TheWildlifeWatchBinocular

Modern airports have to contend witha great number of safety issues. Insome cases, the problems are techni-cal, related to the proper functioning ofequipment or weather events. Someconsiderations are human-oriented –anything from obstreperous passengersto the more dangerous possibility ofterrorist activity. And then there areanimal-related concerns, as whenwildlife get near airfields or aircraft in away that endangers both humans andanimals alike.

Among the animals that can pose ahazard for planes, probably the mostwell known is the Canada goose.Migrating Canada geese, in particular,can fly at altitudes and on flyways thatcould bring them into fatal contact withaircraft. When a flock or some mem-

bers of a flock get sucked into the pow-erful vortex of a jet engine, theencounter could endanger the aircraftand its passengers, and is always fatalfor the geese themselves. These birdand aircraft collisions are often referredto as “bird strikes.”

On the ground, another wild animalthat can be a problem is the coyote.When they get onto an airfield, theirsimple presence can block the take-offor landing of planes. And in someinstances, as mentioned in a recentstory from Martin County, Florida, itwas claimed that they may do damageto electrical wiring or other equipment.As human safety is the number one pri-ority for airport officials, a variety oftactics have been undertaken in orderto remove animals from their property.Consequently, many airports employwildlife biologists to design and/orimplement strategies that will protecttheir passengers.

At Portland International Airport, inPortland, Oregon, Nick Atwell is theAviation Wildlife Manager. Atwell hasbeen at the airport (acronym: PDX) forapproximately ten years, starting out asan intern and working his way up tomanager. He has degrees in Natural

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PO Box 562, New Paltz, NY 12561 Spring 2011 © 2011 by Wildlife Watch, Inc. All rights reserved.

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WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

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WOODPECKER

IMPROVING WILDLIFE MANAGEMENTSTRATEGIES AT AIRPORTS

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT BY E.M. FAY

Coyote outside of fence RECOVERY EFFORTSSHOW PROMISE FORTHE ENDANGERED

RED-COCKADEDWOODPECKER

BY HAZEL FREEMAN

On a quiet May morning, a smallgroup of amateur birders stand amidthe tall pine trees in the heart ofFlorida’s Apalachicola National Forest(ANF). Alan Knothe, an education andtraining expert with the ApalachicolaNational Estuarine Research Reserve(Alan is no longer with the ANERR) hasled his small group of eager birdersdeep into the trees. Standing silently,we look, listen, and hope for a glimpseof a rare bird…the red-cockaded wood-pecker (RCW).

Sprawling across about six hundredthousand acres in the Florida panhan-dle, the ANF is the largest national for-est in Florida. Located southwest ofTallahassee, the ANF was established

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—The Washington Post. $24.95 or $20.95 members. Order from www.wildwatch.org

God’s Dog : A Celebrationof the NorthAmericanCoyote by Hope Ryden

2

their wildlife team might trap and relo-cate as many as 100 or so hawks peryear.

“Animal control issues are totally dif-ferent from airport to airport,” Atwelltold us. This means that what is doneto cope with animal hazards at one air-port may not work at another.

“Because every airport has its ownunique issues, you can’t apply a cookie-cutter recipe to each one. They have tobe addressed independently.”

At Portland International Airport, thewildlife team does its best to deal ashumanely as possible with animal“intruders.” They began by forming awildlife hazard working group, andbringing in a variety of experts to pro-vide input so that a rational and effi-cient program could be devised.Experienced groups, including animalrights organizations, were consulted.The direction of the program was thusformulated by a collective voice, to

make sure that all available resourceswere used intelligently.

The use of raptor trapping/relo-cation, pyro-technics, lasers, andcannons are other techniquesemployed by Atwell’s team tofrighten away wildlife from theairfield environment. Regardingdissuasive methods in general, hesaid,

“Instead of being reactive, weprefer to be pro-active, such asputting in buried fencing so coy-otes and other animals can’t dig

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WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT under the airfield fence. We also use construction silt

fencing to break up the line ofsight in large open areas. Thisdecreases visibility for the geese,and they feel a level of uncertaintywhen their visibility is limited.They know there may be a preda-tor beyond the obstruction.”

