First, I'd like to invite all of you to attend the monthly second-Sunday walks I am leading for Audubon at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park (HP). The next are scheduled December 14 and January 11. In addition to the resident tricolored blackbirds, least bitterns, and herons, egrets, ducks, flycatchers, sparrows, and wintering warblers we see each month, mew and Thayer's gulls and maybe some rare wintering sparrows and ducks might have shown up by then! At our November walk, there were four species of grebe, kingfishers, a kite, Cassin's kingbirds, (exotic) spice finches, moorhens, a sora, a downy woodpecker, and lots more. Ospreys have been hanging out there, too, and who knows what will show up next?

One of the reasons I offered to initiate these walks, besides getting to have some fun and soul-cleansing nature on Sunday mornings with nice Audubon folks, is because those of us who are aware of the management practices at HP, which largely ignore its natural values, want to generate the type of appreciation and awareness that leads to ACTION on behalf of this resource. We want to preserve and properly use and care for what's left of the wonderful mix of habitats, which include a willow/riparian forest, lacustrine areas, seasonal and permanent freshwater marshes and coastal sage scrub uplands. We want to see a groundswell of appreciation for its birds, plants and wildlife that leads to a phone call here, a letter there, well-placed selections in the ballot box and direct hands-on action by people willing to take time out to clean up and work for this park.

Why is this necessary? Let me give you an example. The City of Los Angeles says it has no money to repair the aeration lines that add oxygen to the stagnant storm-drain supplied contents of a lake that drains 20 square miles of city concrete, not to mention the pesticides and fertilizer from the adjacent golf course. Yet it does find funds to purchase birdseed for feeding the non-native, introduced feral ducks, which further increases the nutrient load to the lake. Then they wonder why the fish keep dying! Nor can they repair the restrooms at the south end of the lake. Are visitors supposed to use the reeds? And of course, it would be nice if money could be found for a few good signs to warn fishermen about the dangers of eating the fish they catch at the park! Or for that matter, if signs in user-appropriate languages advised visitors not to feed, harass or kill the wildlife. Or trash the park. No money for such luxuries...

Of course, with the dreaded El Niño coming, there was money to bisect the valuable willow forest along Pacific Coast Highway. And repeatedly assault it by hacking a huge gaping swath through the middle of it so the water in the Lomita Drain won't back up like it did the last time. Yet, probably all that was needed to improve flow was to fix the screens and booms and remove the trash upstream where the water passes under PCH to enter Machado Lake. Now, having cut in two one of the most rare and endangered habitats in Southern California, the "problem-solvers" at City are amazed that a dense undergrowth has already grown in. It is now so dense and tall that it will capture even more trash as it washes through than the intact forest would have. The preferred solution!

Last September, I was again "Beach Captain" for the annual Coastal Commission/Heal the Bay sponsored cleanup at HP. My students and I removed dozens of tires, cans of used oil and pesticide, thousands of plastic bags, and other inappropriately discarded items from the willows at the north end and the dam at the south end of the park. Visit now and you'd never know that the area had been cleaned. No one is paid to clean up the areas used by wildlife. Only the heavily human-occupied areas are cleaned up. It sure would be nice if the undocumented aliens at the day-labor station at the northwest corner of the lake could be asked (or even paid?) once in a while to pick up the trash in the park where they find work!

There are other burning questions: Will the reed-cutting for mosquito abatement be postponed once again until our reed-nesting birds are breeding? Will the mitigation measures we recommended after the loss of the willows actually be implemented? Will the trees recommended for planting be native to the United States (unlike those selected despite our recommendations in the first proposal?) Will the trees that get planted be disked for "fire prevention/weed abatement" like they were last time my students and I planted native vegetation at the park? What effect will the new golf driving range, whose barbed wire fences edge nearly to the lake shore, have upon the wildlife of the park?

OK, by now you may have detected a touch of cynicism in my comments and questions about Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. Perhaps, but I haven't given up. I envision what it must have been like when the Gabrielino villages of Masaungna and Suangna existed in the area, when geese and ducks flocked so densely in the vast riparian flood plain of the LA River Basin that they darkened the sky for minutes at a time. When wolves, cougar, grizzlies, and deer prowled the lush sycamore, cottonwood, willow lowland and oak and coastal scrub uplands, in a land of abundance that is hardly imaginable today. Life flourished on an amazing scale. Now, only HP is left, a time capsule where we can find the necessary seeds, shoots, and eggs--should we choose to recapture a portion of our rich biological heritage.

