The Baldwin Hills are the last, large open space in the Ballona Creek watershed, and present many opportunities for habitat restoration. A team of scientists from the Natural History Museum Foundation, led by Kimball Garrett, recently completed a study of the ecology of the Baldwin Hills. Among other wildlife, the study identified 166 species of birds of which 41 (36 native) currently nest in the Baldwin Hills. Eighteen other species may breed occasionally, or bred formerly in the area. The preservation of the Baldwin Hills as open space and parkland will help protect these birds from further urban development within their remaining habitat.

Join Audubon members in a public workshop sponsored by Community Conservancy International (CCI) to review draft plans for the expanded Baldwin Hills Park. You can participate in one of two workshops planned for March 14th and 17th, 2001.

CCI is leading the Baldwin Hills Park Project, which aims to convert the current oil drilling fields in the Baldwin Hills into a two-square mile park, recreation, and natural open space. CCI is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to combining the protection of natural lands and waters with compatible economic development in local communities.

There's Wildlife in the Hills

The findings in the Natural History Museum's study of the Baldwin Hills portray a balance sheet of pluses and minuses caused by oil extraction activities and the intense urbanization that surrounds the site. On the positive side of the ledger, much of the 1,200 acres of open space in the hills is covered with a natural coastal scrub community dominated by California Sagebrush, Coyote Brush and California Bush Sunflower. This remnant of one of the continent's most beleaguered vegetation associations, along with smaller areas of riparian and grassland habitat, harbors native vertebrates that simply cannot survive in the surrounding urbanized lowlands. These species include the Gray Fox, Desert Woodrat and Black-tailed Jackrabbit, along with Black-bellied Slender Salamander, California Kingsnake, and Side-blotched Lizard, and healthy populations of California Quail, Bewick's Wrens, and Spotted Towhees. These three bird species are among those species currently breeding in the Baldwin Hills. White-tailed Kites, Red-shouldered and Cooper's hawks and other birds of prey still hunt these hills. Other nesting bird species include Phainopeplas, Orange-crowned Warblers, and Bullock's Orioles.

The Baldwin Hills are full of botanical treasures, also, including small populations of the succulent Dudleya lanceolata and several native wildflowers typical of a once widespread coastal prairie habitat.

Urban Impact Taking its Toll

Unfortunately, decades of degradation and the adverse impacts of exotic plants, feral predators, oil and residential development, and the increasing isolation of the hills' natural habitats have altered the balance of wildlife in the Baldwin Hills. One of the area's "specialties", the Cactus Wren, appears to have vanished within the past four years, as did Burrowing Owls, Greater Roadrunners, and nesting Blue Grosbeaks previously. The area's top predator, the Coyote, also appears to have been extirpated, relaxing a natural control on smaller predators such as feral cats, skunks, and raccoons.

A New Frontier for Bird Habitat

Armed now with a better understanding of the biodiversity and ecological processes of the Baldwin Hills, we can redouble our efforts to ensure a brighter future for the area, as plans for a world-class urban park develop. Restoration of coastal scrub habitat within the Baldwin Hills is eminently feasible. Addressing the isolation of the Hills by revegetating the banks of Ballona Creek and other corridors could be a component of this restoration.

To learn more about the wildlife of the Baldwin Hills, join the Los Angeles, Santa Monica Bay, and Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society chapters on one of their monthly bird walks in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area.

To help preserve the Baldwin Hills and its wildlife please attend one of Community Conservancy International's public workshops in March to view the draft conceptual plan of the park and comment on its merits.

Workshop Information

Both workshops will be held at West LA College's Fine Arts Theater, 4800 Freshman Drive, Culver City.

Wednesday, March 14, 2001

5:30-6:30 pm: View Draft Plans

6:30-9:00 pm: Workshop

OR

Saturday, March 17, 2001

1:00-2:00 pm: View Draft Plans

2:00-4:30 pm: Workshop

RSVP to 310/475-0797 x 4

or E-mail silissa@ccint.org

It is with regret that we report the December death of Goldie Otters, long-time Audubon chapter member and activist. Pilot, navigator, community leader, Goldie joins an august list of recently departed San Pedrans—Curt Grove, Olivia Hines, Greg Smith—who not only spoke their conscience, but acted on it accordingly. Wherever the cause was a just one, Goldie could be found. Now that her life is complete, it is easy to judge that, from a Socratic point of view, Goldie led the good life.

In 1981, Goldie became the second recipient of our Audubon Conservation award, recognized for her efforts to preserve natural values around Cabrillo Beach. Throughout the 80's, she was active with our Conservation Committee and served on our Board of Directors. Goldie could always be counted on to help out at chapter functions, hosting meetings or gathering materials for awards ceremonies and other special events. She was also a regular and generous donor to all Audubon activities and programs.

