"Evening summer breeze / sweet warblings of the meadowlark / moonlight in Vermont....."
Moonlight In Vermont. Great, great song. I was walking down the hallway past Mr. Mellinger's room last week, and heard the band practicing the tune. Stuck my head in to congratulate the musicians and singer - the song has a killer key change in the middle "bridge", and they really nailed it. Couldn't get it out of my head as I returned to the biology room....and kept thinking about that meadowlark. I couldn't recall seeing a meadowlark for a long time.
Turns out there's a probable reason for the absence. A recent study completed by the Interior Department titled "The State Of The Birds" (catchy title, eh? Just had to be a federal report...) reports that just about all non-waterfowl bird populations have dropped dramatically during the past forty years. Climate change wasn't directly implicated as the primary cuase although it most assuredly is involved. Rather, it is the spread of human populations and development of previously forested woodlands and grasslands that is to blame. As we build more houses, yards, stores, and roads we are changing, and in some cases destroying, the habitats of our bird populations. Birds that thrive in wooded areas or grasslands hesitate, or refuse, to cross over new open parcels of land, which indicate a territorial boundary to them. Invasive species move in. Disease spreads. Populations teeter on extinction.
Fortunately, bird advocates and worked with sport hunters to lobby for hundreds of millions of dollars of federal aid to protect endangered species. Yet placing birds on an endangered species list, may impact other environmentally important projects. For example, the lesser prairie chicken lives in the the southwest. Like many grassland species, its population has dropped about 40% during the last four decades. While it may deserve designation as an endangered species, doing so would place severe limitations on the entrepreneurs efforts to develop wind power turbines in that region. How does one place a value on a bird species versus the need for more, and cleaner, energy?
When I moved to the Upper Valley in the mid 1980s I was awakened each morning by a cacophony of bird song. Currently, more often than not, it is very quiet when I awaken - even on weekends. I hear the occasional song of some resident birds, but it is nothing like it was 25 years ago.
And I wonder, is this another "silent spring"? One not caused by use of pesticides, but rather, a more benign neglect in the name of progress?
13 comments:
Again this week's post has to do with a progress vs. protecting the natural world as it is. Sure I find it disappointing that bird populations are decreasing and yes, it is nice to wake up in the morning greeted by the sounds of birds, but there is a limit to everything. The trick is finding the right balance. I don't think anybody can stop progress altogether, but certain measures can be put in place so people might take greater caution when dealing in areas where they might threaten certain species. I don't think that we will be able to save every species, but we can certainly try and decrease our influence on their decline.
-Mike Diamond
"Silent spring" is a phrase that saddens me every time I hear it. We may not be discussing DDT anymore, but we're still talking about an environmental problem caused entirely by humans. I know Mike probably won't read this, but I must vehemently disagree with his assessment of the situation. He spoke of finding 'the right balance', but we've already upset any balance that the natural environment once had. 'Progress', like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. As the human race makes progress, we are essentially doing everything we can to disable the Earth's natural population control mechanisms. As our race expands, we are destroying millions of acres of habitat. Perhaps we should stop focusing on progress and worry more about preserving the planet that has allowed us to reach this point.
Mr. Engler, I also wanted to add on to what you said about habitat destruction being a major cause of the decline. Habitat destruction in the continental United States is not the only concern. Many of the birds whose songs we enjoy in the spring and summer migrate south in the winter, many to the same place every year. As long-distance vacations become more commonplace, the areas to which many bird species migrate are being destroyed to make way for tourist resorts and hotels.
I'm pretty sure that's everything I really wanted to say. . .maybe.
Jennie M.
P.S. There was something else. We have to remember that saving the songbirds wouldn't just be for the sake of their songs. Many of them eat insects or spread plant seeds in their feces. Those who eat insects protect us from disease (malaria, West Nile virus).
P.P.S. I just realized that I sounded pretty angry during this post. . .I'm sorry if I offended anybody. . .My anger isn't directed at anyone in this class, this subject just tends to get my blood boiling in general.