By using visual barriers the wildlifemanagers effectively take advantage ofthe birds’ own natural instincts for self-preservation. When they cannot seebeyond a sufficient point, they feeluncomfortable with the space and willnot likely congregate there.

Occasionally, a coyote will find his orher way onto the airfield. One of thenon-lethal methods used at PDX since2002 is the “herding” of coyotes. Staffmembers will open the gate nearest tothem and then drive a vehicle slowly,guiding the coyotes along the fenceuntil they reach the open gate andleave the airfield. It is important not topanic the coyotes into running thewrong way. Coyotes are smart, though,and sometimes they will head for thegate as soon as a vehicle approaches.Such a measure may seem simple, butAtwell stresses that it might not beappropriate for other airports with dif-ferent topography and wildlife popula-tions. “Every airport has to adapt totheir own changing environments andbe pro-active.”

As for long-term animal strate-gy, Atwell said, “We want to getdown to root causes so we canexclude them from the airfield inthe first place.” To this end, theyimplement “specific landscapestandards throughout the proper-ty.” There are spacing require-ments between trees, and they donot plant any attractive vegetationor trees that encourage roosting orforaging. Even grasses are care-fully considered. A great deal ofscientific know-how is involved.

“There is a specific species planting listthat we use,” Atwell stated. “We screenplants in relation to birds that are of con-cern to aviation safety. We know thebirds’ life history requirements, makingsure there are no direct associationsbetween birds and plants which might

The Wildlife Watch Binocularis published quarterly by Wildlife

Watch Inc., a 501(c)3 Corp.P.O. Box 562, New Paltz, NY 12561

Phone: 845-256-1400, e-mail: wildwatch@verizon.net Website: www.wildwatch.org

Anne Muller - Editor; E.M. Fay - Assoc. Editor

We welcome letters/articles/photos for consideration.

Contributions are tax-deductible.

Bird balls keep canadas and other waterfowl out ofretention ponds

Resources and Organismal WildlifeBiology. He and his team of threeWildlife Technicians and one intern areunder the aegis of the EnvironmentalDepartment, and are employed by thePort of Portland, which is the parententity that owns and operates the air-port, as well as other transportationhubs in the area.

Atwell explained that part of thereason that geese turn up near somany airports across the country isthat airports are often built on landlocated on traditional bird migra-tion routes – “flyways” – as well ason wetlands, a prime habitat formany birds. Airfields and associat-ed undeveloped buffer propertiesalso present literally hundreds andsometimes thousands of acres ofrelatively short grass habitat, high-ly attractive to Canada geese aswell as other species of concern foraviation safety. Atwell noted that dif-ferent geographic regions have differ-ent animal populations to deal with.For example, Oregon does not have alaughing gull population, which hasbeen alleged to be a safety hazard atJFK Airport in New York. Portland doeshave red-tailed hawks, however. PDX ison the Pacific Flyway for this bird, so

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WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

Fencing prevents digging

Construction silt fencing breaks up the line of sight inlarge open areas. This decreases visibility for geese,when their visibility is limited, the geese sense apredator may be waiting beyond the obstruction.

April 7 is International Beaver DayWhy Celebrate This Keystone Species?

BY SHARON T. BROWN

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Beavers are more than intriguinganimals with flat tails and lustrous fur.American Indians called this speciesthe land’s “sacred center” becausebeaver damming creates such richwetland habitat – a half-mile-longdam in Alberta, Canada can be seenfrom space. Today we know thatbeavers provide many essential serv-ices. Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife, aneducational nonprofit, has designatedApril 7 as International Beaver Day tospread the word that nature’s engi-neer is our ally in combating majormodern environmental problems.

