The first step toward establishing a habitat reserve for the Palos Verdes Peninsula has been taken for the PV Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP). The consultants hired to do the biological evaluations for the NCCP have released a preliminary map of biological core and linkage areas. The circulation of this map begins an iterative process which will, eventually, end with the creation of a nature reserve to protect viable populations of rare birds, such as California Gnatcatchers and Cactus Wrens, and other plants and animals.

The NCCP, Southern California's attempt to provide for long-term preservation of the coastal sage scrub ecosystem, has been under development since 1991. The Palos Verdes Peninsula, which constitutes one of the 13 subregions for the NCCP, has lagged behind other subregions in producing a reserve design. Indeed, not all of the cities on the Peninsula have yet been willing to take part in the program, though it is to be hoped that they will eventually do so.

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes, with the strong support by Mayors Lyon and McTaggart, has taken the leading role in the NCCP. Since RPV has the majority of undeveloped open space left on the Peninsula, it is not surprising that the preliminary map relies heavily on properties in the city for the reserve. The core and linkage areas extend from Friendship Park on the east to Agua Amarga Canyon on the west. All of the steep coastal bluffs in RPV are included, while the principal core area stretches from the Forrestal quarries westward, under the brow of the hill, to the hillsides above Barkentine Road. It is expected, however, that the other cities of the Peninsula will contribute significantly to the final design. For instance, all known local habitat for the endangered El Segundo blue butterfly is in PV Estates, while important linkages to habitat require the use of canyons in Rolling Hills and RH Estates.

If you would like to take part in the development of this vital NCCP preserve, please come to the next NCCP meeting at RPV City Hall at 10 a.m., Oct. 14, or call RPV City Planner Joel Rojas at 377-6008.

Cabrillo Beach, a collection of 17 nature poems by Jess Morton, is now available from Audubon as a fund raiser for the Audubon YES! Program. Bound in yellow leather-finish stock, and printed on marbleized paper, this 24-page book makes a handsome gift for those who enjoy poetry and/or the natural world. The cost is $6 each, ($7, including tax and mailing), with discounts available in lots of 3 or more.

Many of these poems celebrating the natural wonders of our area have appeared in Hummin' over the last few years. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to support YES!, our youth environmental service program, which gives young people an opportunity to make a difference by improving environmental health here, where we all live.

To order, write to 787 W 4th St., San Pedro, CA 90731, call Jess Morton at (310) 832-5601, or send an e-mail to: jmorton@igc.apc.org. Available also in local book stores.

We are looking forward to next year, when we celebrate 20 years of the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society. Our organization has continued to grow and prosper since its inception in 1978. We started with a few people taking bird walks, and have grown to where we have a full menu of programs and activities, including a nature education program for children 6 to 12 years old, the "Audubon Adventures" newspaper for elementary school classes, and our Youth Environmental Service (YES!) for High School and College age youth. We have monthly programs open to the public at the South Coast Botanic Garden. Our bimonthly newsletter is outstanding--read it and you'll see why! And it will keep you up-to-date on environmental issues. Our membership has grown to about 700. And, oh yes, we still do bird walks at the Botanic Garden on the lst Sunday and 3rd Wednesday of every month.

I think there must be something in our programs for everybody! If you like to write, submit articles to our editor Jess Morton--he even accepts drawings, photos and poetry. If you like to tally up bird species, join our Bird-a-thon or Christmas Bird Count. You might want to join the bird walks at the Botanic Garden led by Mark Kincheloe or Georgene Foster. Birding field trips are led by Eric Brooks and Martin Byhower. Maybe you might want to participate in the "Sharing Nature with Children" program at Wilderness Park. If so, call Lillian Light at 545-1384. To join the dynamic and highly praised YES! program call Jess Morton at 832-5601.

We have begun planning 20th anniversary celebrations for all phases of our enterprise, so join one of the committees and help us with planning. At the same time, we are planning longer range programs to improve habitat for birds and wildlife.

