NOAC '98 RESOLUTIONS Joint Resolutions from the 1998 North American Ornithological Conference Return to contents page 1998 Report from NAOC Resolutions Committee David Blockstein, Chair RESOLUTIONS APPROVED FOR 1998 by the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society, Wilson Ornithological Society Snow Geese population management National Forest management Natural resource science funding Public Lands Funding Initiative Northeast National Petroleum Reserve Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Exxon Valdez Restoration Reserve Fund Bird collisions with Radio and TV towers Bird collisions with windows and buildings Salton Sea restoration Snow Geese Population Management Background: It appears that great danger to an Arctic ecosystem exists as a result of increases in a single population of Snow Goose, that this danger threatens the existence of numerous other species of birds and other wildlife, and that this situation can be linked directly to the effects of large-scale human modification of the landscape on the goose's migratory and wintering grounds. The American Bird Conservancy Policy council and the National Audubon Society's Board of Directors adopted similar resolutions. Management Resolution Whereas, an exponentially growing population of Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens), breeding along the border of Hudson Bay and migrating through mid-continental North America, is overgrazing and over-grubbing its breeding habitat, causing changes in vegetation and soil salinity and threatening large portions of the Arctic ecosystem, with potentially irreversible ecological degradation; and Whereas, plant species grubbed and eaten by the rapidly growing Snow Goose population in the Arctic are being destroyed to an unprecedented extent, and are being replaced over vast areas by unpalatable, salt-tolerant species; and Whereas, extensive scientific research on the effects of Snow Geese, including long-term exclosure experiments, suggests that their alteration of the biotic environment, especially plant community composition and structure, and the abiotic environment, especially soil chemistry, may be irreversible; and Whereas, long term studies show that populations of many bird species that depend on tundra habitat are declining precipitously as Snow Goose populations have grown and there is a concern that these declines may be linked to the growing Snow Goose population. These declining populations include species such as Hudsonian Godwit, Smith's Longspur, Yellow Rail, American Golden Plover, and Stilt Sandpiper, and a host of more widespread species with substantial numbers potentially at risk; and Whereas, the rapid increase in mid-continent Snow Goose populations is primarily a result of human modifications of habitat on the wintering grounds, along the migratory routes, and in the staging areas; and Whereas, the habitat modifications promoting population growth of Snow Geese include modern and large-scale agricultural practices throughout the non-breeding range, and these conditions are likely to persist for many decades; and Whereas, scientific evidence indicates that a continued growth of the mid-continent Snow Goose populations threatens the integrity of important wildlife habitat, including managed refuges, waterfowl wintering grounds, and key migratory resting and staging areas in the United States; and Whereas, density dependent population control mechanisms will not self-regulate exponential population explosion of Snow Geese because of the species' demonstrated ability and willingness to extend both nesting and foraging ranges continually into new areas as the existing breeding grounds become degraded; and Whereas, the mortality of adult geese is viewed as the driving demographic variable by which humans can hope to reduce most effectively the total population, its rate of growth, and its effects on the environment; and Whereas the 1997 report entitled, Arctic Ecosystems in Peril: Report of the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group has been published by the Arctic Goose Joint Venture (AGJV) Management Board and Working Group (under the auspices of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan), has received adequate peer review, and concludes with a series of specific recommendations to reduce Snow Goose numbers. Therefore be it resolved that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society endorse the science-based recommendations of the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group as necessary steps for reducing mid-continent Snow Goose numbers "to a level of about 50% of current numbers by the year 2005" (1997, Arctic Ecosystems in Peril: Report of the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group, p.118). Therefore be it further resolved that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society recommend that the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group and other appropriate organizations identify and develop solutions to the anthropogenic changes in environmental conditions that have led to the problem. Return to top National Forest Management, Forest Health, and Roadless Areas Whereas, America's national forests are comprised of 156 separate forests, encompassing 25 percent of all federal public lands (200 million acres), providing essential habitat for many bird species and other biota, including a greater number of threatened and endangered species than on any other system of federally owned land; Whereas, the remaining large unfragmented roadless areas provide particularly