Tell us who the discourteous individual was. It is the best, perhaps=20 the only, way to solve this problem. Such behavior ought to have its=20 reward. Jim Williams Wayzata
On May 9, 2005, at 3:04 PM, Carol Carter wrote: Yesterday, while birding with friends at Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve,=20= I witnessed a disturbing violation of both Park ordinance and birding=20 ethics. My companions and I were looking for the Hooded Warbler that=20 had been reported on the MOU-net on Saturday. We heard a Hooded Warbler=20= singing and when we approached the area we saw two birder/photographers=20= who were off trail in the woods apparently trying to photograph the=20 bird. =A0 When the warbler moved close to the trail, the photographers came back=20= out of the woods to the trail. I told them that Park ordinance required=20= them to stay on designated trails unless they had a special use permit.=20= I was courteous and non-confrontational when I made this statement. One=20= of the photographers responded courteously and said, =93Oh, we didn=92t=20= know that, sorry.=94 The other man, however, was not courteous, and his=20= attitude was really =93in your face.=94 He told me that he WAS on a = trail=20 (it was really an oak wilt plow-line), that HE had a degree in natural=20= resources, and that HE understood the ecology of the forest VERY WELL,=20= thank you, and the habitat was ALREADY disturbed, and he WAS CERTAIN=20 that HE had not done any further damage to the vegetation. He also said=20= that he, OF COURSE, would not have gone into undisturbed habitat to=20 pursue the bird. This individual was reluctant to tell me his name=20 until after I introduced myself and told him I was the Wildlife=20 Specialist for Three Rivers Park District... to which he responded=20 =93Well, good for you.=94 I was very disturbed by this confrontation=20 and=A0thoroughly dismayed by the attitude of this well-known and, I=20 thought, well-respected birder. =A0 For the benefit of the many birders who appreciate the special place=20 that is Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve, and the special birds that can=20 only be found there, I wish to provide the following information: =A0 Park ordinance concerning hiking within the Parks states the following:=20= =93it shall be unlawful for any person to hike in a park except in=20 recreation and nature center use areas, and on DESIGNATED trails and=20 roadways, unless authorized by special use permit.=94 Birders should be=20= aware that oak wilt plow-lines are NOT trails. It is probably true that=20= if you walk on a plow-line you will not do any serious or immediate=20 damage to the habitat. However, if every birder who comes along walks=20 on the plow-lines, the vegetation will not recover, and the plow-lines=20= will BECOME trails. This is an undesirable outcome from the point of=20 view of protecting the vegetation and habitat within the park. =A0 Even more important is the disturbance to a bird caused by being=20 followed around its territory and being flushed repeatedly from one=20 song perch after another. If one person does this one time=A0early in = the=20 breeding season, there is probably no serious disruption to the bird=92s=20= breeding cycle. However, if every birder who wants to see or photograph=20= a Hooded Warbler does the same thing, the bird could very well abandon=20= its territory altogether.=A0Please be aware that there are=A0several = Hooded=20 Warbler territories at Murphy-Hanrehan that are bisected by designated=20= trails. It is not necessary to go off trail to see or to photograph=20 them. PLEASE stay on designated trails. =A0 The bottom line is this: An ethical=A0birder puts the welfare of the = bird=20 and its habitat before his or her desire to see or=A0to photograph the=20= bird. =A0 Carol Carter Wildlife Specialist Three Rivers Park District 3800 County Road 24 Maple Plain, MN 55359 Phone: 763-694-7848 Cell: 612-490-0882 =A0 =A0