The fur trade had nearly extirpatedbeavers in the U.S. by the early1900s, when conservationists raisedan alarm about the decline in manywild species due to the massive lossof watery habitat. Because beaversbuild their stick-and-mud dams instreams flowing through shallow val-leys, the flooded area becomes wet-lands — cradles of life with biodiversi-ty that rivals tropical rain forests. Itwas not immediately obvious thatpeople had lost equally vital, but hid-den, beaver benefits until housesbegan floating downstream.

Leaky dams, such as beaversbuild, naturally moderate down-stream flooding and droughts byreleasing water slowly – instead ofwater flowing off the land in

that learning to live with beaverscould alleviate today’s majorenvironmental problems — suchas rising extinction, water pollu-tion and extreme weather eventsfrom climate change.

------------------------More information, including videos,

beaver brochures, studies and reports,is available atwww.BeaversWW.org. Thosewho’d like to celebrateInternational Beaver Day,Thursday, April 7 with a programfor their club, class or communitycan receive a free “Coexistingwith Beavers, Teachers’ Edition”DVD while supplies last. Tell usyour plans and send a check for $4.95to cover shipping and handling toBWW, 146 Van Dyke Rd., Dolgeville,NY 13329, or call 518/568-2077 for acredit card order. This DVD contains ahalf-hour video with exciting actionfootage of beaver pond wildlife, plustwo short ones: an introduction tobeavers and BWW, and a bit about the“Beaver Woman” Dorothy Richards.

Consider helping your communitylearn about these amazing animals onInternational Beaver Day, April 7th.It’s a good time to hike to a beaverpond, arrange a display of beaverbooks in your library, or have a pro-gram about this amazing animal.

------------------------Sharon and Owen Brown are the

Founders and Directors of Beavers:Wetlands & Wildlife (BWW)

http://www.beaversww.org/

hours, it can take weeks. That longretention time allows the clearingof toxins, such as the pesticideatrazine, and excess nutrients, suchas phosphorous, from fertilizedcroplands. Plus filtering by damscan remove 90% of the silt so thatthe flow downstream needs muchless treatment at drinking waterplants.

When beavers were wiped out, mostof the nation’s wetlands were drainedfor cropland. Back then, no one under-stood that freshwater wetlands providemore natural services than any otherterrestrial ecosystem. Today, manmade(mitigation) wetlands cost from$10,000 to $100,000 per acre to build,while each New York beaver family cre-ates an average of 15 wetlands acreson average —at no charge to taxpay-ers.

Today Castor canadensis hasrebounded from the edge of extinction,though we have only 10%, or less, ofthe original beaver population prior toEuropean colonization. State wildlifeagencies remain more philosophicallyoriented toward “harvesting theresource” than to providing wetlandsbenefits, and manage beavers to keeptheir populations low to avoid com-plaints. Luckily, modern economicalmethods now exist to solve commonbeaver problems. For example, abeaver-flooded road no longer meansthat a community must choosebetween an expensive project to raisethe road and an endless cycle of trap-ping. Installing a beaver flow devicecan save money and the ecology;when these were used at the VirginiaDept of Transportation’s worst beaverroad sites, each $1 spent saved $8.37.

As climate change brings moreregional floods and droughts, wehave a flat-tailed partner who’llwork for free to alleviate the dam-age. People benefit greatly aswhen beaver wetlands cleanse thewater, slow erosion, raise watertables, and slow the flow ofstreams. No wonder scientists say

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WILDLIFE WATCH NEEDS YOU!

Wildlife Watch needs your helpmore than ever to continue providingthis vital national service for helpinginjured and orphaned wildlife. Inaddition to our national hotline,Wildlife Watch lobbies for wildlife pro-tection bills, does direct rescue local-ly, and contributes to the local rehab-bers for their care of the babies webring to them. Through our publica-tion, the Wildlife Watch Binocular,

Wildlife Watch emphasizes the uniquespirit of individual animals and pro-motes wildlife watching as a means ofspiritually and ethically relating toother beings, and as an enhancementof our life enjoyment.

