Spring Appeal
2006Spring is here, and as the earth comes alive with nature's sights and sounds, it is also time for a special appeal to our friends for support. Manomet's annual Spring Appeal is presented to you with a look at Manomet's place in the "Great Scientific Theories of the Universe." We appreciate your generous support!
Click here to donate online.
Alaska Shorebirds
July is the end of the shorebird breeding season in the Alaskan arctic. It is the time when the birds congregate along the coast after breeding on the
tundra. Manomet scientists Stephen Brown and Trevor Lloyd-Evans will be departing soon to census shorebirds where they concentrate in anticipation of
the next migration. In past Alaska field seasons, Brown and his team counted shorebird populations and species diversity on their breeding grounds.
"This study will focus on important staging sites after the breeding season," says Brown. "We know shorebirds use the coastal mudflats to prepare for
their migration, but we need to know which sites are the most important."
From a base camp on the Okpilak River delta, Brown and two other shorebird scientists - Brad Winn, wildlife biologist with Georgia's Department of Natural Resources nongame program, and Steve Kendall, US Fish and Wildlife Service biologist at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - intend to survey about 100 miles of coast from the tight confines of a rigid hull inflatable outboard. After three weeks on the Arctic Sea, Brown hopes to have a more complete picture of post-breeding shorebird numbers.
For two weeks in mid-July, Trevor Lloyd-Evans will be in the area west of Kaktovik training crews in mist netting and avian flu sampling.
Netting birds in Alaska presents new challenges compared to the daily routine at Manomet. "Here in Massachusetts, I wait until it's dark
to set up my mist nets," says Lloyd-Evans, "but on the north coast of Alaska it doesn't get dark in July. My hope is that we can capture birds as they
fly along the shoreline as the mud gets exposed."
Ben Flemer, former Manomet banding assistant, will join Lloyd-Evans; he will be stationed at the site until late August. Lloyd-Evans will demonstrate taking bird blood samples (cooperating with a University of Alaska study on hormones as an indicator of nutritional health) and check fat levels to determine if the birds are stressed or whether they appear to have enough fat for long southbound migrations.
The team will also check adult and immature birds for avian flu. The Alaskan Arctic is of great interest to scientists because birds have come to breed on flyways that converge there from all corners of the world: North America, South America, as well as Asia. Lloyd-Evans says there is the potential that while the birds are there, viruses can be passed on through droppings. "The US government wants a library of who's got what flu, so they're asking bird banders to help detect it when it comes. Because if an epidemic comes it may not be this one H5N1 virus we're all hearing about," says Lloyd-Evans.
Scientists don't even know whether birds migrate with flu yet, says Lloyd-Evans, and even with testing not every bird carrying a virus
will show it all the time. Flu goes in spurts as it breeds in the liver and blood. "So looking at droppings, we may find something and we may not.
Nobody knows how long the bird can carry it. It may be a long time," says Lloyd-Evans.
The World Health Organization is organizing the testing and analysis effort, which can be long and difficult. Shorebird swabs the crews take in Alaska will be sent to a lab in the states.
Greenscaping
First the bad news. American gardeners and homeowners have a growing chemical addiction. In our pursuit of the "perfect" lawn, we homeowners are using unprecedented volumes of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers and that herbicide-fertilizer cocktail, 'weed and feed'. The numbers are dramatic: 78 million US households use pesticides in some form. It's getting worse: between 1995 and 2001, total pesticide use in US homes and gardens increased 27% (from 128 to 163 million pounds of active chemical ingredients a year (source: US EPA). Next time you see a perfect, lush, carpet-like lawn, know that behind it there is tremendous cost to both homeowner and our environment.
Some pesticides kill earthworms and beneficial insects and microbes that build healthy soil. They can pose a risk to pets and people - especially kids playing in the yard. There is a link between pesticide exposure and health problems, including reproductive and neurological damage, and children are more sensitive. Long-term human health effects from continuous low-level chemical pesticide exposure, while a subject of ongoing debate among scientists and policy makers, suggests they pose a needless risk when safe and effective alternatives exist.
Lawn care practices affect water quality in our lakes, streams and eventually the ocean. Besides, contrary to what we think when we buy them, chemical fertilizers and pesticides offer little or no benefit to turf. By applying horticultural knowledge instead of pesticides and fertilizers, greenscaping can create turf and gardens that are safe and attractive.
Fortunately, there are safe and effective organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Be like the pros and read the label of any product you buy.