We have come a long way in 20 years. But there are still lots of interesting things to do, and your help now would be very much appreciated. Why don't you become an active participant in your Audubon chapter by giving me a call at 545-1384?

The Audubon YES! Program enters its fourth year in the region with active groups at Chadwick, Narbonne, San Pedro and South High Schools already up and running. Groups are forming at Mira Costa, North, Peninsula, Redondo and West HS, and we hope that all local high schools will be in the program by the end of November.

If you would like to help with the program, as advisor, financial supporter or student participant, please call Jess Morton at 832-5601.

In an organization like Audubon, birding and conservation may seem wonderfully and irreversibly intertwined. Birding may even serve as that first step through which the fragility and beauty of the natural world is realized. This realization can lead to extended work in conservation without meaning an end to an individual's birding. However, there are many birders that have yet to be drawn into direct action. This might be attributable to something other than the idea that these individuals do not care about protecting the environment. They might just not have found the right outlet for doing so.

As Ted Eubanks, a member of the Board of Directors of National Audubon, wrote "Although we all have encountered a conservation deficit among birders on occasions, in general I would argue that the conservation ethic among the birding public is potent." Eubanks cited several studies.  One, a study of socialization and specialization among birders by McFarlane "found conservation to be a primary motive for becoming involved in birding in the first place." Eubanks own study of the wildlife watchers along the Platte River reached similar results. "In fact, we were able to find a direct relationship between species diversity, species abundance, and the willingness-to-pay by the crane watchers," wrote Eubanks.

The birders in both surveys considered themselves less skilled or less devoted to birding than a "competitive birder" would be.  They, themselves, were not avid birders, and birding was only one of the many outdoor recreational activities that they were involved in. The top two reasons they said they were involved in birding were "to be outdoors" and "to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature."

In discussing these results Eubanks wrote "For decades we in Audubon have debated the role of birding and outdoor recreation in our organization. To be honest, the debate continues to this day.  I believe that our conflict is related to our inability (or unwillingness) to define 'birder' in its broadest terms. Of the 600,000 Audubon members, how many are willing to call themselves birders (particularly in the competitive sense)? Few. But how many would agree that through birds and wildlife they have found a way to experience nature? How many would agree that birding (or wildlife watching in general) is important to their lives because it lures them outdoors where they can 'enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature?' Most, I imagine." 

In future surveys Eubanks hopes to study the relationships between avidity of birding, satisfaction and the value that consumers places upon the resource. For, as Eubanks said, "We conserve what we value." It actually appears that the more avid and accomplished the birder, the lower the satisfaction rates are.

What remains then is the mass of the birding public--this experiential rather than competitive birder. They are a growing sector, ripe to join in to work to conserve what they so enjoy. "My hope is that NAS, through its chapters and state offices, will expand its outreach to this group of recreationalists. In fact, I would hope that we could find ways to engage the interests of other outdoor recreationalists as well, such as hikers, campers, rafters, climbers and photographers. In my opinion, they are the foundation of our organization," said Eubanks.

A new program of regular monthly nature walks, led by Martin Byhower, has begun at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. Walks will be on the second Sunday of each month, and begin at 8 a.m. The purpose of this series is to introduce the neighboring community to the natural resources of the park, and, at the same time, build a baseline of data for future conservation action within the area.

Past chapter vice-president Ken Malloy, for whom the park is so aptly named, devoted his retirement years, and much time and energy before retirement, to creating this park and its wildlife sanctuary. Now it is time to continue his work. Over the next few years, it is the aim of this chapter to see that this place reaches its full potential as both a refuge for wildlife, and as a source of education and pleasure for the community at large. These walks are the first stage in the process.

Years of birding by Mitch Heindel and others, have shown that, for its size, this park is unsurpassed in southern California for bird diversity. More than 300 species have been recorded. It has a greater variety of habitats, and supports a broader range of plants and animals than can be found anywhere else in the region. Let's see if we can't make the most of this opportunity!