Will you become a part of our team?

Y E Shttp://wildwatch.org/join/join.htm

in 1936, and began its life as a deplet-ed and abused piece of Mother Earth.Detrimental timber and turpentine pro-ducing practices rendered the land inpoor shape. But the earth is a greathealer if given a chance, and once des-ignated a national forest, the ANFbegan its recovery. The ANF is now avibrant, healthy, productive forest thatboasts the largest population in theworld of the red-cockaded woodpecker.

With his trained birding eyes andears, Alan hears the call, and spots aquick flash of movement through thetall pines. “There’s one,” he says quiet-ly, as he points towards the top of atree. We crane our necks, shield oureyes from the sun, and search the mot-tled tree trunks for the elusive wood-pecker. Unlike the pileated and the red-headed woodpecker, the red-cockadedis smaller, and much less dramatic in itsappearance. Without a discerning bird-er’s eye you might easily mistake thered-cockaded for the much more com-mon downy woodpecker.

Once numbering in the millions, andcommon in Florida’s vast acres ofmature pine forests, the red-cockadednumbers had dwindled to around tenthousand individuals. By the time itwas federally listed as an endangeredspecies in 1970, the bird was movingquickly towards extinction. It is theonly other woodpecker, besides thefamed ivory-billed, to be protectedunder the Endangered Species Act.The woodpecker’s prime habitat, thelongleaf pine ecosystem, once coveringsome ninety million acres in Florida,has been reduced to about 3% of itsformer acreage, making it one of themost endangered ecosystems in NorthAmerica.

Similar to the spotted owl in thenorthwest, this inconspicuous wood-pecker relies on mature forest for itshabitat. With the red-cockaded wood-peckers’ numbers dependent on thismature forest habitat, it becomes aneffective indicator as to whether thelongleaf pine ecosystem is healthy. Tosatisfy the needs of the woodpeckers,a mature pine forest must have treesranging in age from about eighty toone-hundred twenty years, or older, arare occurrence in today’s world. In

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WOODPECKER

addition to the spread of developmentand agriculture, Florida’s commercialpine forests are harvested when treesare between twenty and forty yearsold, leaving little hope that trees will beallowed to mature enough to supportwoodpecker populations.

At only seven to eight inches inlength, the red-cockaded woodpeckeris on the smaller end of the woodpeck-er scale and only slightly larger than abluebird. The red cockades on theheads of the male birds are usually notvisible unless he is excited or upset.Large white cheek patches are one ofthe distinguishing features to look forwhen spotting the bird, along with theblack and white bars on the back.

While you can find many species ofwoodpeckers in pine forests, the red-cockaded has some unusual character-istics that separate it from other wood-peckers. It is the only woodpecker thatexcavates roosting and nesting cavitiesin the living part of the pine tree. In aneffort to protect the nest cavities fromone of their main predators, ratsnakes, that can easily maneuver uptree trunks, the woodpeckers drill smallholes around the nest opening calledresin wells. Once drilled, the small

holes ooze the sticky, flowing pineresin that runs down the trunk, whichcoats the tree, and discourages intrud-ers.

“Looking for this waxy build up onthe trees around an entrance hole isone way to spot active nest cavities,”says Alan. As we walked through thetall pines he pointed out trees withcavities and the long trails of stickyooze that surround each opening.Once you know what you’re looking for,the holes are fairly easy to spot.

While other woodpeckers sometimescompete with the red-cockaded forownership of active cavities, aban-doned cavities provide important shel-ter for many other animals such asbluebirds, other woodpeckers andbirds, honeybees, and flying squirrels.Pileated woodpeckers can easily ruin ared-cockaded cavity by enlarging theopening, which causes the smallerwoodpeckers to abandon the cavity.Once enlarged, larger woodpeckers,raccoons, small owls, or wood ducksmight use the cavity.