Growth in the organic lawn and gardening industry is following the trend set by organic foods, according to John Packard, president of Pure Barnyard organic products. "There are a lot of people that want to do the right thing," says Packard. "The expectation is that [the organic and natural product sector] will grow to 50 percent of all land and garden fertilizers. Now it's less than one percent."
Sales of Pure Barnyard's Cockadoodle DOO line of organic fertilizers have
tripled every year for the last four years. While it costs more to buy, it
works three times as long as chemical varieties, making it more economical. Additionally, organic lawn care guidelines and classes may be available
through your town, local nursery, or gardening group, or on web sites such as www.LivingLawn.org.
So keep your thumb GREEN, and consider these helpful tips as you gear up for the growing season:
Fertilizers: More is not better! Over-fertilization makes your lawn susceptible to drought, insect and disease problems, and rain can wash lawn and garden chemicals into streams, lakes, and the ocean. This is pollution. Fertilizer runoff from lawns.even organic.contributes to the growth of algae in our lakes and streams and it affects the health of fish and other aquatic life.
Weed and Feed is the bane of suburban yards because it contains both herbicides and chemical fertilizers. They are both wasteful and a pollution problem, because they are applied over the entire lawn, where spot treatment would do better. Professional landscapers don't like weed and feed products because they waste money by using chemicals where they aren't needed.
Air pollution! A power mower pollutes as much in one hour as an automobile driving 350 miles. The average American spends 40 hours every year mowing their lawn. Think of it this way: one power mower = 40 cars. Reduce your lawn to the size you really need.
Express Yourself. A yard full of rich, diverse vegetation is a unique, creative expression of your character--always in good taste.
Luckily, with timely intervention we can break our chemical addiction and live in a healthy, attractive setting. Think first, spray last!
Arctic Wings
After much anticipation, The Mountaineers Books is distributing Arctic Wings this month. The book culminates five years of
creative effort and collaboration among some of the most prominent names in bird conservation and some of the organizations most active in the fight to
save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from industrial oil and gas exploration. To name a few, former President Jimmy Carter authors the foreword,
spectacular photos by Subhankar Banerjee illustrate text throughout the book, and Kenn Kaufman offers closing words on birds flowing south after their
Refuge sojourn.
Stephen Brown, Manomet Director of Shorebird Conservation Research, edited the book and brought the project to fruition by raising money, organizing contributing writers and photographers, reviewing manuscripts, and checking facts. Now that the work has been published, Brown reflects on where it began and where it must go next.
"The book's goal is to encourage birders to get involved in conservation of the Arctic Refuge. Many people will spend $1000 for binoculars so that they can see birds, but not support conservation of the birds. We're hoping this book will help get birders involved in conservation of the Arctic Refuge," says Brown. "The Arctic Refuge doesn't exist in isolation. No matter what flyway you live on in North America, there is a good chance that some of the migratory birds you see at home go to the Refuge for part of their life cycle."
Don't think of the Refuge as a faraway place you'll never see. Think of it as another stop in the annual migration cycle of birds, connecting you to other stops along their migration route.
Arctic Wings is certain to be a top choice among birders, book collectors, and conservationists passionate about the Refuge. The text and photos, combined with an extensive outreach and education campaign upon its publication, are certain to have lasting conservation impact by raising awareness and rallying new members to the ranks of Refuge supporters.
Get your copy at Mountaineers Books
Manomet Endowment Drive Winds Toward Completion
Securing an endowment to provide support for Manomet's core scientific personnel is keeping a lot of people very busy these days. The Fund for Conservation Sciences campaign has raised 12.5 of the 14 million dollar goal and there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel. "We are getting so close," says Sue Chamberlain, Manomet's Director of Development. "Trustee involvement and leadership has made the difference. Completing this endowment drive will be one of the most rewarding things Manomet has ever accomplished."
"Scientific Leadership for a Sustainable Future" is the theme of Manomet's endowment drive, which once completed, will allow Manomet to provide annual support for key science initiatives. "We will be able to invest in the people who are putting our mission to work on the ground," Manomet President Linda Leddy explains. "Having these funds will allow us to maintain our independence and to work on the issues we deem important. But this is very different than asking for an annual gift; what we are really asking is for people to invest in Manomet because they believe in our mission."
For more information on how you can help, contact Sue Chamberlain at 508.224.6521 or Schamberlain@Manomet.org.