Harvard scientist E.O. Wilson estimates that we are losing 70 species a day throughout the world. This is a wave of extinction unparalleled since dinosaurs became extinct. What can we do about it? We can support strengthening the Endangered Species Act! Loss of habitat is the number one threat to the survival of endangered species, and their preservation is as important to humans as to wildlife. Wetlands and forest lands act as pollution filters, as well as a haven for birds, birders and other naturalists. Their preservation has always had the highest of Audubon priorities.

Yet we seem to be entering an era of compromise which will unravel the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and will place biological diversity at the mercy of financial and political expediency. SB 879, by State Senator Patrick Johnston (D-Stockton), is a case in point. It would authorize the state Department of Fish and Game to issue permits for the "taking" or killing of a species as a byproduct of development. These permits would be subject to public review and would require developers to compensate for any destruction to an extent equal to the harm they cause. Such compensation would typically involve purchasing land of equal environmental value elsewhere or preservation or restoring a degraded area. Developers are happy with this bill, because they have long wanted "statutory certainty that they could kill a species, so long as they mitigated such harm, and also wanted a limit on how much mitigation government could extract" (LA Times, 9/11/97). Although the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club have supported this bill, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Native Plant Society and the Environmental Law Foundation vigorously oppose it.

"There is a lot of concern that the position California appears to be taking (in Sacramento) would undermine those working on the federal level, said Amy Igrejas of the California Public Interest Research Group, which also opposes the Johnston bill. "Absolving developers of their responsibility to help with the recovery of species sets a bad precedent." The bill leaves the obligation to help with the recovery of the listed endangered species to the state, but there is no funding set aside for the state to do this. The bill also weakens the standards that CDFG would have to meet in order to grant a take permit, nor does it require that industry mitigate for impacts to species  habitat as well as for direct impacts to species. I tend to agree with Tom Hayden, when he says, "The tragedy is that the politics of short term pragmatism prevails at the expense of the species that inspire and sustain the human community" (LA Times 9/12/97).

Another example of compromise that will do irreparable harm to endangered species nationwide is the US Senate draft bill authored by Senators Kempthorne (R-ID) and Chafee (R-RI). Under the bill, the decision to list species as endangered or threatened will be more difficult, more politicized and more time-consuming. Instead of requiring input from biologists at the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the bill would establish "self-consultation." Thus agencies could approve projects without considering the impact on species habitat. The bill would also restrict federal agencies to those actions that are "least costly, most cost effective or least burdensome."

This deeply flawed compromise is being supported by Clinton and by other senators who have records of support for ESA. This makes it doubly important that you urge both Senators Boxer and Feinstein to oppose the draft Kempthorne/Chafee bill. A call to President Clinton voicing your opposition would also help a lot.

One other way you can help is to write to your Congressperson and urge him or her to cosponsor and support Rep. George Miller's Endangered Species Recovery Act (ESRA), HR 2351, which will retain the most effective provisions of ESA. It also will improve species protection on private lands by strengthening the biological requirements for Habitat Conservation Plans. Other innovative provisions include tax breaks for private landowners who implement proactive conservation measures and estate tax deferrals for lands enrolled in Endangered Species Conservation Agreements. The passage of HR 2351 will help to move the Senate toward a more balanced approach to protecting our nation's imperiled wildlife. Please ask your Congressperson to join the 55 cosponsors of ESRA.

Senators Barbara Boxer & Dianne Feinstein

          Hart Senate Office Bldg.

          Washington, DC 20510

Representatives Jane Harman (36th District)

    Juanita Millender-McDonald (37th)

    Steve Horn (38th)

          Cannon House Office Bldg.

          Washington, DC 20515

Well, I've been gone, so there was no bird report in the last issue. However, summer is slow, for reports anyway, so we'll cover the last few months right now. My last article cut off at about May 18, as I recall. So this time we'll cover later spring migrants like Western Pewee, Pacific-slope, Willow and Olive-sided Flycatchers, and Swainson's Thrush, which takes us into mid-June (or later). By that time, returning (fall migrant) shorebirds are appearing. All the while, local nesting activity is fast and furious. Then regular migrating western landbirds appear, beginning late July, are widespread in August, and come through in a roaring flood in September, which, incidentally, is an undervalued time as far as eastern landbird and shorebird vagrants are concerned.