The other unusual characteristicthese woodpeckers exhibit is theiradvanced social system, living ingroups that can number from just two,to as many as nine or more birds. Thecolony consists of a cluster of treeswhere a number of cavities have beenexcavated for the groups use for nest-ing as well as roosting. Each wood-pecker roosts in its own cavity, ifenough cavities are available. If not,some birds may roost out in the openuntil its cavity is finished.

Only one breeding pair heads up thesocial hierarchy while young birds and

A red-cockaded hole with the pine resin coating thetree

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WOODPECKER

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WOODPECKER

adult males from previous yearsremain with the group as helpers.Juvenile females usually disperse insearch of mates in a new nesting area.Nesting begins in late April when aclutch of two to five eggs is laid. Thenon-breeding family members mayhelp incubate the eggs for ten totwelve days, as well as feed the youngonce they’re hatched. After the youngbirds fledge, work continues on exca-vating cavities under construction.

Woodpeckers spend years workingon cavity trees. The birds need treesmature enough that the size of thecenter heartwood, once excavated,allows for a cavity large enough for thebird, but remains free of any sap orresin. The birds prefer trees affectedby the red heart fungus, a fungus thatsoftens the heartwood, making it easi-er for the woodpeckers to excavatetheir cavities. Once excavated, theseclusters of cavities may be used bygeneration after generation of birds.

Some recovery efforts of theApalachicola National Forest includetimber thinning to open up the forest,installing artificial cavities, and thetranslocation of juvenile woodpeckersto other areas,” says Fitzgerald. “We’vebeen the primary donor of juvenilebirds and have given them to manyother private and public lands involvedin the recovery project. Our relocatedbirds have rescued many smaller pop-ulations of birds in other areas. Wemove about forty birds a year,” addsFitzgerald.

A long leaf pine forest in Apalachicola NationalForest, Florida (ANF)

The other big advance in the recov-ery program has been the develop-ment and placement of artificial cavi-ties in clusters to encourage new pop-ulations of birds. A similar effort wasused in the 1940s to provide nestingboxes for wood ducks. That effort hasbeen a great success and is still inpractice today. If trees in favorablehabitat are large enough, artificialholes can be drilled into trees. If treesaren’t quite big enough to drill artificialcavities, boxes (called inserts) areinstalled in trees. Both methods pro-vide immediate nesting and roostingcavities that woodpeckers can use.

“We’re happy to say that todayApalachicola National Forest is home toabout 650 clusters of woodpeckers andabout 1,200 birds,” says Fitzgerald.Total numbers for birds across elevenstates is estimated at around 14,000birds in 5,600 active clusters. Althoughpopulation numbers are slowly creep-ing up, experts indicate that there aresmall groups of woodpeckers still indanger of disappearing and the recov-ery is a very slow process. It will takedecades for the woodpecker’s numbersto increase to a point where they mayno longer be considered endangered.I’m hopeful that day will come.

Standing amid the tall pines hearingthe red-cockaded call, watching as thesmall, inconspicuous little woodpeckerflits through the trees, I think abouthow close it came to completely disap-pearing. The red-cockaded and thelong leaf pine ecosystem, like so manyother species/habitat balancing acts,are tightly entwined; if one disappearsso goes the other. Some might wonderif all the effort is worth it. In my mind,mankind and nature are all one bigtapestry. When one thread begins tounravel, it’s only a matter of timebefore it all unravels.

------------------------Hazel Freeman is a freelance writer

from Ohio. With a life-long love ofnature and the out-of-doors her writingreflects her deep passion, respect, andconcern for the natural world in whichwe live.

For more info on ApalachicolaNational Forest visit:

http://www.stateparks.com/apalachicola.html

Taking the notion of animal eating to anew low, a restaurant in Tucson, Arizona,was until recently offering African “liontacos” on its menu. Fortunately, the

owner received so many negative comments that heremoved this shocking culinary option.