Come on a walk. You'll see some things that are beautiful as well as some things that aren't. And call LA City Councilman Rudy Svorinich, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-MacDonald, and maybe a county supervisor or the LA City Park and Recreation Department to tell them that you care about wildlife in our Harbor Park!

The Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP) working group had its first look at a draft map for the PV Peninsula habitat reserve last month. When fulfilled, this reserve is intended to provide habitat for a viable population of California Gnatcatchers, Cactus Wrens and other indigenous species. Because there is a limited amount of open space remaining on the Peninsula, the range of options available in the creation of this reserve is not wide. Eventually, a choice will be made between three or four possible designs, ranging from the "biologically preferred" alternative, to a minimum preserve which allows for maximum development.

All of the reserve designs will recognize that the core of the reserve must include most of the steep slopes and canyon bottoms (zoned open space hazard) along the south side of the hill. The Forrestal Quarries and Shoreline Park, both with high quality habitat and in public ownership will anchor the eastern side of the reserve. However, there is likely to be considerable divergence in reserve designs on the western end of the Peninsula and on the less-steep slopes with high quality vegetation surrounding Portuguese Bend. Here, ownership is mixed, development schemes bubble up with considerable regularity irrespective of zoning and landslide moratorium, and even land belonging to the public may be put up for grabs.

To Audubon, there are three critical concerns which we must make clear about the reserve itself. First is that the land in public ownership around the Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall, is a crucial part of the reserve. The work of the Manomet Bird Observatory team has shown that this is a major source of California gnatcatchers for repopulating other parts of the Hill. Second is that linkages between parts of the reserve must be maintained. These include links through the City Hall area on the west, from Abalone Cove north into the core reserve, and northward from the core through canyons and slopes to surrounding areas such as the Malaga dunes and San Pedro Fuel Supply Point. Third is that the City of Rancho Palos Verdes alone cannot succeed in creating a working reserve. All of the cities on and around the Peninsula need to play their part. Both Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates have shown willingness to cooperate.

However, Palos Verdes Estates has shown little but disdain for the NCCP, claiming that all of its own open space is protected. In reality though, PVE exemplifies indifference to natural values, and has pushed forward several projects in recent years that would destroy valuable habitat. Unfortunately, we have not been able to stop enough of them, and some very rare habitat has been lost with little chance that there will be any real mitigation for that loss.

You can help the NCCP reserve become a reality by assuming an active role. First, become informed. Your Audubon has prepared a white paper on the local NCCP which will help you understand its ins and outs. This paper is available for the asking and is posted on our web page (http://www.audubon.org/chapter/ca/palosverdes/). Second, become an advocate for the NCCP. Urge your City government to enroll. Third, help others to become familiar with NCCP goals and objectives. Finally, support the open space ballot initiatives that come your way. These are key vehicles through which acquisition funds can be raised to make the NCCP more than just a dream.

Your Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society is part of that great grass roots organization known as the National Audubon Society. Within California, there are 53 chapters connected together through Audubon-California, which provides many services to us, including the sponsorship of a Southern California Audubon Coordinating Council, to which we belong. At our quarterly meeting in November, Dan Taylor, who is Director of Audubon-California, spoke about the problems of the Salton Sea, what is needed to solve those problems, and how Audubon is working toward solutions to reverse current trends.

Within the last couple of decades, this magnificent 35-mile long, 15-mile wide body of water has become increasingly degraded. Earlier this year, an outbreak there of Newcastle disease killed an entire nesting colony of Double-crested Cormorants and the deaths of endangered Brown Pelicans have been alarming. Thousands of birds and fish are poisoned and die each year.

Moreover, we have a desperate situation for the migrating birds that use the Salton Sea. Although the ecosystem is artificial (the Sea was created in 1906 by a human-caused accident), migrating birds have been using it in ever increasing numbers. At one time these birds visited or wintered in the marshes and wetlands of the Central Valley. However, as those were destroyed, the birds have had to seek alternatives. Today, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds use the Salton sea as a stop-over or wintering place.

The agencies which are responsible for protecting California bodies of water certainly have not done their job. Maybe it was because they did not have the personnel or the knowledge or the authority to protect this body of water. In any case, we are stuck with a big rotten spot instead of a beautiful, pristine body or water where birds and fish can thrive. Scientific studies are needed to determine the causes of the current die-offs and to suggest corrective measures to reverse the trend. Some people think that the Salton Sea is beyond hope and that there will continue to be degradation of this ecosystem until its complete collapse.