The building El Niño bears watching, too, and that is considered in more detail on page 6. During the minor event of '91-92, we certainly had a spate of unusual local seabird records, including Brown Pelicans at places like Madrona Marsh (MM)! One event I believe correlated with the current El Niño is the mass migration of Black-vented Shearwaters a full two months ahead of schedule. This means the breeding cycle has again been abandoned prior to completion, as it was in 1991-92. Normally, we see at most a few in August, and the days when 20,000+ go by in three hours or so begin in October. This year, we saw 20,000+ in just two hours in early August, at Point Vicente (PtV), with only 2 Sooty amongst them. Another species known for its warm-water requirements, the Wedge-rumped (formerly Galapagos) Storm-Petrel was found on the Sept. 6th deep water trip I co-led about 65 mi SSW of Pt. Conception. Half of the dozen or so state records are from research cruises, which are not available to us regular people, so this was an incredible find.

Kevin Larson (KL) saw a White Pelican at the LA River (LAR) on Aug. 10. A few White-faced Ibis were there most of the fall.

Female Pintail and Green-winged Teal summered at Harbor Park (HP). As last year, a pair of Gadwalls there seemed to be attempting to nest. Does anyone know if they succeeded? Cinnamon Teal did well there and at the LAR, with many broods. However, the pair of Blue-wing Teal that summered at LAR was not seen to have young. Bob Beckler (BB) saw a small flock of Surf Scoters summering at Terminal Island (TI) in July. Ruddy Ducks raised lots of young at HP. Is this a non-migratory resident population?

The first returning Turkey Vulture to the blimp field and Dominguez Channel wintering grounds was seen June 22! If you remember, they left in mid-Dec. last year. Where do they nest? White-tailed Kites were back by early August. On May 24, I had a sub-adult Swainson's Hawk over my house in Torrance. On June 19, I watched a Red-tailed Hawk land on a telephone pole outside at 10:30 P.M.! In the dark!! It was gone at 4:30 A.M.!!! There's lots we don't know about our most commonly seen species. A Prairie Falcon soared over my house 8/23, and a Peregrine on 9/5! Probably the earliest PV fall Broad-winged Hawk ever, was the one my wife and I watched getting chased off by Crows (aren't they all?) at Angel's Gate, 9/13.

Shorebird migration begins early, as mentioned, and I saw two southbound migrating waders in early June; a Red-necked Phalarope on the 6th, and a Whimbrel on the 7th. On Aug. 30 Richard Barth found a Golden-Plover in the LAR. Observers later that day believed it was a dominica, or American Golden-Plover. Most of the LAR birds (in water) have been dominica, and the birds in grassy margins (dry) have been fulva. Semipalmated Sandpipers were there too, as usual, with 1 on 8/10 (KL) and 3 present 8/16 (me), as well as 3 Baird's on that date. Of course all were juveniles. Some Baird's and Semipalmated were reported earlier in August. A Wilson's and 15 Red-necked Phalaropes were there 8/16.

A Pomarine Jaeger was off Long Pt. on 6/7, and a jaeger sp. was off PtF 6/6. Denise Peck saw a Franklin's Gull at Ave. G, on the beach, in Redondo 5/31. Bernardo Alps (BA) saw one in the LAR on 7/8. I found a successful Western Gull nest in Long Beach, on a piling on Pier D. June 10, KL saw a Black Tern fly over Westchester. Of note was the attempted nesting by Sooty Terns in the San Diego Bay Elegant Ternery. A single Sooty Tern was back at Bolsa Chica. Twenty years ago, maybe even as recently as ten, all of the experts would have told you you'd lost your mind if you predicted Sooty Tern nesting in CA!

BA saw a juv. Pigeon Guillemot just off PtF on 8/14, precisely the time they disperse from their nesting grounds, but they are rarely found here. June 11, KL saw a Black Swift over Westchester. Remember I reported them copulating above El Segundo a couple years ago? In late June?? Where are these birds from?