Brian Mazon, owner of Boca Tacos and Tequila, said hisother “exotic” meats have included alligator, rattlesnake,and frogs. Mazon said he takes “pride in offering creativeand unique menu items.” He claimed he had received over

EYE ON THE NEWSA RESOUNDING “NO” TO LION TACOS

The Power of Your Voice100 pre-orders for the lion tacos. What a sad commentary.

However, after what Mazon estimated as hundreds ofangry comments came in, he dropped the idea of liontacos.

That the majesty and independent spirit of the Africanlion could be reduced in some people’s eyes to mere tacofilling is abhorrent. We are grateful that many spoke out,and the lions are as well.

Full story at: http://azstarnet.com/business/local/article_07bd07e4-6472-513e-9524-8a7f8125db02.html

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R.O.C.K. -

Rehabbers Offer Care and Kindness

So, what is the connection betweenthe domestic geese at the StateUniversity of New York (SUNY) atNew Paltz, Wings of Hope inDelaware, Sunnyskies Bird andAnimal Sanctuary in Middletown, NY,and Wildlife Watch?

It’s what’s called TEAMWORK!When Wildlife Watch first heard a

rumor that there was a possibility ofCanada geese being killed at the SUNYCampus, we wished to becomeinvolved in trying to prevent that fromhappening. Fortunately, Mike Malloy,Director of Environmental Health andSafety at SUNY also wanted to ensurethat not a feather on anyone’s headwas ruffled. That included the stu-dents’ feathers as well.

Wildlife Watch had a meeting withMike who said he was planning to geta border collie to herd the geese offthe grounds of the campus. He addedthat he needed to remove the domes-tic geese so that they would not beharassed by the new border collie.

Wildlife Watch’s assignment was tofacilitate the removal and placement ofthe domestic geese to a sanctuary orsanctuaries. Our primary concern wasnot breaking up bonded groups ofgeese. We never anticipated being ableto place all 25 geese in one location.

After outreach to our various con-tacts, we received a welcome e-mailfrom Nancy Pikulik who has a pri-vately owned sanctuary for waterfowlin Marydel, Delaware called Wings of

Wildlife Rehabilitators are aware of the many perils fac-ing individual wild animals in their daily existence. Somecan be avoided by personal steps that we can take - oth-ers need to be dealt with through education or lobbyingefforts.

Wildlife rehabilitators are licensed by state gameagencies, yet they are given no other support, and

they are not allowed to charge for their “services.”Sadly, animals often come to the attention of rehabberswhen they are found by people who either don’t wantthem near their house or don’t know how to help them.When the DECs, DNRs or police are called, they normallyrecommend killing or letting the animals die; and mostveterinarians cannot take time from their busy schedules.

Hope. Nancy was willing to take ALL ofthe geese who needed to be removed!We were thrilled that they would nothave to be separated from each other,as it would have been difficult to deter-mine their attachments to one another.So that we would feel confident in herability to handle all of the geese, Nancytold us her amazing background:

I have taken the Cornell UniversityOrnithology course, taken numerouscourses put on by the International &National Wildlife RehabilitatorsAssociation, studied homeopathy forwildlife and have worked as a volun-teer with Tri-State Wild Bird Rescue for12+ years. I have a Bachelors inNursing and have been working withbirds for over 15 years. This gives methe skills to handle most issues beforethey turn critical.

I did have one goose who developedsubcutaneous emphysema this pastsummer and I’m happy to say itresolved with my every other day tap-ping of the subcutaneous air pockets.In order to make this diagnosis, I tookmany photos and got an x-ray of hisneck and emailed them to Erica Miller,the main vet at Tri-State who washeading the Gulf oil spill clean-up atthe time. Apparently, many of therescued pelicans were demonstratingsimilar symptoms and she gave herrecommendations on what to do forhim. He’s just fine now and frequent-

WINGS OF HOPEA Private Domestic

Waterfowl SanctuaryMarydel, DE

BY ANNE MULLER

ly comes over to show his appreciation.I address each and every animal on myproperty at least twice a day and studytheir daily routines – this close obser-vation allows me to pick up on smallchanges in behavior which might be aprecursor of a more serious problem.