important and irreplaceable habitat for many species, and such areas are found almost exclusively on national forests and other public lands; Whereas, many of America's national forests are overcut and fragmented due to excessive logging; Whereas, few roadless areas are protected (for example, in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon and Washington, less than 8% of 722,000 acres of forested roadless areas are administratively protected); Whereas, the Clinton Administration is attempting to implement policy to favor conservation based on the capacity of the land; Whereas, elements of this policy include a proposed 18-month moratorium on logging in large roadless areas (greater than 5,000 acres) in most national forests; Whereas, the proposed moratorium is consistent with the recommendations of the Eastside Forest Scientific Society Panel (Interim protection for late-successional forests, fisheries and watersheds; The Wildlife Society Technical Review 94-2, 1994), in which the American Ornithologists' Union was a participant; Whereas, there is considerable effort in Congress to oppose Administration policy and allow more logging under the guise of a so-called "forest health crisis"; Whereas, the American Ornithologists' Union and the Cooper Ornithological Society have each passed resolutions challenging the scientific basis of the "forest health crisis"; Therefore be it resolved, that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society support the efforts of Forest Service Chief Michael Dombeck and the Clinton administration towards increasing conservation and protection of roadless areas in national forests. Be it further resolved that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society urge the Clinton administration to extend these roadless area protections to all national forests and to roadless areas of 1,000 acres or more. Therefore be it further resolved, that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society oppose Congressional attempts to increase logging of national forests under the guise of a "forest health crisis" and urge Congress to take steps to prevent loss and fragmentation of roadless areas. Return to top Funding for Natural Resource Science Whereas scientific knowledge is a necessary basis for effective management of natural resources; Whereas, present knowledge of the natural resources of the United States is insufficient for many management objectives to be achieved; Whereas, current federal funding for biodiversity and ecosystems research and monitoring (estimated by $460 million by the National Science and Technology Council) is inadequate to meet the needs of resource managers and decisionmakers; Whereas, the proposed fiscal 1999 budget of $158 million for the Biological Resources Division (BRD) of the U.S. Geological Survey, is less than its budget for fiscal 1994 ($164 million) before the 104th Congress imposed an 15% cut when BRD was an agency known as the National Biological Service; Whereas, budget restrictions on BRD allow it to accomplish relatively few priorities identified by other agencies in the Interior Department, leaving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with a list of some 300 unaddressed research needs, and have caused a 40% decrease in BRD maintenance activities and no new construction since fiscal 1994; Whereas; the research budget of the U.S. Forest Service has remained essentially flat since a 5% recission in fiscal 1995 and research is now at about 7% of the agency budget rather than the 11% that has been traditional, Whereas, neither President Clinton's 21st Century Fund for Research nor Senator Gramm's National Research Investment Act of 1998 (S. 1305) include science in the natural resource agencies and departments among their significant proposed increases in science funding; Whereas, a 1998 report of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (Teaming with life: investing in science to understand and use America's living capital) recommends increases of up to $200 million annually (phased in over three years) for research, education, management and information infrastructure necessary to make sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems; Therefore be it resolved that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society encourage the President and the Congress to significantly increase funding for natural resource science and related activities in agencies including the U.S. Geological Survey (particularly the Biological Resources Division), the U.S. Forest Service, and the proposed National Institute for the Environment (NIE) under the National Science Foundation. Return to top The Public Lands Funding Initiative Background: The Public Lands Funding Initiative is an effort of a broad coalition of environmental, recreational, scientific and other organizations dedicated to working for additional funding for government programs benefiting wildlife and wildlands. The entire Defining Statement document is located on GREEN's web site: http://www.defenders.org/inter2.html . You will also find a listing of the groups who have already signed on to the initiative. Public Lands Funding Initiative Whereas, America's public lands, wildlife, fish, and plants are irreplaceable natural assets that belong to, and benefit, our entire nation; Whereas, the ideals underlying the creation and protection of our parks, refuges, forests, and other national lands have been admired and emulated around the world; Whereas, these public lands represent an investment in America through the conservation of our natural and