At our meeting, Dan said that Audubon-California has begun a campaign to save the Salton Sea. Its first act has been to make a major donation to the Pacific Wildlife Project, the organization working to save sick pelicans. In addition to donations, Audubon intends to offer volunteers to help with the pelican recovery effort. He noted that if this were happening in a major urban area there would be a hue and cry across the nation. In the coming months, Audubon-California will work with state and federal agencies and legislators to find long-term solutions to the problems of the Salton Sea.

We can do our part, too. This chapter has made a donation to the recovery effort, and all of us can help by writing to our local, state and federal agencies and representatives to voice our concern. Let's put our own grass roots to work for the betterment of the Salton Sea.

Call Ollie Coker at 545-1384 or Ross Landry at 818 524-7701 to take part.

On November 6th, I attended a hearing of the State Assembly's Budget Subcommittee on Resources which took place in the Manhattan Beach City Hall. Tom Hayden and Debra Bowen, both strongly pro-environment, were there. Representatives of many organizations testified about how state funding should be allocated to protect and enhance coastal and river resources.

Representatives of the California Coastal Commission reported on how takings laws, deregulation and consensus politics have hobbled the ability of the Commission to provide public access to the coast. Property owners who purchase coastal property are now protected by takings laws from the former requirement that they provide public access as part of the development. Capital funds need to be appropriated to purchase public access rights. Since there has been a 40% reduction in the Coastal Commission budget, enforcement against gross violators of coastal protection laws has decreased. Restoring this budget shortfall should be a high priority in the environmental community.

Many persons spoke of the funding needed to acquire coastal parklands. It is particularly important to provide parks and open space in the LA area, which has only half of the national average.

One suggestion for improving this situation was made by a Friends of the LA River representative: create parks along this waterway. Of its 55 mile length, 43 miles are encased in concrete. A mere 12 miles remain unpaved. The Friends suggest that the best way to control flooding is to increase wetland and riverside forest habitat within widened river zones. Wetlands and functioning floodplains act as giant sponges which absorb and slow progress of flood waters. This would reduce downstream flood peaks, recharge the ground water and create parkland as well. The specific recommendation made was to purchase and restore 80 acres of riparian habitat with the result that coastal lands would be protected from flood damage.

Further discussion with river advocates revealed a disturbing situation that we activists need to address. Using the prospect of El Niño flooding as an excuse to bypass environmental protections to our rivers, flood control agencies are starting to strip riparian growth from the rivers of LA County. They have already started bulldozing the willows and green areas that have survived the onslaught of concrete mixers. Rather than reducing the volume of water that is rushing downstream, they are proposing to build higher levees. As an example of this sort of backward planning, read Martin Byhower's page 1 article on what has happened at Harbor Park.

The Board of Supervisors and the US Army Corps of Engineers need to hear from us that the remaining natural riparian growth along Southern California rivers is precious and should be retained wherever possible. Instead of ripping out willows and building higher levees, we need to provide storage for flood waters in wetlands and catch basins. Doing so would recharge the water table and create parkland as well.

Here is where to write or call:

Supervisor Don Knabe

(213) 974-4444

500 W. Temple

Los Angeles, CA 90012

and,

Colonel Robert Davis

(213) 452-3961

US Army Corps of Engineers

911 Wilshire Blvd., Room 1550

Los Angeles, CA 90017

Well, it's over now, the waves of warblers, flocks of flycatchers and swarms of swallows of autumn have passed. They're in Mexico, Central America, or even South America now. But they were here just moments ago, albeit briefly in many cases.

There is no type of birding, other than which the Brits call "local patch" birding, that can give you a real feeling for, or an understanding and appreciation of, the magnitude of the turnover, flights, and daily differences, that make up migration--that massive movement of millions of birds past us. By going to the same place day after day, you know when the most common of species hit.

A flight of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, White-crowned Sparrows, Audubon's Warblers or Hermit Thrushes is over-whelming to one who knows that there was only one present the day before. But to one who has no clue, it is a mere curiosity. So this fall, Kevin Larson (KL) did some real local patch birding at Sand Dune Park (SDP), checking it out 30 days out of 35. I did the same at other greenspots, for 35+ of 45 days. The results below tell the story.

