Fellow Birders,
As you well know, our birds face many threats. Some threats are natural, many are not. Birds break their necks on windows, get eaten by house cats, run over by cars, the list could go on forever of human caused deaths. Fortunately, many of these problems can mitigated by individual choices and actions, such as what glass you chose for your house and slowing the car down to allow birds to get out the way while driving. This are all small things that we do on a daily basis to help protect the birds we watch and enjoy.
For larger issues such as pipelines, wind turbines, oil spills, birds need more protection. For almost a century, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) has been the larger protection birds needed. The MBTA protects most native species of birds as well as their eggs, feathers, and body parts. It protects birds as common as cardinals to rare birds such as Greater-Sage Grouse or Snail Kites. Up until now, there has been little opposition to the law and most people agree that this is necessary to help protect our bird population from needless decline. Unfortunately, earlier this year Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC) introduced a bill to remove funding to enforce the treaty essentially making MBTA useless. HR. 2578 states in part:
“None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to prosecute or hold liable any person or corporation for a violation of section 2(a) of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703(a).”
This bill quickly passed the House and has now moved on to the Senate. As birders and conservationists, we must take a stand against this bill. If the bill is not defeated, we could see dangers such as windmills on important migratory routes, unlimited development of our boreal forests, and pipelines through important breeding grounds with no consequences for the violator. I ask you to please contact you senators, urge them to vote against this bill before it is too late. An example letter is set forth below:
Dear Senator:
Please vote against the appropriations bill for Commerce Justice and Related Agencies unless the rider that blocks enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (Amdt 347) is removed from the bill. The MBTA is one of our most important wildlife protection laws and this rider would allow people to kill wild birds without any penalty whatsoever. Our wild bird populations are already under severe pressure and many are in severe decline. Please do not block the USFWS from enforcing this important law that protects our wild bird populations.
(Letter drafted and made public by the American Birding Association)
Thanks and Good Birding,
Eli DePaulis
Update 8/20/15: Bill was defeated in the Senate and is dead.
As you well know, our birds face many threats. Some threats are natural, many are not. Birds break their necks on windows, get eaten by house cats, run over by cars, the list could go on forever of human caused deaths. Fortunately, many of these problems can mitigated by individual choices and actions, such as what glass you chose for your house and slowing the car down to allow birds to get out the way while driving. This are all small things that we do on a daily basis to help protect the birds we watch and enjoy.
For larger issues such as pipelines, wind turbines, oil spills, birds need more protection. For almost a century, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) has been the larger protection birds needed. The MBTA protects most native species of birds as well as their eggs, feathers, and body parts. It protects birds as common as cardinals to rare birds such as Greater-Sage Grouse or Snail Kites. Up until now, there has been little opposition to the law and most people agree that this is necessary to help protect our bird population from needless decline. Unfortunately, earlier this year Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC) introduced a bill to remove funding to enforce the treaty essentially making MBTA useless. HR. 2578 states in part:
“None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to prosecute or hold liable any person or corporation for a violation of section 2(a) of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703(a).”
This bill quickly passed the House and has now moved on to the Senate. As birders and conservationists, we must take a stand against this bill. If the bill is not defeated, we could see dangers such as windmills on important migratory routes, unlimited development of our boreal forests, and pipelines through important breeding grounds with no consequences for the violator. I ask you to please contact you senators, urge them to vote against this bill before it is too late. An example letter is set forth below:
Dear Senator:
Please vote against the appropriations bill for Commerce Justice and Related Agencies unless the rider that blocks enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (Amdt 347) is removed from the bill. The MBTA is one of our most important wildlife protection laws and this rider would allow people to kill wild birds without any penalty whatsoever. Our wild bird populations are already under severe pressure and many are in severe decline. Please do not block the USFWS from enforcing this important law that protects our wild bird populations.
(Letter drafted and made public by the American Birding Association)
Thanks and Good Birding,
Eli DePaulis
Update 8/20/15: Bill was defeated in the Senate and is dead.