cultural heritage; Whereas, more and more Americans are turning to our public lands for education, recreation, and the economic well being of their families and communities; Whereas, ironically, at the same time that these assets are increasing in value, their vitality is threatened by inadequate funding and shortsighted investment in the agencies that care for them; Whereas, the account in the federal budget that pays for the care and upkeep of our public lands (Function 300 -- Natural Resources and Environment) is slated to decrease over the next five years under the Balanced Budget Agreement; Whereas, the financial condition of our public land and natural resource management agencies is in crisis and without significant increases to base funding over the next five years, these agencies and programs will be unable to protect and manage the resources intrusted to their care; Therefore be it resolved that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society support the Public Lands Funding Initiative, including the following proposed funding increases that are based on data requested from the agencies, and reflect real need: The Fish and Wildlife Service, $710 million to operate the National Wildlife Refuge System, to implement the Endangered Species Act, and for migratory bird management. The National Park Service, $630 million for natural and cultural resource protection, park operations, and maintenance of physical infrastructure. The Bureau of Land Management, $125 million for wildlife, fisheries, and threatened and endangered species, to provide recreational opportunities, and for paleontology research. (Note: the request for BLM is well below needs for adequate stewardship of its 260 million acres. This request is based on amounts that could be used effectively with limited or no increases in staff.) The Forest Service, $618 million for Fish, Wildlife, and Rare Plants; Recreation; Wilderness; Road Obliteration and Maintenance; Invasive Species; Rangeland Management; and Research on Wildlife, Fish, Water and Air. The U.S. Geological Survey's Biological Resources Division, $185 million for biological research, resource monitoring, information transfer, and maintenance and operations of research laboratories, cooperative research units, and their equipment. The Land and Water Conservation Fund, at least $700 million (assuming the base does not include the additional $699 million in FY98) to achieve full funding for land acquisition needs in the four agencies and to revitalize the grants to states and local communities for recreation and open space needs. Return to top NORTHEAST NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE WHEREAS, the Northeast National Petroleum Reserve ("the Reserve") is a low-lying coastal region comprising nearly 4.6 million acres of nearly undisturbed foothill tundra and wet tundra, and WHEREAS, the Reserve encompasses the largest stretch of low-lying, coastal plain tundra and foothill tundra in Alaska, and perhaps in North America, and WHEREAS, the ecosystems and habitat represented in the Reserve are not found in protected areas in Alaska, and WHEREAS, numerous bird species are found in the Reserve, including the Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) and Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolis), which nest only in this region in the United States, the threatened Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) and Steller's Eider (Polysticta stelleri), molting waterfowl, and large populations of many shorebirds and waterbirds, and WHEREAS, the Colville River Special Area of the Reserve has been recognized as one of the most significant regional habitats for raptors in North America, including nearly 90 nesting pairs of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus), which have only recently returned to this area following the DDT-caused decline in the 1970s, and WHEREAS, The Bureau of Land Management is considering an Integrated Activity Plan for the Reserve, with five alternative courses of action, each making a certain amount of the Reserve available for gas and oil extraction activities, and WHEREAS, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement analyzing each of these alternatives is inadequate in that it fails to evaluate adequately the unique ecological and biological features of the reserve, and fails to address available literature on the response of bird populations to various types and levels of development, and WHEREAS, there has not been adequate surveying of the presence and abundance of the bird species found in the region, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society recommend that the Bureau of Land Management defer the selection of a management plan for the Reserve until basic surveys and research have been completed, or, if deferment is not possible, that the Bureau of Land Management select Alternative A, the "no action" alternative which will continue the current management and allow no oil or gas leases, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that whatever management plan is selected by the Bureau of Land Management, that it be implemented in such a manner as to include very specific safeguards, based upon scientific information, to protect the environment and the wildlife found within the Reserve. Return to top IZEMBEK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE WHEREAS, The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (INWR) and the Izembek lagoon (Izembek State Game Refuge) it encompasses, located on the Alaska Peninsula, is so important as wetland habitat