The hybrid Costa's X Anna's population around my house continues to grow, with more being produced this year! They are mostly small compact Anna's-looking but give both call notes!?!?!?

Downy Woodpeckers are now regularly nesting in quiet wooded areas that have, or are near, water. George F Canyon, for the first time in July, HP (2-3 prs.) and SCBG (a pair), all have birds this year.

Swainson's Thrushes nested in the North End Willows (NEW) at HP again this year, with at least 4 pairs present on territory throughout June and into July. Their dawn chorus is something to hear. They actually sing quite late in the morning (till past 10 a.m.), and again in the evening while on territory. Yellow Warblers, too, (though only 1 pair) were on territory from late May into early July at the NEW, however I don't know if they nested successfully. I had 3 (!) different subspecies of Orange-crowned warbler singing at HP at the same time in late August! Besides the regular 2 subspecies, one bird sounded like the more eastern-Canadian type, with its musical, ringing sweet song. The San Gabriel Mtns. produced a singing Black-throated Blue and 2 Blue-winged Warblers in June. Jerry Zuniga and RB had a Black and White at Banning Park (BP) June 10. For the second time in six years, I found a Common Yellowthroat in early June (on the 4th, this time) that I believe to be a vagrant subspecies. It sings the typical eastern song, and the yellow stops on the upper breast. They're sure not local birds! Also on this front, was a Wilson's Warbler I found at BP singing the sweet ringing eastern-type song (like a Yellow Warblers'), on May 30. I went back and tape-recorded it on the 31st.

A calling Hepatic Tanager was in my Eucalyptus tree for 5 minutes on June 10! Summer Tanagers were at BP on 5/23 (me) and at Wilderness Park on June 15 (KL). Blue Grosbeaks continue on the bluffs in RPV (see previous nesting reports) and KL saw a pair at HP in July that may have been nesting. They also nested again at the LAR just below Del Amo St. Tricolored Blackbirds had an exceptional year at HP with over 100 young fledged between mid-May and late June.

So, we're as caught up as can be. Just in time! Because we'll get as far behind again during the next 3 months. Remember, September through November is our best 90 day period for those four-star, bell-ringing vagrants!

When you read this report, our Audubon's Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows will already be back for a 6 month stay, while our swallows will be departing for the same. Every green spot needs to be checked daily for the next three months, lest we miss the best bird. Get out, see, enjoy, report and......

think globally, bird locally.

Black Swift------------------------------------- Lights out

Empidonaxident--------- Western Flycatcher hits window

Empidnoaxidental---------- Alder Flycatcher hits window

Limpkin--------------------------------- Sleeping relative

Meadowlurk----------------- Watching for meadowlarks

Pie-bill Grebe------------------------- Keylimus rostratus

Summer Teenager------- Origin of phrase "free as a bird"

Scarlet Teenager------ Same as above after too much sun

Wandering Tattler------------- Enquirer reporter at large

Wrentit------------------------------ When birds can't buy

We have been hearing much about the development of another El Niño in the Eastern Pacific this year, the strongest on record. This cyclical heating of the ocean is little studied, especially as to how it affects animal life. Interesting and suggestive are the many reports coming in of warm water fishes being found far further north than normal. A Striped Marlin was caught in Washington, the first state record. Mahi mahi (Dorado or Dolphin fish) have been found off Oregon and, by the hundreds, off San Diego. California Anchovy are in the Bering Sea. Finally, I heard, today, sportfisherman in La Paz, where the water is 85 F or higher, can't find any fish!

It seems seabird colonies here and to the north got their young off before effects were noticeable. However, the arrival of Black-vented Shearwaters (which breed off Baja) by the tens of thousands in early August, two months ahead of schedule, means something disrupted their normal cycle.