I feel like I’m interviewing for the‘job of a lifetime’ but I just want torelieve you all of any concerns that youmay have that your geese will be takenfor granted or left to fend for them-selves. My critters probably eat betterthan we do and they certainly havetheir needs met before I worry aboutmyself.

Now that we had found the absolutebest place for the guys, our next stepwas to find transportation for 25 largegeese down to Delaware from upstateNY in the middle of a freezing cold, icyJanuary. To accomplish that no meanfeat, we called our friends atSunnyskies Bird and Animal Sanctuaryas we knew they had trailers and othervehicles for large animal transporta-tion. Sure enough, they had justbought the perfect vehicle whose floorthey covered with lots of cozy hay.

Bill Swearer of Sunnyskieshttp://www.sunnyskiesbirdsanctuary.org/did a miraculous repair on his newhorse trailer the day before the trip so

The geese playing follow the leader in one of SUNY'screeks in October.

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R.O.C.K.

Bill and Mike about to discharge their charges.

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Wildlife Watch fields hundreds of calls in the spring and summer. We passinformation to people who are in remote areas of the country without help orfacilities nearby or unattainable at the time they call. We connect them withrehabilitators who are nearby, and within a certain radius we help to rescueand transport animals to veterinarians or rehabbers. Please help this service to grow by contributing to Wildlife Watch.

Join Wildlife Watchhttp://wildwatch.org/join/join.htm

Continued from page 6

R.O.C.K.

it would be up and running flawlesslyfor the long journey to Marydel.

Yes, we had an amazingly sensitiveteam of people who only wanted thegeese to be safe and happy in theirnew home. Yet, you can still imaginetheir fear, perhaps their sense of loss atlosing the environment and home thathad sustained them and their ances-tors for generations.

After their arrival at Marydel, wewaited with bated breath to hear aboutthe initial meeting between the new-comers and the established flock.Fortunately both the sound and thevideo were recorded. Their greetingswere deafening; the Delaware geesewelcomed the NY geese with openarms that translated into outstretchedwings and necks.

Please visit www.wildwatch.orgto see the meeting of what hap-pened when the NY geese met theDelaware geese for the first time.

Nancy reported that although they stillchoose to sleep in separate areas of thebarn, they are beginning to mingle witheach other during the day, no doubt

Nancy’s Delaware geese taken months before thearrival of the NY geese.

Here they are shortly after their arrival to MaryDel.The whites are the NY geese and the greys are theDelaware geese.

sharing war stories of how they eacharrived at Marydel, and praising theirnew home. They may by now under-stand that what happened is a blessing.

If you would like to contributeto the construction of a largerpond for the geese in Marydel,please let us know. Your contri-butions can be dedicated to a

“Pond for the NY SUNY Geese”Please visit our website atwww.wildwatch.org to see theirnew home and to witness theirexciting arrival meeting.

------------------------Anne Muller is president of Wildlife

Watch.

Continued from page 2

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

increase overall attractiveness to thearea. You can match up birds and whatplants they depend on. The phenologyof the plant is important: when does itfruit, leaf, etc. In general, it is best todecrease any seed-bearing or fruit-bear-ing plants. Implementing effective land-scaping standards decreases the threatto aviation by not attracting as manybirds to the airport.”

We at Wildlife Watch applaud suchintelligent measures. Using plants thatdo not bear seeds is a practical andharmless way to discourage birds andother animals from hanging around air-fields. Contrary to some airport author-ities who advocate poisoning or shoot-ing wildlife, we feel this is the progres-sive way to go.

The Mission Statement of the PDXWildlife Program is to “control aviationwildlife hazards by implementing non-lethal means whenever possible toensure aviation safety.” However, if it is

deemed necessary for public safety,lethal methods are occasionally utilized.