for wildlife diversity that it was recognized as the first wetland site in the United States placed on the list of wetlands of international importance under the "Ramsar" Convention, and WHEREAS, the refuge and the lagoon are being considered for additional international recognition as a reserve of international importance by the Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network, and WHEREAS, the refuge provides habitat for numerous bird species, including a resident, non-migratory Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) population, approximately half the world population of the threatened Steller's Eider (Somateria fischeri), the entire Pacific Brant (Branta bernicla) population, and the entire population of Emperor Geese (Chen canigica), and WHEREAS, the Refuge's Kinzarof Lagoon has the only signficant eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds on the Pacific side of the Alaska peninsula, which is a primary food source for numerous bird and fish species, and WHEREAS, two identical bills, S. 1092 AND H.R. 2259, are presently before Congress, each of which has been passed by committees in their respective houses, which would direct construction of a road that would traverse seven miles of the Izembek Wilderness and four more miles of the Refuge, and bisect an isthmus between the Izembek and Kinzarof Lagoons, and WHEREAS, the bills suspend the application to the road of all environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and all Federal provisions to protect wetalnds and to require Environmental Impact Assessments; and WHEREAS, the proposed road through this fragile tundra is likely to: degrade wilderness values; increase silt loads to the Lagoon and/or decrease fresh-water flow to the Lagoon, which could affect eelgrass growth and production; disturb widllife, including the many birds in the area and result in increased pressure from future human disturbance; expose the Izembek Lagoon to waterborne contaminants from shipping accidents or potential offshore oil development; and WHEREAS, Congress designated 95% of the INWR as wilderness in 1980, and the Wilderness Act prohibits the building of permanent roads within any wilderness areas, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society urge Congress to reject S.1092 and H.R.2259 and to oppose any other effort to build a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. Return to top EXXON VALDEZ RESTORATION RESERVE FUND Whereas, in the court settlement following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, a trust fund was established to provide for restoration and enhancement of resources injured as a result of the spill and a trustee council was created to oversee the allocation of that money with a mission to return the environment to a "healthy, productive, world-renowned ecosystem"; Whereas, the impact of the spill was primarily on the marine ecosystem and its inhabitants, including Common Murres (Uria aalge), Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia), Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba), Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), cormorants (Phalacrocorax spp.), and other seabirds; Whereas, more than half of the money available for restoration has been spent on land purchases to protect valuable fish and wildlife habitats, not all of which will directly improve the marine resources damaged by the spill; Whereas, the Trustee Council previously established a Restoration Reserve account to provide funds for restoration activities after the last Exxon payment in 2001; Whereas, in adopting the restoration plan, the Trustee Council specifically recognized that monitoring recovery, understanding the spill's effects on the ecosystem and undertaking needed restoration activities "on an ecosystem basis" will extend well into the future; Whereas, by 2001, the reserve fund is expected to total about $140 million, including interest; Whereas, the trustee council will make a decision in 1998 on the allocation of that fund; Whereas, scientific research is necesssary for an understanding of the northern Gulf of Alaska ecosystem, which has not been well studied. For example, there is a need for increased understanding of the interrelationships among seabird colonies and their dependence on poorly-studied forage fishes in the region.; Whereas, use of the information based on research is essential for protecting the marine resources of Prince William Sound and the northern Gulf of Alaska; Whereas, only through continued research and monitoring will it be possible to determine the long-term effects of the spill and of the measures used to mitigate those effects; Whereas, the chief scientist of the trustee council has proposed using the reserve fund to establish a permanent, adaptive, interdisciplinary research and monitoring program, which "would track, and eventually predict, ecosystem changes and provide a basis and mechanism for long-term restoration, enhancement, and wise management of marine resources in the northern Gulf of Alaska"; Therefore be it resolved that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society encourage the Exxon Valdez Trustee Council to (a) establish a permanent fund for competitive, peer-reviewed research and monitoring of the northern Gulf of Alaska ecosystem and (b) allocate all or nearly all of the restoration reserve fund for this purpose. Therefore be it further resolved that an ongoing marine conservation biology research and monitoring program should be based on the following core principles: Research and monitoring should focus on