The relatively minor El Niño of 1991-92 produced the most unusual seabirding I've ever seen around PV! Least Storm-Petrels were in the kelp beds from Fermin to Redondo, a Red-billed Tropicbird roosted for weeks off the peninsula. There were a couple Townsend's Shearwaters and a Parkinson's Petrel. Four species of Storm-Petrels were observable regularly from shore, a Red-footed Booby was in King Harbor, etc.

Now it's possible that all these anomalous seabird records were coincidental and that they were unrelated to the last El Niño. However, I wouldn't bet on it! On Sept. 6, we found a Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel, a species whose range is defined by thermoclines, off Pt. Conception. It is common off La Paz in the summer, yet very rare here (less than 15 records for the state), where the water is too cold--usually. Guess what? It was seen in the same area 10/92.

Lets get out, look, and record data. These events may have major effects on our wildlife, yet we know next to nothing about what goes on. With good observations, we will have something to work from in the future. I ask myself, how can all that which is under the sea surface change, without affecting the wildlife above, which takes its living from the sea?

Locally, during that last El Niño, starving Brown Pelicans were at Harbor and Alondra Parks and Madrona Marsh. Elegant Terns were also at Harbor Park. They were seen flying over Torrance, too! If past experience holds, loons and scoters won't leave next spring and higher numbers than normal will be here in summer.

We spend so little time out on the sea. Instead we peek in at it from the edge, which makes it harder to say what happens and why. But that won't stop some of us from trying!! Let's use this golden opportunity to study the differences an El Niño can make. Then keep on studying, so that we become familiar with the norm against which we measure these unusual events.

By John McCaull and Mike Sellors

California Audubon Legislative Affairs Representatives

The 1997 Legislative session concluded on September 12th, and Audubon is proud to report that every single high priority identified at the beginning of the year was realized. Several key bills face an uncertain fate before Governor Wilson, so please write letters to Governor Wilson urging him to support AB 241 and AB 524. You can write to the Governor at:

Governor Pete Wilson

State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814

1) Increased Funding for Conservation

a) Establishment of the Resources Trust Fund. Governor Wilson signed SB 271 (Thompson) which creates guaranteed funding for environmental projects to be derived from the state's surcharge on oil and gas extracted from state tidal waters. In the Fiscal Year 1997-98 budget, over $30 million of these funds were directed away from the General Fund and into important environmental projects. In future years, SB 271 requires the state to shift over $30 million into the Resources Trust Fund which has been set up to "preserve and protect the natural and recreational resources of the state."

b) Passage of SB 78 (Senator Mike Thompson, D St. Helena). This legislation renews the Endangered Species Tax Check Off Program which brings in approximately $500,000 per year to fund endangered species protection efforts.

c) The California Dept. of Fish and Game (DFG) will receive $200,000 for developing a recovery plan for the Greater sandhill crane, which is listed as an endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).

2) Wetlands Protection

a) Wetlands Mitigation Banking and Restoration: Audubon sponsored AB 241, carried by Assemblyman Ted Lempert (D Palo Alto), which provides $6.3 million for a variety of programs to increase wetlands conservation efforts along California's coast. $5 million of this funding will go the Coastal Conservancy to fund coastal wetlands acquisition and restoration programs in Southern California. Other funding is provided for the Southern California Wetlands Joint Venture, a Southern California Wetlands Clearinghouse, wetlands conservation and the San Francisco Bay Wetlands Mitigation Bank Pilot Program.

AB 241 had no opposition, and passed the Legislature by a wide margin. However, we are uncertain of Governor Wilson's position.

b) Restoration Funding for Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve: A high priority for the Sea and Sage Audubon Society and other Orange County conservation groups was funding for restoration and dredging work in Upper Newport Bay. Audubon played a lead role in securing over $2 million for this important project.

3) Environmental Education

The Life Sciences and Conservation Education Act: Audubon sponsored AB 524, carried by Assemblyman Jim Cunneen (R San Jose), which will re-establish a wildly successful program designed to teach 6-8th grade classes about conservation biology, civics and community involvement. This legislation passed the Legislature by a wide margin, but faces an uncertain fate before Governor Wilson.