A Horned Grebe was at HP 11/1, but didn't stay. A Clark's and 7-9 Westerns were there late Oct. to early Nov. Unfortunately, little local seabirding takes place once the landbirds arrive because they're so darn exciting. Nonetheless, Barney Schlinger on an LA Audubon trip, just off PV, a mile or two along the San Pedro Escarpment on 9/27, found a Flesh-footed Shearwater and a Cassin's Auklet. A Brown Booby (Kimball Garrett), was on the LAAS trip to the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara 10/19 (El Nino anyone?). A Cattle Egret was at HP 10/24, but the species was far scarcer than usual this fall. Ducks are starting to fill up the usual spots, like LA River mouth at Willow (LAR) and Harbor Park (HP). If enough rain comes, Madrona Marsh (MM), too.

Hawks were especially plentiful on days after fronts arrived. For a couple of days after each front passed, I could stand outside for a short while and see several Red-tails, a few Red-shouldered, some Cooper's, and a Kite or TV going over. Besides the early Broad-winged Hawk mentioned in the last column, at Angels Gate 9/13, another was seen by my wife and me, on 10/12, flying towards HP from Banning Park (BP). As always, it was being mobbed by Crows. A Black (suckleyi) Merlin was at BP 10/29. An imm. regular Merlin there 11/4 was seen taking an Audubon's Warbler. Faster than it or the birds with it could react to flush, the Merlin had its meal. Elsewhere, the usual couple of migrant Peregrines were seen.

A pair of Golden-Plovers flew over my house 10/6, but I know not which species, though they looked dominica (American) to me. The Lesser Yellowlegs is back at the Dominguez Channel near 182nd St. for its 7th+ winter. Only a few Solitary Sandpipers were reported from LAR this fall. Pectoral Sandpipers were hard to come by. I saw 2 worn juveniles at LAR on the late date of 11/1. That same day, I saw 16 species of shorebirds within the first 500 yards above Willow Street. Jim Pike reported an ad. Pectoral above Del Amo on the LA River, 9/10. Tough to get on your BP list is Snipe, but 3 circled over me there on 10/12.

For the third Oct. in a row, a lone Band-tailed Pigeon was at BP, this time on 10/16 (me). Possible the same one was at MM 10/21. Sophia Tsai found a migrant Burrowing Owl near the old Marineland site (where the Western Bluebirds were last year), 9/15. KL had a Poorwill 9/26 at SDP, the start of the species' usual passage.

There were more frustrating Empidonax Flycatchers this fall than usual and I walked away "furious" from over a dozen of them, just shaking my head.... We had the normal: a few Dusky and Gray; briefly, lots of Willows; and a jillion "Western" types. In mid-Oct., 5-6 Hammond's in a couple of days, was a phenomenal total. Then, there were a couple I'm sure were Least, one I thought was an Alder (heresy to think so in California), and one I thought was Yellow-bellied, but which I walked away from, as I said, shaking my head. Who ya gonna ask? Empibusters? The best, easily-identified flycatcher of the fall was the Brown-crested Flycatcher I found and photographed at Peck Park (PP) 10/17. I also found a Tropical Kingbird at Cabrillo Beach (CB) 10/11-13 (photo). A late Western Kingbird was at there 10/19. A late Ash-throated Flycatcher was at BP 10/22-24. I probably heard a Dusky-capped calling repeatedly at BP 11/4 but couldn't find it--frustrating!

A couple of Barn Swallows were at HP late Oct., and some Trees as well. A Townsend's Solitaire was on San Nicholas Is. late Oct. There was an eastern-looking (swansoni?) Swainson's Thrush at BP in Oct. KL found a Varied Thrush at SDP 10/23, which was present for at least a week. What was probably the first Hermit Thrush of the fall was there, too, 10/1. Waxwings were back at PP 10/14. No sign yet of either mountain or northern species, which is not surprising, since these rarely echo a flight year. The species not present last year, like Townsend's Solitaire, are thus more likely to be found. Phainopepla was at SCBG 10/22, (male), and a female and imm. male have been at PP since Sept and Oct. respectively.