conserving and recovering the living marine resources and biological diversity of the Gulf of Alaska, and should be coordinated with other federal and state marine research programs in Alaska, such as those in the Bering Sea, to leverage efforts and enhance the benefits of each. Decisions on research and monitoring proposals should be based on a competitive scientific peer review process involving not only Alaskan scientists, but a mix of scientists throughout the United States with appropriate expertise in the various research topics to be considered. The best science results from involving the most appropriate scientists in all aspects of the process, and from basing funding decisions on emerging scientific and management questions. The resulting science should be of sufficient quality for publication in the best scientific journals. The overall design of the long-term monitoring and research program should be reviewed by the National Research Council, the National Science Foundation, or other appropriate scientific bodies. Research and monitoring should be ecosystem-oriented, designed and implemented to understand the processes and relationships governing marine ecosystem functioning, to enhance recovery of living marine resources that were harmed by the Exxon Valdez oil spill or are otherwise in decline, and to address emerging environmental problems and biodiversity loss in the Gulf of Alaska. Research and monitoring should not be narrowly focused on maximizing certain resources for short-term economic gain, but should be broad-based and seek to understand how marine ecosystems function as a basis for management and conservation in the long run. Use of indicator species is appropriate in some cases; however, in addition to studies on specific species, integrative research should be conducted to tie together information through modeling and other techniques to develop an understanding of processes affecting species on large geographic and temporal scales. Research and monitoring projects should include long-term studies, allowing observation of environmental variation over decades to increase scientific understanding of ecosystem processes that vary over long time periods, and enhance our understanding of natural vs. human-caused environmental changes. Return to top COMMUNICATION TOWERS AND AVIAN MORTALITY WHEREAS an estimated two million to four million birds are killed in collisions with communication towers, particularly those higher than 200 feet, in eastern North America alone each year, and WHEREAS towers 200 feet and taller are required to be lit for aircraft safety, generally with blinking lights, and WHEREAS birds migrating at night are attracted by the light and circle the tower striking supporting guy wires; and WHEREAS there are presently at least 75,000 towers above 200 feet tall in the U.S. (according to the Federal Aviation Administration) and another 100,000 are expected to be constructed in the next decade (according to the communications industry) due to expansion in various communications markets, and to accommodate digital TV; WHEREAS the accrued impact of thousands of towers on migrant songbird populations may be significant for declining species such as Cerulean Warblers and endangered species such as Kirtland's Warbler, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society urge the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to endorse studies involving experiments toward finding lighting systems for towers that reduce avian mortality. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society encourage the communications industry to voluntarily reduce the number of new towers by co-locating new transmitters on existing towers and to work with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) to minimize collisions of birds with towers; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society strongly encourage the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to work with the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission to study the magnitude of the problem, including through preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement, and to develop a national plan to minimize collisions of birds with towers. Citations Cochran, William W. and Richard R. Graber. 1958. Attraction of nocturnal migrants by lights on a television tower. Wilson Bulletin 70:378-380. Kemper, Charles. 1996. A Study of Bird Mortality at as West Central Wisconsin TV Tower from 1957-1995. Passenger Pigeon 58: 219-235. Larkin, Ronald P., and Barbara A. Frase. 1988. Circular paths of birds flying near a broadcasting tower in cloud. Journal of Comparative Psychology 102:90-93. Ogden, Lesley P. 1996. Collision course: the hazards of lighted structures and windows to migrating birds. World Wildlife Fund Canada and the Fatal Lights Awareness Program, 46 pp. Return to top Design or Modification of Buildings and other Structures to Reduce Collisions by Birds WHEREAS birds are often unable to recognize sheet glass as a barrier, and at least 100 million to a billion birds are killed each year in the United States alone by striking glass of various sizes, in all types of human-built structures, during every season, and WHEREAS the lights in tall lighted structures such as those in multistory buildings are known to disorient and result in bird fatalities from colliding with windows and opaque walls, and WHEREAS glass can be modified to transform it into barriers that birds can recognize and avoid, and WHEREAS the enactment of a building policy of minimum night lighting, especially during