists and chapter leaders,
are able to capture fatt sheets, policy
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The benefits to activists and chap­ter
leaders can be enormous. The ability
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bulletins and other issue-specific infor­mation
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to respond to pressing
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MRnagement Information Systems
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The fact that your voice is amplified to the degree where it
reaches from one end of the country to the other does not
confer upon you greater wisdom or understanding than you
possessed when your voice reached only from one end of the
bar to the other.
-Edward R. Murrow
September 1995 6
Connections
Remember the stirring sight of
Clinton and Gil1grich in New Hamp­shire,
shaking hands and promising to
appoint an independent commission
(modeled after the base closure com­mission)
to effect campaign reform?
In an il1terview with Frank Sesno
on CNN, Gil1gricl1 was remil1ded that
the White House had recently written
hiln a letter suggestil1g gettil1g started,
and Sesno asked what was holding up
progress.
Gingrich launched into a tirade on
all the sil1s of the White House, but
didn't answer the question. When
pressed, Newt said he was so busy with
trying to save Medicare that he didn't
have time for campaign reform yet.
But that was the whole poil1t. By
appointing a commission which rtxmld
have the time, we wouldn't have to
worry our oh-so-busy politicians.
I was waitil1g for Sesno to ask Newt
how he was able to find the time 'for his
book tour, but he didn't ask.
Why is it so hard to get Congres..c;
moving on an issue which both parties
have agreed is out of control? Accord­ing
to an article in Newsweek, here's
one reason Bob Dole might not be anx­ious
for reform.
"Since 1993 Dole has flown 1R7
times on small private jets owned by US
corporations, most of them with busi­ness
pending before Congress ... " It's all
perfectly legal, and Dole does it more
than anyone, accordil1g to the article.
There's a side of big contributions
whicl1 is rarely explored il1 the press.
According to an article in Capital Eye,
published by the Center for Responsive
Politics, it's the big contributors who
testify when Congress considers bills.
For instance, the farm bill is up for
renewal, and "a key target is the cotton
program .. _. National Cotton Council
repres~ntatives have testified at nine
congressional hearings, far more than
any other group."
Not surprisil1g, considering their
$206,000 in contributions to selected
congresscritters.
Bexar Tracks
BIRD TALES
How You Can Help Migratory Birds
Birds that migrate between North · ' Volunteer for bird counts and
America and Latin America are in . banding projects that give ornitholo-
. trouble because ofhabitat loss and frag- gists valuable data. Find out which
mentation at both ends of their range. ev;ents yotJ.r chapter participates ii1 or
Some of the sharpest declines have · sponsors. For a directory of volunteer '
occurred not in the tropical rah1forest opportunities with federal agencies,
but in the U.S. The problem may seem send $1 to Volunteer Directory, Ameri-too
overwhelming for individuals to can Birding Association, P.O. Box 6599,
tackle, but there are actually many ' Colorado Springs, CO 80934.
things you can do. Buy the Migratory Bird lnforma-
Provide water, food, sl1elter and tion Kit, co-produced by the National
nesting habitat on your property. Audubon Society and the Smithsonian.
Take care of your trees. Don't let It contains both background ~nd "how-them
become so diseased or damaged to" information. Send $6.50 to: Migra-that
they must be removed. If a dead · tory Songbird Coordinator, National
tree presents no danger to power lines Audubon Society, 666 Pennsylvania
or buildings, consider lettingirstand. It Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20002.
will provide nesting sites and h1sects Get on the mailh1g list for the free
for birds. · Partners in Flight newsletter of the
Remember that birqs Neotropical Migratory Bird Project. H
depend heavily on the . will keep you up to date on bird conser-protein
in caterpillars, vation efforts and give you ideas for .
grubs and other things you can do to help. Write to Peter
insects. Don't Stangel, NatiOI1al Fish and Wildlife
use pes- Foundation, 1120 Connecticut Ave.
ticides . NW, Suite 900, Washii1gton, DC 20036.
on your Urge your representatives, sena-lawn
or any tors and state legislators to support in-plants
fre- creased funding for migratory bird
quented by projects and for cooperative projects
birds. A prown that will promote sustainable use of
spot in the grass isn't the end of' the natural resources in Latin America.
