I feel so sad about this. On Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 4:39 PM Alicia Plotkin <t...@ottcmail.com> wrote:
> More generally, another problem are policies by NYS Parks and the Wildlife > Management areas. Grassland areas under their control increasingly seem to > be rented out for farming. For example, part of Willard Wildlife > Management area that 25 yrs ago was in grass that only got mowed in late > summer, and that had the full range of nesting grassland birds (confirmed > nesting by Meadowlark, Bobolink, Northern Harrier, several grassland > sparrows), recently has been leased to farmers who plant & harvest row > crops there. Probably true lots of other places. This is a situation > where the Bird Club and the Lab of O might be able to work together to > encourage regulation by NYS that ensured the land was used in a way that is > consistent with grassland nesting. > > > On 6/15/2021 4:07 PM, Kenneth V. Rosenberg wrote: > > Linda, thanks for bringing this mowing to everyone’s attention. In a > nutshell, what is happening today in those fields, repeated over the entire > U.S., is the primary cause of continued steep declines in Bobolink and > other grassland bird populations. > > > > Last year, because of the delays in mowing due to Covid, the fields along > Freeze and Hanshaw Roads were full of nesting birds, including many nesting > Bobolinks that were actively feeding young in the nests at the end of June. > In the first week of July, Cornell decided to mow all the fields. Jody Enck > and I wrote letters and met with several folks at Cornell in the various > departments in charge of managing those fields (Veterinary College, > University Farm Services) – although they listened politely to our concerns > for the birds, they went ahead and mowed that week as dozens of female > bobolinks and other birds hovered helplessly over the tractors with bills > filled food for their almost-fledged young. > > > > The same just happened over the past couple of days this year, only at an > earlier stage in the nesting cycle – most birds probably have (had) > recently hatched young in the nest. While mowing is occurring across the > entire region as part of “normal” agricultural practices (with continued > devastating consequences for field-nesting birds), the question is whether > Cornell University needs to be contributing to this demise, while > ostensibly supporting biodiversity conservation through other unrelated > programs. Jody and I presented an alternative vision, where the > considerable acres of fields owned by the university across Tompkins County > could serve as a model for conserving populations of grassland birds, > pollinators, and other biodiversity, but the people in charge of this > management were not very interested in these options. > > > > And there we have it, a microcosm of the continental demise of grassland > birds playing out in our own backyard, illustrating the extreme challenges > of modern Ag practices that are totally incompatible with healthy bird > populations. I urge CayugaBirders to make as much noise as possible, and > maybe someone will listen. > > > > KEN > > > > Ken Rosenberg (he/him/his) > > Applied Conservation Scientist > > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > > American Bird Conservancy > > Fellow, Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future > > k...@cornell.edu > > Wk: 607-254-2412 > > Cell: 607-342-4594 > > > > > > *From: *bounce-125714085-3493...@list.cornell.edu > <bounce-125714085-3493...@list.cornell.edu> > <bounce-125714085-3493...@list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Linda Orkin > <wingmagi...@gmail.com> <wingmagi...@gmail.com> > *Date: *Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 3:02 PM > *To: *CAYUGABIRDS-L <cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu> > <cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu> > *Subject: *[cayugabirds-l] Fields being mowed. > > After a couple year hiatus in which the Freese Road fields across from the > gardens have been mowed late in the season allowing at least Bobolinks to > be done with their nesting and for grassland birds to be lured into a false > feeling of security so they have returned and I’ve counted three singing > meadowlarks for the first time in years, Cornell has returned to early > mowing there as of today. And so the mayhem ensues. How many more > multitudes of birds will die before we believe our own eyes and ears. Mow > the grass while it’s still nutritious but are we paying attention to who is > being fed. Grass taken from the land to pass through animals and in that > inefficient process turning to food for humans. > > Linda Orkin > Ithaca NY > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > -- > > > -- > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > -- > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