Vireos were frustrating to me, with a couple of good ones jumping out in front of me for a brief glimpse, then continuing on their way south, disappearing just as quickly. One was a Red-eyed at CB 9/26, and another was probably a Philadelphia, at BP 10/22, though it might possibly have been a Yellow-green Vireo. Warbling Vireos were uncommon, and KL had a Bell's in El Segundo at Recreation Park 9/27. Interesting are the arrival dates we got for the (wintering?) Hutton's Vireos at WP (9/20), and HP (9/21). Both birds are still present. Georgene Foster had a Solitary Vireo at SCBG 9/18. The WP Plumbeous has returned, and was seen 9/26. A Cassin's wintering at PP arrived 9/28. I saw a Blue-headed Vireo (the eastern Solitary, formerly a subspecies) at PP 9/26, but it has not been relocated, although many seeing the gray-headed Cassin's there thought they saw it. True Blue-headed Vireos have yellow sides (not green with a little yellow), blue-gray napes, snow white throats and breasts and a clear cut lower edge to the "helmet" which is not muddied up, as it is with Cassin's. For our Solitary Vireos, we should note if it was green (Cassin's) or gray (Plumbeous).

Warblers, too, were frustrating, although rewarding with perseverance. Amazing was the paucity of Hermit warblers (I saw 1). Likewise, there were no Chats, Black And White or Virginia's Warblers, though there was one of Lucy/Virginia type. Nor did we have many Nashville. Still, Oct. 3-6 we recorded 16 warbler species, so 20 had to be around during that week alone.

Foremost in the frustration department was a 10-second look at a female Blue-winged Warbler, 4' away, seen with my bare eyes, which bolted into oblivion, at BP 11/4. Tennessees were scarce, with one Dave Moody (DM) saw at BP 9/26, which may have been the one I glimpsed there a few days earlier. I also saw one on 9/26 at CB. At SCBG, I saw what was either a Lucy's or a Virginia's (a gray Vermivora) twice as it flew over my heard chipping (a metallic plink) on 10/6. Yellows were common, with one winterer returning to CB for the 2nd year, at least, and a tardy female at BP 10/23. Mike San Miguel (MSM) found a Magnolia Warbler at BP 10/6. I heard a Cape May Warbler repeatedly, and saw the offending warbler flitting, at Torrance Park 10/24, but never got a clear look at the bird. It was gone the next day. Palm warblers were few, with one at MM 10/31 (DM), one at PP 11/7 (me), and one at SDP 11/11 (Molly Pollack). I briefly saw a Bay-breasted Warbler bathing at BP 10/21. Blackpolls made a fair showing, with 5 birds. First at HP (me) 9/21, then Tom Wurster (TW) found one at PP 9/21-26, MSM found one at SDP 10/3, my wife and I at BP on 10/4, and another was at SCBG 10/5 (Dave Koeppel). KL had a Black And White in El Segundo on 9/23, and Karen Gilbert (KaGi) found one, apparently wintering, at El Dorado Park 10/26 (still present), but none were seen in our immediate area. An adult male American Redstart was at PP 9/28 (Roger Linfield), to 10/3. MP reports one at SDP 11/3-11, which may winter. My wife and I were speechless for 10-15 minutes watching an adult male Prothonotary Warbler in a ficus at PP 10/5!! MSM found an Ovenbird at SDP 10/3-6. KL found the bird MSM was actually seeking there, a Northern Waterthrush, 9/20, which was seen through 10/6. A tardy ad. male MacGillivray's topped off a fair showing this fall at BP, 10/12. Incredibly TWO imm. female Hooded Warblers were seen this fall, the first by DK (trust me he knows the bird) at the SCBG 10/5, and I photographed one at BP 10/21! The last previous fall record was about 1980, by Arnold Small at HP! MSM and I found an imm. male Canada Warbler at CB on 10/11-12. Thus, we had about 25 species for the fall, almost half the continent's warbler diversity, all without going anywhere except to six local greenspots! I think KL's Audubon's 9/20 at SDP was the first (the first Myrtle was 9/30), but the 500++ at BP, PP, and CB on 10/21 was the most in one day. How many birds total do you suppose were around?

A Summer Tanager KaGi found at PP 10/19 was still present 11/7. It appeared to be an ad. female of the eastern rubra race, as expected for a wintering bird. KL found a female wingbarless Tanager at BP on 10/17, which he let me ID as Scarlet. Westerns were abundant, as usual. KL had a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak at SDP 10/14. I saw one at BP 10/21, and KaGi found an imm. male there 10/23, which was last seen in a seemingly futile attempt to escape the aforementioned Black Merlin on 10/29. On 10/31 my wife and I saw an Indigo Bunting at CB.

