Wonderful, Jody and everyone else who worked on this letter. Thank you so much for putting together something so thoughtful and informative, with constructive ways to move forward. Cornell may ignore it, but they certainly shouldn't.
Sandy Podulka At 02:42 PM 6/27/2021, you wrote: >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 Universityâs >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 Cornellâs 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 >âsustainabilityâ emerged fairly recently in >the famous 1987 Brundtland report, âOur Common >Futureâ, 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 >âAcademic Distinctionâ, is this headline >about the Science article I referenced earlier: >âNearly 30% of birds in the U.S. and Canada >have vanished since 1970.â  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 > >-- >Cayugabirds-L List Info: ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME>Welcome and Basics ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES>Rules and Information ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm>Subscribe, > >Configuration and Leave >Archives: ><http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html>The >Mail Archive ><http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds>Surfbirds ><http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html>BirdingOnThe.Net >Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>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/ --