Commercial and civilian airports arerequired to have a wildlife program inplace. As with any entity, some plansare more effective and well-thought-out than others. Each “Wildlife HazardAssessment” team should look at allthe resources at their disposal –whether it’s hazing, relocation, unpalat-able plantings, use of dogs, etc. – andadd as many useful tools as possible.Atwell reiterated that being pro-activeis preferable to being merely reactive.

“Effective long-term strategy is habi-tat modification,” Atwell added. “Andgoing through appropriate permittingto mitigate off site.”

The Wildlife Management Program atPDX is based on “Four Pillars.”

I – Short-term Operational Strategy:Day-to-day, sunup-to-sunset, hazing,trapping, relocation. These are themore reactionary methods.

II – Long-term Management Strategy:Implementing compatible land-use plan-ning and habitat modification.

III – Research and Development(R&D): Prey-based studies, deterrenttests, figuring out and testing currentstrategies to see if they warrant contin-uing or modifying. R & D informs bothShort-term and Long-term manage-ment strategies.

IV – Information and Education:Talking to all stakeholders, attendingbird strike committees, and exchanginginformation with other airports – tolearn and improve strategies.

With airport safety as with otherissues that have an impact on the pub-lic, there are usually a variety of waysto handle any problem. PortlandInternational Airport’s WildlifeManagement Department is using anenlightened and humane approach thatsets a good example. Doubtless, otherairports have some sensible policies inplace, as well. We will be revisiting thisissue in future as we learn of otherhumane methods that protect bothhuman and animal lives.

http://www.portofportland.com/PDX_WldLife_Mngmnt.htm

Photo credits : The Port of Portland.

8

Wildlife WatchPO Box 562, New Paltz, NY 12561

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EGYPT’S ANIMALSSHOULD REVOLT AS WELL!

Egyptian TV anchor Mona Khalil, alsoa leader of the Egyptian animal rightsmovement, was making her waythrough a hail of rubber bullets andtear gas during recent demonstrationsin Cairo when she saw a sad sight: “Isaw cats running, running, running,and trying to get into houses or stair-cases or buildings and some of themwere really gasping.” She managed tosave two kittens, but countless otheranimals were killed in the melée. Khalilsaid it was “the first slap in the facethat, oh my God, those streets arefilled with cats and dogs.”

No animals are safe during violenthuman disturbances – and it doesn’tmatter if the cause of the disturbanceis just. Animals are left out of theequation; they’re neglected, run over,or willfully killed whenever a mobscene occurs.

Although world news has focussedattention on the freedom fight in Cairo,little has been said about the suffering

of the capital’s pets and working ani-mals. They have been left to fend forthemselves as tourists and locals havefled danger. Zoo and pet shop animalshave sometimes been left to starve. AsTreasurer of The Egyptian Society forMercy to Animals (ESMA), Khalil said,“It’s very common to see stray cats anddogs on the street, but not for us tosee [abandoned] Persians andSiamese.”

Kristen Stilt, of ESMA, says ofEgyptians, “They want a better futurefor their country, and they think thatjust like in [other] countries, animal wel-fare is an important issue.” ESMA wasfounded in 2007 in response to the gov-ernment’s policy of shooting stray dogsas a method of population control.Islamic law calls for protection of ani-mals, but, “It has become normal to seeyoung boys running after a small dog orpitiful cat and throwing rocks at thepoor creature, or tying up the puppyand dragging him by the rope.”Likewise, emaciated donkeys, mules, orhorses are forced to pull terribly over-loaded carts, and beaten mercilessly. Tolearn more about Egypt’s animals, visit:http://www.esmaegypt.org/

Author Gwen Cooper: “A couple ofpeople have asked me why they shouldcare about animals all the way inEgypt. My response has been to saythat animals aren’t citizens of coun-tries. They’re citizens of our hearts,and our hearts have no borders.”

http://www.time.com/time/world/arti-

cle/0,8599,2048792,00.html?hpt=T1