Only a of couple Clay-colored Sparrows were reported. They were far outnumbered by Brewer's Sparrows, which always come through first, usually in late Sept., with Clays in Oct. For example, on 9/20 I had 4 Brewer's at 4 parks, plus heard another at yet another park! Ron Melin saw 2 Clay-colored at Lago Seco 10/2 and I spotted one from my desk, 10/9, in my neighbors loquat! KL found a Vesper Sparrow at Entradero Park (EP), 9/22, which is probably a returning winterer (in its 3rd year), since I saw it there in Nov. Another was at Green Hills 10/12. Also there, 9/15, was the first Lark Sparrow (me), and KL had one at EP 9/22. TW found a Black-throated Sparrow at SDP 9/21, a less than annual find in our area. My first Lincoln's was at HP on 9/21 (average first arrival). My first White-crowned was 9/20, the same day my last Barn Swallow left! Several people had White-crowns 9/21. KL had the first Golden-crown 10/6 at SDP. A Harris' was on San Nicholas Is. 10/25. A Junco was at BP 9/30.

KL found 4 Bobolinks at EP, 9/27, which dwindled to 1 by 10/5, but that one lingered on to a late 10/15, at least, and DM had one at MM 10/8. The best Oriole was a female Scott's that I saw at CB on 9/26, followed by a female Baltimore Oriole there 10/17. Orioles do love the pink sweet gum eucalypts found there!

So there's the report. Fast and furious, frustrating and fantastic--that's fall, folks!

And think global, bird local!

Avocet.................................... Matching avos

Belted Kingfisher............... Had one too many

Blue Grouse....................... Censored censure

Common Snipe............................. A trite slight

Dovekie.................. How to tell pigeons apart

Great Horned Ow........... Rhinoceros' troubles

Leased Flycatcher............. Baseball outfielder

Mollard.................................. Female mallard

Nashville Warbler............ Grand Ol' Opry star

Österrich.................................. Austrian ratite

Sage Trasher...................... Desert developers

Sturnus vulgarest.......................... Filmstarling

Veery.................................. Steers erratically

White-headed Wordpicker............. Your editor

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of the greatest success stories in American environmental history. The survival of the Pacific gray whale, the whooping crane, the California condor, and the red wolf, and the recovery of the bald eagle can all be directly attributed to the Act. But despite all the ESA's successes, it is not without its flaws. Recently introduced reauthorizing amendments to the ESA, Representative George Miller's HR 2351, seek to retain the ESA's most effective provisions while incorporating changes necessary for the future of wildlife conservation.

The Miller amendments were initially introduced under the name of the Endangered Species Recovery Act (ESRA). However, that same name has been applied by anti-environmental forces to a Senate bill, S 1180 (Kempthorne/Chaffee), which severely weakens ESA. Thus references to ESRA made after August could apply to either bill and should be considered lightly until you know to which bill they apply.

The Miller Bill provides incentives to landowners, streamlines the permitting processes, and allows more opportunities for citizen participation while putting increased emphasis on science and on species recovery to ensure the preservation of our nation's imperiled biological diversity. It is the result of 25 years of experience with the ESA and incorporates recent recommendations from the National Academy of Science. It is the first proposed ESA reauthorizing legislation introduced in several years to merit the endorsement of the national and grassroots environmental community as well as strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. This is a new generation of endangered species protection which focuses on the stated objective of ESA, the recovery of endangered species for the benefit of us and all future generations.

Please write your Representative and let him or her know you support ESA reauthorization that focuses on species recovery, not just survival. Urge your Representative to co-sponsor Representative Miller's HR 2351. A sample letter is at right.

Cannon Building, Room 325 (Harman, 36th Dist.)

Room 419 (Millender-McDonald, 37th)

or Room 438 (Horn, 38th)

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative ___________,

I urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 2351, Representative George Miller's bill to reauthorize the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA is our nation's preeminent wildlife law, and is responsible for the survival of species such as the peregrine falcon, grizzly bear, and the black-footed ferret. Locally, ESA has played an important role in the on-going Natural Communities Conservation Plan, which will eventually preserve valuable habitat and open space in southern California.