migration, can markedly alleviate bird attraction and confusion around tall buildings and towers, Whereas, the problem of collisions between birds and windows is ubiquitious, incremental, cumulative, insufficiently documented and not well recognized as to its magnitude or its parameters ; Whereas, there has been insufficient research on building design and placement, alternative materials, landscaping and other measures to minimize collisions; Therefore be it resolved that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society encourage the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as custodians of the nation's migratory bird resource, to make research related to bird-window collisions and their avoidance high on its priority list and to encourage the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey to carry out the needed research; Therefore be it further resolved that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society encourage the American Bird Conservancy to undertake a campaign, similar to its "Cats Indoors" campaign to raise awareness of the issue and to work with glass manufacturers, architects, builders, developers,landscape planners, building managers and home owners to find ways to reduce the problem of unintentional killing of wild birds in collisions. References Dunn, E. H. 1993. Bird mortality from striking residential windows in winter. Journal of Field Ornithology 64(3): 302-309. [Documents kills at bird feeders using Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's Feederwatch Program data, and offers confirming support that minimal estimate of the order of magnitude of avian mortality at sheet glass is 100 million annually] Graham, D. L. 1997. Spider webs and windows as potentially important sources of hummingbird mortality. Journal of Field Ornithology 68(1): 98-101. [Documents hermit hummingbirds (Phaethornis spp.) as vicitms to spider webs and windows in Costa Rica, and suggests that window-kills may be a significant source of mortality for local hummingbird populations in general; such records portend increased mortality at "glass-rich" lodges constructed in these attractive tropical areas to accommodate ecotourism.] Klem, D. Jr. 1979. Biology of collisions between birds and windows. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 256 pp. [Comprehensive description of original studies from 1974-79.] Klem, D. Jr. 1981. Avian predators hunting birds near windows. Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 55: 90-92. [Brief overview of issue and detailed description of Sharp-shinned Hawk and Loggerhead Shrike hunting and collecting window-killed prey.] Klem, D. Jr. 1989. Bird-window collisions. Wilson Bulletin 101(4): 606-620. [Overview] Klem, D. Jr. 1990. Bird injuries, cause of death, and recuperation from collisions with windows. Journal of Field Ornithology 61(1): 115-119. Klem, D. Jr. 1990. Collisions between birds and windows: mortality and prevention. Journal of Field Ornithology 61(1): 120-128. Klem, D. Jr. 1991. Glass and bird kills: an overview and suggested planning and design methods of preventing a fatal hazard. In Wildlife Conservation in Metropolitan Enviornments NIUW Symposium Series 2, L. W. Adams and D. L. Leedy, eds., National Institute for Urban Wildlife, MD, 99-104 pp. [Review of bird-glass issue and request that the building industry give bird mortality at glass serious consideration in their practices.] Ogden, L. J. E. 1996. Collision course: the hazards of lighted structures and windows to migrating birds. World Wildlife Fund Canada and the Fatal Light Awareness Program, 46 pp. [Special publication documenting the threat to birds from lighted multistory buildings that also addresses the glass hazard.] Return to top RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE SALTON SEA AS SIGNIFICANT WILDLIFE HABITAT WHEREAS the Salton Sea, the third largest interior saline lake in North America, formed by accidental water diversions from the Colorado River into southeastern California in 1905-6 and presently maintained by inflows of water imported for agricultural purposes, agricultural runoff, and freshwater river flows, has long been recognized as providing significant wetland habitat for a highly diverse array of migratory and breeding waterbird populations, and WHEREAS recent surveys have revealed populations of up to 1.5 million Eared Grebes in midwinter (Jehl 1988), up to half of California's wintering White-faced Ibis (Shuford et al.1996), and regional significance as an integral component of the Pacific Flyway for tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds (Page et al. 1992), waterfowl, and American White Pelicans, as well as significant breeding colonies of Double-crested Cormorants and Caspian Terns (K. Molina unpubl. data), nearly 40% of the nesting Black Skimmers (Collins and Garrett 1996), and by far the larger of only two breeding populations of Gull-billed Terns in western North America (Parnell et al. 1995), and WHEREAS the Salton Sea has been documented to be of significant value as avian habitat from the time of its formation (see, for example, early studies reported by Grinnell 1908, Dawson 1923, Pemberton 1927, Miller & van Rossem 1929), and has retained this significance in the subsequent nine decades, with the Sea and its surrounding agricultural lands remaining a renowned birdwatching locality of national significance with over 350 species recorded and immense numbers of breeding, migrant, and wintering birds, in addition to unique post-breeding use by a variety of subtropical waterbirds, and WHEREAS the Salton