May 8, 2020
Public Lands Are Vital for Migratory Birds
In advance of Migratory Bird Day on May 9 George Ho, Jr., M.D., is a retired physician who enjoys birding and photography. He lives in Denver and is a regular visitor of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Barr Lake State, Castlewood Canyon State Park and Golden Gate Canyon State Park.
Birds are living dinosaurs. They survived the last mass extinction 66 million years ago and they continue to evolve and coexist today with 7.8 billion of us on planet earth. There are approximately 10,000 species of birds worldwide. Headlines such as “North America has lost more than 1 in 4 birds in the last 50 years” and “Nearly 3 billion birds gone” appeared in September 2019. Many factors interplay and contribute to this rapid and drastic change in bird population. Among them are climate change characterized by global warming from fossil fuel use and industrialization, loss of habitats due to human population growth and human intervention to exploit resources and urbanization, pollution and the detrimental and deadly effects of windows, wind turbines and cats that are allowed to roam outdoors.
Why Do Birds Matter? As “canaries in the coal mine”, birds are sentinels that reflect the health of ecosystems all living creatures share on this planet. As monitors, changes in bird populations warn us of potential dangers. When the bald eagle population declined, studies concluded habitat loss, illegal shooting, and the contamination of its food source by the pesticide DDT were responsible. The Endangered Species Act and the banning of DDT led to the recovery of our national bird. A success story that positive human interventions can reverse negative human behaviors and effects!
Birds do matter. They are beautiful, resilient, and adaptable. They are a source of enjoyment for many. There are more than 46 million bird watchers in the US. Every birder is a steward of their ecosystems to ensure the preservation of public lands and natural habitats that sustain the survival of our feathered friends. Respect and appreciation of Nature’s bounty through our stewardship to share the planet among wildlife is the right thing to do. We should and can mitigate the trajectory of the sixth mass extinction through the maintenance and expansion of public lands.
So many of our country’s parks and public lands written about in these love notes would not exist but for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It’s why Congress should fund the program permanently. Follow the movement along at #FundLWCF. Learn more here.…………………………………………………………………………………….
Would you like to write about public lands that you cherish? Please email Mary Jo Brooks at brooksm@nwf.org for guidelines.