AB 524 creates a voluntary statewide competition for any public middle school or junior high school to begin a classroom project to educate fellow students and the community about the benefits, impacts and threats to local wildlife, rivers, creeks, wetlands, or other natural resources and to develop a plan for cooperative action to conserve the resource. As part of their project, students will develop an action plan which can include exhibits, art work, public education forums or other tools designed to reach fellow students and the community at large.

4) Protecting & Strengthening CESA

After five years of stalemates, endless negotiations and frustration, the California Legislature finally passed two bills which will help resolve outstanding conflicts over implementation of CESA. The National Audubon Society and the Planning and Conservation League strongly supported SB 879 (Johnston) and SB 231 (Costa), and we will work to implement these new laws in the years to come.

SB 879 (Johnston) will:

a) For the first time in law, set standards for the issuance of "incidental take" permits by DFG.

b) Require any private party who wishes to move forward with a project that would alter habitat and possibly kill or harm endangered species, to avoid and minimize "take" of the species, and to fully mitigate for any damage to the species which may be caused by the taking.

c) Establish biological criteria to determine the "proportional" impacts of development projects on species, and the requisite mitigation which will be required to leave the species in no worse a condition than before the project (i.e. 100% mitigation).

d) Establish a "scientific floor" which would prohibit the DFG from issuing a "take" permit that jeopardizes the survival or recovery of a threatened or endangered species.

e) Require that take permit applicants must provide adequate funding to implement all mitigation measures required by DFG, including monitoring and evaluation.

f) For the first time in law, require DFG to adopt regulations to guide the Department's issuance of incidental take permits and require that issuance of same be subject to the procedural protections and requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

SB 231 (Costa) will:

a) For the first time in law, develop a program for endangered species protection on California's millions of acres of farm and ranchlands for routine and on-going agricultural activities.

b) Build new partnerships between environmental groups, agricultural interests and the DFG to establish cooperative and voluntary programs which will actually increase and enhance habitat on farm and ranch lands, while ensuring that farmers and ranchers can continue to pursue their livelihood.

c) Require that DFG adopt regulations implementing this program, and ensure that the voluntary habitat enhancement efforts authorized under SB 231 meet the conservation goals of CESA.

d) Require that regulations be supported by the best available scientific information.

Measurements of orang-utan weights have indicated that a female can weigh as much as about 88 pounds, and a male can weigh as much as approximately double that, namely about 176 pounds. (By the way, an orang-utan belongs to the species Pogo pygmaeus.) Based on those weight measurements, and the physical sizes of adult orang-utans, we can say that those primates are the largest mammals that travel extensively and frequently through the forest canopy. While doing their travels each day, they frequently make use of woody vines called lianas. In fact, many an orang-utan has been seen hanging from lianas several hundred times in one day. Therefore, a critical factor in the daily life of an orang-utan is the strength of each liana from which it hangs and on which it swings from branch to branch. Wow, can an orang-utan estimate whether a liana will hold it without breaking? Well, in order to determine the potential risks, several wildlife researchers from Puerto Rico went to Sumatra to perform tests and analyses. What each experimenter did was to wear a large backpack, and with available protective safety support he hung and swung on a variety of lianas of different tree species. Each man did this a series of times, each time loading his backpack with a different weight of rocks. A total of 99 lianas from 30 different tree species were tested. Those lianas varied in diameter from 1.2 to 3.4 centimeters. As expected, the failure rate of lianas decreased as the lianas increased in diameter. That is, increased liana thickness resulted in the liana's ability to bear heavier weights. However, it was found that some lianas less than two centimeters thick were actually able to bear the maximum tested weight of just over 290 pounds.