world, but a poisoned grub could be -Sandra Parshall
the end of the bird that eats it. J!airfax (VA) Audubon So_ciety
Border Birding Bash
The weekend of November 9-12 in
Harlingen will see another Rio Grande
Birding Festival take wing. Speakers
and guides include
• Brad McKinney on birding basics ·
and some insight on bh1.0cs;
• John Tveten on butterflies;
• F. P. Bennett on creath1g a bird­friendly
landscapes in your yard;
• Madge Lindsey of TPWD' on the
Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail;
• Kelly Bryan to help identify the
players in the evening and dawn
choruses
and a whole lot more.
Call 800-531-7346 for a registration
packet and a lot of information.
Bexar Tracks
C\ ,, ••
Compost Caution
Sunflower seed hulls are allelopa­thic-
they give off a chemical that kills
or retards oth'er plants-and shouldn't
be added to your compost heip.
For the same reason, you should
locate your sunflower feeders away
from the lawn or garden, to prevent
grass and prized plants fron1 being
damaged by fallen seeds.
Don't worry about the birds: sun­flower
seed:;; don't contain anything
harn1ful to them.
- Sandra Parshall
Fairfax (VA) Audubon Society
Editor's note: 'Course, if you've got some
weeds you'd like to kill, , .. ' ·
7
Brits Brace for Invasion
According to Bird Watcher's Digest,
"Britain is bracing for a massive inva­sion
of due~. Little, yellow, plastic
ducks. In January of 1992 twelve con­tainers
of the children's bath toys
washed off a cargo ship h1 the north
.. Pacific Ocean, and they have been pad­dling
(well, floating, actually) toward
Britain ever since. They are expected to
start arriving in 1997.
A few have already been beached
h1 coastal Alaska, but the bulk are ex­pected
to follow a route through the
Arctic, moved by ocean currents and
'drifth1g pack ice.
Scientists are n1onitoring the move­ment
[of the duck flotilla] as a way of
fine-tuning models of ocean currents
and ice movements. Those models are
. p.sed in assessing weather, pollution,
and fishing forecasts."
World Festival of Birds
Sociedad Conservacionista
Audubon de Venezuela (Audubon Con­servationist
Society of Venezueala) will
be coordinating Venezuela's World Fes­tival
of tlui'Birds 1995 the first week of
· October in association with BirdLife.
' This year's theme is bird habitat
conservation. NAS's Southwest Re- ,'
gional Office h1 Austin has their news-letter
(in Spanish only) announcing the
event, and asking their members ,to or­ganize
events.
For more h1formation contact (in
English is fine) Sociedad Conservacion­ista
Audubon de Venezue-la, Clemencia
Rodner, APDO 80450, Caracas 1080-A,
Venezuela. . ·
They are also the s'ource for great
information on where to go birding in
Venezuela, and they have developed
bird lists for several of Venezuela's na­tional
parks.
We could have run your article,
instead of any of these,
on the birds in your back yard,
if you•d sent it.
Maybe next month?
September 1995
FALL PLANNING CALENDAR
* Bexar Audubon Event
§ More Information Inside
RECURRING EVENTS
First Saturday at Friedrich Park, guided gen-eral
natural history hike, free. 698-1 05 7 for
reservations.
Second Saturday at Friedrich Park sponsored
by Bexar Audubon. Details below.
Second Saturday: Beginners Bird Walk at
Alamo Heights Nature Trail. For details, call
Georgina Schwartz of San Antonio Audubon
Society at 342-2073.
Fourth Saturday: Birdin~.,at Mitchell lake with
Ernie Rooney. Meet at l at 8:00am.
SPECIAl
Sept 9,16,23,30,0ct2, March 2, Friedrich
lnter~retive Guide Training. Become a Fried-rich
ark Tour Guide, six weeks of training,
Saturdays 9-12:30. Mary at 698-105 7 to
enroll.
SEPTEMBER
9 Second Saturday: Insects of Frie-drich
Park. Hike with Dr. Summer
Dana and learn the wonders of the
insect world. S2 donation re-quested.
698-1 05 7 for reservations.
