This is an excellent letter, Jody. Let's hope it does some good. Cornell should
strive to be an exemplar of how to manage agricultural fields in a way that's
sustainable and has the least impact on birds. Instead, they've just been part
of the problem, which is a great disappointment to me.
Tim
________________________________
From: bounce-125736154-10557...@list.cornell.edu
<bounce-125736154-10557...@list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Jody Enck
<jodye...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2021 2:42 PM
To: CAYUGABIRDS-L <cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu>
Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Follow-up communication to Cornell re mowing of hay at
peak nesting time
Hello birders,
After receiving lots of input, ideas, and resources from many of you, I put
together the letter below and sent it to the President and one of the Vice
Presidents at Cornell (as noted in the letter). Thanks to all who have
expressed their concern and who provided important input to this very first
step in developing a solution. Special shout out of thanks to Nancy
Cusumano for her initial contact with the President, and to Suan Yong, Josh
Snodgrass, and Ken Rosenberg for comments on an earlier draft of the
letter.
Martha E. Pollack
President, Cornell University
26 June 2021
Dear President Pollack,
I am writing as Chair of the Conservation Action Committee of the
Cayuga Bird Club to communicate and amplify public dismay about recent,
poorly-timed mowing for forage hay crops on Cornell lands during the peak
nesting period for grassland bird species listed as being of special
conservation concern by the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I have been contacted by
many local birders, including farmers and members of the Cornell University
community who are saddened and angry about the situation. Recent research lead
by Cornell scientists and published in the journal Science (see Rosenberg, K.
V., et al. 2019. Decline of the North American avifauna. Science 365(6461))
found that nearly 3 billion birds have been lost from the U.S. and Canada just
since 1970. Populations of grassland bird species like Bobolink, Eastern
Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, and others have declined the
most, down 53% in aggregate, accounting for more than 720 million grassland
birds. Poorly timed mowing of hay crops, especially throughout the Northeast,
is a major contributing factor in the decline in grassland bird populations.
Rather than contributing to the problem, Cornell can help remedy
population declines of grassland bird species by developing a plan for
sustainable management of the substantial acreage of hayfields and other
non-woody habitats under the University’s control. The Cayuga Bird Club stands
ready to collaborate with Cornell in developing a plan. We already have
accumulated relevant documents about research and practices aimed at timing of
mowing and other management actions that would be of great use in developing a
Cornell sustainable grassland management plan. For example, mowing earlier in
the season before establishment of nests and when growing hay is of high forage
quality can have nearly as much conservation benefit as delaying mowing to a
time when quality of the hay forage is lower. We also have established
contacts with federal and state natural resource agencies who are knowledgeable
of possible financial reimbursement opportunities for which the University may
qualify.
Cornell University has an opportunity to be a leader among all Land
Grant Universities by developing a model grassland management plan that could
be adopted by other institutions throughout the Northeast and beyond. Such a
management plan also could be consistent with Cornell’s sustainability
initiatives. While the current initiatives are laudable, the focus on
renewable energy, transportation and built environments, and even economic
sustainability miss an important need. All of these actions are means to
achieving the fundamental end of a full and functioning ecosystem of which we
humans are a part and are on which we are dependent for our survival.
The modern concept of “sustainability” emerged fairly recently in
the famous 1987 Brundtland report, “Our Common Future”, prepared for the U.N.
In that report, sustainability was described in terms of conserving the
ecosystems and natural capital which are necessary for the basic needs and
well-being of humans. The fundamental end of sustaining ecosystems and natural
capital is noticeably missing from the Sustainable Cornell website. Indeed, it
was unclear what individual from Sustainable Cornell would be the most
important recipient of this letter. I am copying Vice President, Rick Burgess,
on this letter because he responded to Nancy Cusumano when she expressed her
concern about mowing. Also, I think it is somewhat ironic that one of four
Cornell Chronicle articles headlined on the website of the Office of the
President at Cornell, under the heading “Academic Distinction”, is this
headline about the Science article I referenced earlier: “Nearly 30% of birds
in the U.S. and Canada have vanished since 1970.” Knowledge about the plight
of birds exists at Cornell, but does the administration have the willingness
and commitment to actively address that plight?
Finally, it is worth noting that the Cayuga Bird Club has a long
history of collaborating and engaging with other institutions and groups, most
recently including the Cornell Botanic Gardens. We are actively working with
the Botanic Gardens, the City of Ithaca, and several other partners to restore
native plants to the regionally-rare, seasonally flooded forests at the south
end of Cayuga Lake. This work demonstrates how much we value engagement and
collaboration, just as Cornell University does. We would like to help Cornell
become a regional or national leader in sustainable management of grassland
habitats on university properties. Members of the Cayuga Bird Club look
forward to meeting with the most appropriate group of administrators to discuss
this pressing need.
Sincerely,
Jody Enck
Chair, Conservation
Action Committee
Cayuga Bird Club
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