About three percent of the lianas that were tested broke when stressed at the aforementioned approximate top female orang-utan weight of 88 pounds; and nineteen percent broke at the approximate top male weight of 176 pounds. Those percentages, particularly the one for males, are sufficiently big to imply a significant falling and serious injury risk for the orang-utans. After all, the stress applied to a liana is often higher than the orang-utan's weight because the orang-utan might leap from a branch onto grabbing the liana, and the primate's body momentum adds stress. After observing many orang-utans for many days, and seeing no lianas break despite frequently being stressed by orang-utan use, it seemed reasonable to conclude that orang-utans do not select the lianas at random, but must somehow be able to identify reliable lianas. Despite the fact that most orang-utans do not have a degree in either physics or math, they seem to be able to perform stress analyses merely by observing a liana and perhaps by fingering it.

What we frequently see hanging in the air is a spider, which is a member of the taxonomic Arachnida class, and is thus commonly known as an arachnid. In addition to spinning webs, spiders can generate what are called drag-lines. Those are threads which allow the spider to perform certain actions. For example, if a spider starts to fall from a branch, it can immediately secrete a drag-line which will hold onto the branch and to which the spider can stay attached while falling and while the drag-line continues to be excreted until the spider stops the excretion. Therefore, the spider can prevent itself from falling all the way to the ground and hence avoid being injured. A drag-line also allows a spider to intentionally relocate its body without a long walk. Such relocation is sometimes vital because it permits the spider to escape from potential danger very quickly and safely. Some drag-lines also entrap insects which then become prey for the spider.

A scientist in a Japanese university recently performed tests, measurements and analyses to determine the relationship between a drag-line and the spider's weight. Among the underlying questions were whether there is such a relationship, and whether a spider's drag-line might break when the spider hangs from it. Well, the scientist found that many drag-lines consist of two threads, and his analyses yielded the fact that if one of the threads broke, the remaining thread was sufficiently strong to hold the spider. The spiders that he used were female members of the Nephila clavata species. His data from a series of tests led to several interesting conclusions, among which were the following. The relationship between spider weight and drag-line strength is that in a group of spiders of different weights, an increase in spider weight results in double that factor of increase in drag-line elastic strength limit; e.g., if one spider is twenty percent heavier than another, then the heavier one will produce a drag-line forty percent higher in elastic strength limitation than the other's. The elastic strength increase relative to spider weight is linear by a factor of two, as just described, up to a certain total weight increase, after which the relationship becomes non-linear mathematically. Further data and analyses showed the scientist that a spider's drag-line will usually break when the stress applied to the drag-line is about six times the spider's weight. Accordingly, a spider can usually move along its drag-line even when the drag-line and the spider hold prey that weigh up to almost five times the spider's own weight, meaning that the spider and the group of prey together weigh almost six times what the spider alone weighs. Also, a spider can leap from its perch while attached to a drag-line, and usually be safe as long as the resulting stress on the drag-line doesn't exceed six times the spider's weight.

I now want to tell you that my contemplating about spiders, while working here at my computer, brought the following thought to my mind: an arachnid specialist might think that a giant spider created the World-wide Web.

High School Mentors: The new Environmental Careers Academy at Leuzinger High School, in Lawndale, is looking for adults currently working or volunteering in some environmental field, to serve as mentors for students in this year's junior class. These young people, most of whom live in the inner city and are taking part in the Audubon YES! program, are preparing for careers in environmental work, either after graduating from high school, or after college. If you can spare two to four hours a month, you can help one of these students by serving as a role model and source of advice and practical guidance. For further information and/or to take part in this program, call mentorship coordinator Frank Divinigrazia at (310) 263-2200 x 7463.

Audubon YES!:  Chapter Representatives are needed to guide school groups in our Audubon YES! (youth environmental service) program. Representatives work a few hours each month with school ecology clubs, service groups or individual students from a single school to coordinate service projects, such as habitat cleanups or Earth Day displays. Since the role of Chapter Representative is to make sure that our Audubon chapter provides the school group or student with adequate support for their programs, you need not be an environmental expert . The chapter's YES! staff handles that end of things. We especially need volunteers for Rolling Hills Prep and Torrance High School groups-these are wonderful young people, bright and full of enthusiasm. You will have a great time!

Call Jess Morton at 832-5601 and say YES!, I want to help.

This page is part of the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society website.