H.R. 2351 will retain the most effective provisions of the ESA and incorporate a number of innovative provisions needed for the future of wildlife conservation. HR 2351 will help species recover and move toward removal from the endangered species list by strengthening protections for species on federal lands, by requiring federal agencies to implement recovery plans for listed species, and by setting deadlines for the development and approval of recovery plans. HR 2351 will improve the scientific basis for decisions under the ESA by implementing many of the recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences in their 1995 report on the ESA.

At the same time it addresses many of the concerns private landholders have had with ESA. HR 2351 will improve species protection on private lands by strengthening the biological requirements for Habitat Conservation Plans, providing funding for "No Surprises" assurances, and by providing balanced incentives to private landowners who take proactive steps to conserve listed and declining species. HR 2351 will help small landowners by creating a technical assistance program to help them comply with the ESA and by creating a streamlined approval process for truly low-impact HCPs.

The Miller Bill represents a strong and balanced approach to the conservation of our nation's imperiled wildlife. Again, I urge you to co-sponsor and support H.R. 2351.

In Antarctica, there is a lack of nesting materials, so penguins must take a different approach to egg protection and incubation than do birds in temperate regions of Earth. Female emperor penguins begin their egg-laying in mid-May. Each female that is to become a mother lays just one egg. The husband then takes full responsibility for the incubating. He guards the egg and provides proper body coverage to maintain adequate warmth for the baby penguin that is forming inside the egg. He does this until mid-July or early August, depending on when hatching occurs. The female returns at hatching time. When the baby emerges, the male is able to go away to eat, having had no food for about 115 days. When the male soon returns, the two adults share the parental duty of feeding the hatchling for about five months. The chick grows rather rapidly. Just before becoming fully plumed and capable of living independently, the juvenile is left to fend for itself. Knowing that a newly fledged penguin will leave its birth site and be away for a number of years, several scientists performed a study to determine where young penguins go. The scientists obtained five youngster emperor penguins, and affixed onto each one a transmission device which, when the birds were not swimming, emitted a signal that was received by a communications satellite and re-transmitted to the scientists. Starting on 1/4/95 and continuing until 3/6/96, the information received showed that the young birds had travelled much further than had been expected. One bird was more than 175 miles away from where it had first entered the water, that entry having occurred in the Ross Sea. The birds apparently had gone north and then east; whereas, the parents had remained at the Ross Sea.

Antarctica, which is one of the continents resulting from the break-up of Gondwana, seems to have been so isolated from Earth's other continents and inhabited islands for so many years that most people have considered the life forms on Antarctica, since the significant separation took place, to have been unaffected by lives and conditions elsewhere. However, analyses of Antarctic atmospheric contents during the past few years have proven that winds carry biological matter to the Antarctic area from other places. One analysis showed that in a short period of just 24 hours, the spores found in the second of the two atmospheric samples of the same size at the same location were higher than those in the first sample by a factor of 20 because of wind conditions that occur about every eight months or so. Other samples at other times and other locations in the area showed biological transfers from South America, with increase factors of 24, 17 and 13 relative to the mean values computed from a series of samplings over a meaningful period of time. Biological analyses have been performed on Antarctic surfaces for almost a century. The finding of foreign pollen on surfaces, along with the recent findings in the atmosphere, yield evidence that the Antarctic region is not isolated biologically. In fact, some scientists have concluded, from the available evidence, that biological diversity in that region has increased for perhaps 18,000 years, since the last glacial maximum. Portions of Antarctica contain fumaroles, which are heat emitting portions of the ground, usually near volcanic localities. Exotic (i.e., non-native) plants growing on Antarctica in fumarole sections of the ground also demonstrate the biological non-isolation of that continent. Sections of the Antarctic other than the continent also show evidence of biological immigration from elsewhere, especially South America. If global warming continues, then the Antarctic region may well become much more diversified in its resident organisms.

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 2 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 the opportunity to make a difference by improving environmental health here, where we all live.

Sharing Nature With Children:  A few people willing to spend a few hours one day a month working with high school students and children are wanted to help with our educational program at Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach. This monthly program introduces youngsters to a variety of aspects of the natural world around them in a setting which includes meadow, woodland, streamside and marsh habitats. Docents help lead the children in various games, walks and crafts designed to show off the park and the plants and animals in it.

If you like working with children, this is an excellent way to become involved with chapter activities. We want to expand this program to Torrance, San Pedro and other cities. High school and other students who volunteer receive Audubon YES! Award credits.

Join this exciting program by calling Lillian Light at 545-1384.

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