Sea represents a complex mosaic of habitats and land-use types, from saline lake waters to brackish and freshwater deltas resulting from both natural and imported (agricultural) water sources, and of state and federal wildlife refuges, agricultural areas, and geothermal developments, all with equally complex interactions and often competing interests, and WHEREAS the State of California and surrounding regions have experienced significant losses of wetlands (Johnson and Jehl 1994), including coastal wetlands, interior wetlands (most notably the Colorado River delta and Tulare Lake basin), and interior saline lakes such as Owens Lake (Jehl 1994), making the Salton Sea, despite its "artificial" genesis, especially unique and important as de facto mitigation on a regional if not continental scale, and WHEREAS significant colonies of ground-nesting colonial waterbirds and herons, as well as of the recently established Brown Pelican, have thrived during the 1990s, likely due in large measure to decreased levels of human recreational uses of key portions of the Salton Sea (Molina 1996), and WHEREAS the Salton Sea has experienced high levels of eutrophication, salinization, and contamination, resulting in diminished water quality Setmire et al. 1990), and WHEREAS freshwater sources for the Salton Sea are currently under threat from planned diversions to coastal urban regions of California, and WHEREAS, there have recently been large-scale mortalities of birds (150,000 Eared Grebes in 1992, 1,400 Brown Pelicans in 1996, many nesting Double-crested Cormorants in 1997)and millisons of fish, all symptomatic of severe problems in the ecosystem, and WHEREAS, current attempts by agencies, NGOs, private concerns, and lawmakers to "save" the Salton Sea are gaining momentum, including engineering studies, Congressional legislation, and an Environmental Impact Statement together with a scientific review committee conducted by the Department of the Interior, and WHEREAS, there is no consensus on what is meant to restore or "save" the Salton Sea, and THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society recognize the significance of the Salton Sea to wildlife and support rehabilitation and conservation efforts for the Salton Sea that are responsive to the needs of wildlife and based on sound and thorough biological data; that recognize the importance of freshwater, delta, brackish, saline, and agricultural habitats at the Salton Sea; that improve water quality and guarantee continued adequate sources of freshwater; that stress the critical need for protection and isolation of waterbird colonies from human and other disturbance; and that seek to minimize threats to wildlife potentially resulting from urban and recreational development. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society support an approach that allows sufficient time to study the situation, including all feasible options, that any additional research funds are added to agency core budgets, that no money be spent on "emergency action" before a full environmental impact statement is completed, including studies of the impacts of brine or salt disposal from all pumped water, and that the implementation of whatever action be recommended must meet all environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act, and that judicial review of proposed actions be allowed without restraint. Literature Cited Collins, C. T. and Garrett, K. L. 1996. The Black Skimmer in California: an overview. West. Birds 27: 127-135. Dawson, W. L. 1923. The Birds of California. South Moulton Co., San Diego Grinnell, J. 1908. Birds of a voyage on Salton Sea. Condor 10: 185-191. Jehl, J., Jr. 1988. Biology of the Eared Grebe and Wilson's Phalarope in the nonbreeding season: a study of adaptations to saline lakes. Studies in Avian Biol. 12. _____. 1994. Changes in saline and alkaline lake avifaunas in western North America in the past 150 years. Studies in Avian Biology 15: 258-272. Johnson, N., and Jehl, J. Jr. 1994. A century of avifaunal change in western North America: overview. Studies in Avian Biol. 15: 1-3. Miller, L. M. and van Rossem, A. J. 1929. Nesting of the Laughing Gull in southern California. Condor 31: 141-142. Molina, K. 1996. Population status and breeding biology of Black Skimmers at the Salton Sea, California. West. Birds 27: 143-158. Page, G. W., Shuford, W. D., Kjelmyr, J. E. and Stenzel, L. E. 1992. Shorebird numbers in wetlands of the Pacific Flyway: a summary of counts from April 1988 to January 1992. Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Hwy, Stinson Beach, CA 94970. Parnell, J. P., Erwin, R. M., and Molina, K. C. 1995. Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica). In The Birds of North America, No. 140. (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington , D.C. Pemberton, J. R. 1927. The American Gull-billed Tern breeding in California. Condor 29: 253-258. Setmire, J.G., R. Schroeder, Densmore, S. Goodbred, D. Audet and W. Radke. 1990. Detailed study of water quality, bottom sediment, and biota associated with irrigation drainage in the Salton Sea are, California, 1988-90. U. S. Geological Survey, Water Res. Invest. Rept. 93-4014. Shuford, W. D., Hickey, C. M., Safran, R. J., and Page, G. W. 1996. A review of the status of the White-faced Ibis in winter in California. West. Birds 27: 169-196. Return to top Our thanks to our server host, the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution) who is not responsible in any way for content on the BIRDNET or related pages. 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