It is sad how the population is decreasing. It's weird that it's not because of the climate change, but the industrial change. I think that before we put a ski resort or a casino, we should consider what lives there. I'm hoping that as endagered species there would be some laws that do not allow them to destroy the homeland of endangered species. On the news a couple months ago, they spoted a bold Eagle for the first time in a long time. They had like fifteen minutes of the news on it because it was so rare to find. Compared to 20 years ago. Can we discuss this more because it happened right here in vermont as well. Maybe these two birds are connected in a way. Scared of industrial change. I hope that things will change for the better over time for these species. They are gorgous creatures. We need to, like Mike said, find a balance. This is their land too.
-Elsa C.
This week’s post made me think about the importance of wildlife corridors especially in areas that are being developed more and more. These interconnected stretches of land help to prevent habitat fragmentation and are at least a start in the right direction. It is also interesting to think about how important birds (as well as other insects, bats, etc.) are in the dispersal of seeds and reforestation efforts in some areas. I remember reading an article awhile back about how instrumental birds were for a reforestation effort of a capped landfill. Once there was a focus on bird habitat creation, the birds that moved in took over most of the work of spreading seeds simply through their daily habits.
It is nice to think that we can help to create habitats various bird species may enjoy and call their home in our back yards by selecting certain shrubs, evergreens, etc. depending on the bird species of interest. Unfortunately, this need for specific types of bird friendly habitat seems more important in areas where less trees and grasses exist already.
My train of thought has now wondered to the adaptability of certain bird species. I'm thinking about seagulls and pigeon amongst other larger birds that have made the shift to calling cityscapes their home. These are examples of birds who have adapted as their surroundings have changed. Biologist have been keeping an eye on which bird species are better able to adapt to the increasing threats from toxins, changing climate patterns, and general environmental shifts. This work will continue to be important to ensure the preservations and care of the more sensitive niche species.
I also agree with Mike that it is all about finding the correct balance. The lesser of two evils is sometimes a necessary choice. Perhaps it will be possible to find ways of constructing windmills with as little an impact as possible to the surrounding wildlife.
Wow, I can't believe that one bird's population has dramatically decreased by 40%, but at the same time I can. This is because, we humans, are always striving to gain more land and industrialize. Many times people don't stop to see the harm that we are causing the environment and the creatures living in it. If people were to stop and take a look around them and realize that we are causing so much damage, they might change their mind and stop causing havoc.
I used to think that the birds who sang in the early morning were annoying, but now I miss that sound. It's just like that old saying that you never realize what you have until it's gone.
~Stacy~
I've just read both Mike's and Jenny's posts and they're both valid opinions. Ideally, I would like the world to take Jenny's side. It's really bad that bird populations have decreased by as much as 40% when they are so crucial to the environment. But realistically there is no way that human progress is going to completely stop because bird numbers are on the decline.I feel that a balance needs to be met where progress, such as the wind turbines, can continue and bird populations can remain stable or even increase.
Although it would be nice to have bird numbers rise to the point they were 20 years ago, there's no way humans populations are going to stop growing. So production should go on and reserves should still be set aside for birds and animals alike, but we need to find the "right balance" like Mike said.
Well, that was a depressing post. I'm glad that you're making us think about these things, though, Mr. Engler. It's hard to read everyone's responses and then write something myself, because I want to agree with everybody and nobody at the same time. That being said, I think Stacy's answer makes the most sense. It's impossible to say what the right thing to do is, both for the world and for the humans who live here. But I think that if we really understood the consequences of our actions, things would be quite different. Maybe that's what we should be focusing on, instead of JUST industrial progress or JUST preserving the environment--getting ordinary people to see the impact that they have on the planet, so they can make their own informed decisions.