12t BAS Board meeting, 7:00
14 12:05-12:30, Brown Bag lunch
Program, Debbie Reid on Wildflow-ers,
Schultze House, 5 14 HemisFair
Park, Bonnie Hammett 229-9161
for info.
16t§ BAS outing. Hawk Watch! Hazel
Bazemore County Park, Corpus
Christi. Patty leslie Pasztor for reser-vations
824-1235.
21+ BAS General Meeting, Ruble Center.
Texas Horned Lizards.
22-23 TNRCC 5-state conference, lnfomart
in Dallas, Buildin9 a Shared Vision
for Enuironmental Education. lnvita-tion
only. Jim lsleib 512-239-00 I 0
for invitation packet.
Congress is back and pressure is on to
pass all budget bills before the end of Septem­ber.
The problem is the hidden attacks on the
environment contained in those bills.
Many have passed the House, but not the
Senate. There's still time. Protests are mount­ing
across the country, now that people realize
what's at stake. Mail US Senate, Washington,
DC 2051 0; US House, Washington, DC
20515; Capitol switchboard 202 -224-3121.
Finally, tell President Ointon you support
vetoes of any bill damaging to the environ­ment.
Call202-456-llll ; mail Washington
DC 2051 0; email president@whitehouse.gov.
Printed on acid-free,
50% post-consumer
waste paper.
26 Native Plant Society, 7:00, Lion's
Field Clubhouse, Christina O'Connell
on Beneficial Insects.
OCTOBER
6-8 AlA San Antonio's Committee on
the Environment's Environmental De-sign
Charrette
7-8§t Audubon Council of Texas meeting
in Houston.
8t BAS Outing, Butterfly Migration on
the Frio River. Patty leslie Pasztor
824-1235.
12t BAS Board Meeting. 7 pm.
14+ Second Saturdat at Friedrich Park.
Birds of Prey- ive eagles. hawks
and other raptors from last Chance
Forever. $2 donation requested.
698-1 05 7 for reservations.
19t BAS General Meeting, Ruble Center,
7 pm.
28 Halloween Hike at Friedrich Park
with naturalist and storyteller David
McKelvey. Hear wild creature calls
and hair-curling tales. S4 adults,
$2.50 <5yrs. 698-1057 reserva-tions.
NOVEMBER
9-12 2nd annual Rio Grande Valley Bird-ing
Festival. 800-531-7346 for
more information.
lit BAS Outing at San Antonio's
Walker lake, archaeolofist AI
McGraw. Texas Dept o Highways.
9-12:30. Patty leslie Pasztor 824-
1235.
DECEMBER
2t BAS Outing, Fall Color at Cibolo Wil-derness.
Other conservation organizations: please add
Bexar Audubon to your mailing list if we're not
already on it, and we'll be glad to include your
events in our calendar each month.
Bexar Audubon Society. Inc.
P. 0. Box 6084
San Antonio. TX 7 8209
Address Correction Requested
World of Audubon
James Taylor Hosts
World of Audubon Special
The awesome power and beauty of
the Colorado River as it flows through
the Grand Canyon is one of America's
most evocative and majestic sights.
When musician James Taylor
learned that Martin Litton-writer, en-vironmental
activist and avowed "river
rat" -was planning to take his boat
through the Canyon, he decided to join
him for this breathtaking expedition.
The latest World of Audubon spe-cial,
Colorado River Adve11ture, follows
Taylor, son Ben, Litton and company on
their exciting 18-day, 277-mile odyssey
down the river by wooden dory.
Taylor's songs-including the first
song he ever wrote but never recorded,
Roll River Roll-reverberate through
the Canyon. As they run the rapids and
explore cliffs and caves, Taylor and Lit-ton
also examine the tough issues con-fronting
the West and the future of its
precious water supply.
For the last half-century, Martin
Litton has stood at the forefront of
nearly every environmental battle in
the West. Before environmental con-cerns
had entered th~ public con-science,
Litton was writing about
endangered areas in the West.
Colorado River Advmture will pre-miere
Sunday, September 14 9:05 pm
(CDT)and repeat three times.
Non-profit
Organization
U. 5. Postage Paid
Sill Antonio. TX
Permit #590
....