Wow, I'm really not sure what to write. Birds in general are such beautiful creatures, like many animals, and it is awful to hear that there decline is as high as 40%. It does not seem realistic though to imagine their population increasing to a level it was several years ago. This is unless there were to be a decrease in human population. While endangered animals are one of the problems we deal with, it is impossible to save the populations of each species. I think like Mike and many other people have mentioned it is very key to find a balance between nature and the things that oppose it.
I sometimes feel like I was born in the wrong time... twenty, thirty years earlier the music was better, Vermont wasn't the only place in the world inhabited by Hippis :-) and the birds still had a place to live.
Situations like the one discussed in this blog make me angy. "God, what are people selfish" is what I think. They just build their houses and don't care about the animals. And then I realize that I'm no better. I all too often find myself thinking "it doesnt matter what I do, I'm just one single individual. But it adds up to be an awful lot of people not doing the right thing, and not actually doing anything to save our planet.
I can't think of a solution for the problem. There is just not enough space. Birds need a place to live, and people need a place to live. The fact that birds can't complain loud enough is just one among many obvious reasons why they disappear, and not the humans. Nature has thought of the cruel solution of deadly diseases. I wonder what the size of the world's population would be hadn't diseases like the plague wiped out so many. Probably, there would be even less space for many species.
hmm.. I'm not real sure exactly what to write about this weeks post. Birds are awesome, and I come from a family where we devote a good majority of the spring season to feeding the birds in our yard. My mother is an active photographer and sometimes spends hours a day just walking around outside taking pictures of the birds. We have probably at least 5 framed bird pictures hanging on our walls :) But anywho... It's kind of scary to think that those birds that we're so used to hearing and seeing everyday are beginning to die off. To be honest, I hadn't really noticed, or at least it hadn't occured to me how drastic it had become. But yes, it is very astonishing to hear about the slow decrease of birds when they are certainly one of nature's finest aspects!
-Heidi
I think that this is a sad situation and unfortunately I don't think that there is an easy solution. Either way that we decide to act it will have a negative impact. I agree that we should do our very best to take both situations into account and try to make the best decision possible. I'm not trying to be negative, but I think that it is basically a lose-lose situation. However, it is still important to do our best to minimize these unwanted affects as best as we can. As it was said before, we should aim towards that "right balance," whatever that may be.
One of the main problems is that these birds can not adapt to the changing environment fast enough. If only they could learn to adapt a little bit more quickly, we may not have such terrible results. However, this is not something that can be controlled. Maybe the solution is to slow down our rate of progress enough so that the birds and other animals have time to adapt to these changes.
There is certainly no easy answer, but we should try to make the best decisions that we can because a lot depends on it.
-Amanda O.
Just the other day I was outside and I realized the wave of music that hit me. A symphony of birdcalls rained into my ears and I thought about how much we don't hear them anymore. It seems as we get older we lose touch with nature. I thought maybe I just wasn't listening hard enough and they are always there. But I knew that that was not the real reason. Then I pushed on with my life ignoring the birds again only thinking about what is right in front of me. But the question still remains, Were they always there or as you have said it they are disappearing?
Andy H
Nature is designed to reach an equilibrium with itself, which has worked for millions of years. However, now that human population growth rate is massive we are destroying this balnce. If we could hold off for, say, a hundred years, nature would take care of itself and most organisms would survive as a species. Of course we can't stop human growth because we're "more important" than everything else and our survival is a higher priority than anything else's. Now though, our survival could be based on our ability to keep the ecosystem where it is and inflict as little damage as possible. Personally, I'm thinking the desert is a good place to put tons of wind turbines, although it would be far from where people would use it, at least there wouldn't be much in the way of bird populations. I also think we could build more hydrolectric dams with an area in the middle that was safe for fish to pass through or something. We have the ability to make much cleaner energy sources safely but there is too much beaurocratic red tape (which is seeming to actualy be coming down a bit). Also, the economic crisis has pulled people's attention away from being "green". Luckily it seems like the economy is coming back and we an once again focus on keeping the world we have deemed ourselves the owners of alive, since that is our responsibility
-Daniel G.
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