If you never met Goldie Otters, the cover of the program for the recent celebration of her long, adventurous life will tell you all about her. There is a photograph: head and shoulders. We see a grey-haired, warm, indomitable woman. Age is evident, yet she is beautiful. She stands, wind-blown and grinning, on a rocky beach somewhere. Everywhere.

On this program cover, her name seems quite unnecessary. Nor does it appear. There are no dates given, for they, too, are quite irrelevant. The only thing written appears beneath her portrait. It is a quote from Dante. It says, "There is a special place in hell for those who in times of moral crisis choose neutrality."

One sees there is nothing neutral in Goldie's character. Nothing uncommitted in the way the crinkles at her eyes reflect sunlight. The beach behind her is cobbled, boulder-strewn. Behind Goldie's head we see the horizon draw away. Endless sea. Endless sky.

The earth is now left to us. Let us follow in Goldie's footsteps. We shall go that way, too. What other tribute might we offer this leader?

--Jess Morton

The challenge set forth in Audubon's 1995 strategic plan was to make environmental conscientiousness second nature throughout America. It is an ambitious goal, but the benefits to the health of ourselves and our planet are so evident, that it is worth the effort. However, it is clear that we are far from having reached that goal. The recent general election, where issues relating to the environment on the national level were pushed aside, shows how far we have yet to go.

Challenges abound. As Lillian Light points out in her conservation column, President Bush has issued two challenges to those of us who cherish our rich natural heritage and think it should be protected from those who would arrogate it to personal gain. Most overt is his stated desire to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil interests, an issue guaranteed to inaugurate his term with open and bitter conflict. Second is his nomination of Gale Norton for Secretary of the Interior. Virtually all environmental groups, including this Audubon chapter, oppose Norton's confirmation because of her close identification with former secretary James Watt and for her radical positions on takings and related issues.

If President Bush believed that the environment is an issue about which the majority of Americans care, he would not have taken these actions. He might well have taken a conciliatory posture-one recognizing the slimness of his victory—and given weight to the polls that invariably show that Republicans and Democrats alike do care about the environment and are overwhelming opposed to opening ANWR to exploitation. Indeed, he might have chosen a suitable nominee for Interior, perhaps even retaining Bruce Babbitt, a decidedly moderate Democrat, to show bipartisanship.

In the short-term, then, the challenge before us is to lead President Bush away from his anti-environmental position before it has solidified. We should all write to the President with our concerns, asking that he return to the traditional Republican stance as a true conservative. He needs to realize that the Party of the last 20 years is out of character with both its past and its future.

Our challenge is also to communicate our concerns to our Representatives and Senators. Congress will vote with the American public on the environment, if we encourage it to do so. There are enough pro-environmental votes on both sides of the aisle to assure this. But we must make our concerns known immediately. And we must do so again and again, if the President persists in pursuing policies that weaken the environmental protections we have.

In the long-term, however, we must adopt strategies which make care for the environment an automatic part of our decision-making processes, whether on the personal, local, state or national level. The best way to do this is to be an active part of Audubon. We have a role for you, whatever your interests are. As a Conservation Committee member, you can write letters, make phone calls or testify. As an Education Committee member, you can help with programs such as Audubon in the Park and Sharing Nature With Children. As a birder, you can help with our Green Spaces Committee or on surveys. And, of course, your financial help is more than welcome: It is vital our chapter's wide-ranging programs.

However you choose act, the time is now. Audubon and the environment need you. Please feel free to call me at 832-5601 if you have questions. The environment we are working to save is the only home we will ever have.

On February 16-19, the fourth annual Great Backyard Bird Count or GBBC will give everyone a chance to help monitor bird populations. In the GBBC, families, individuals, classrooms, and community groups count the numbers and kinds of birds that visit their feeders, local parks, schoolyards, and other areas during any or all four days of the count. Participants then enter their observations on the Birdsource web page at www.birdsource.org. Results from around the country are updated hourly in the form of animated maps and colorful graphs. Findings from previous years are also available at the site, which was developed by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Instructions for participating in the GBBC can be found at the web site by clicking on "Great Backyard Bird Count." The web site also includes a vocabulary section, bird-watching and bird-feeding tips, bird vocalizations, and tips for planning your spring bird garden.

If you don't have ready access to the Web at home or at your local library, you can get details and drop off reports with our own Bob Shanman at Wild Birds Unlimited at 2575 Pacific Coast Highway, near the northeast corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Pacific Coast Hwy.

In the waning days of his Presidency, President Bill Clinto issued an Executive Order directing Federal agencies to avoid harm to migratory bird populations and to promote their recovery. Besides avoiding harm, agencies are to take steps to restore and enhance habitat, prevent or abate pollution, and incorporate the conservation of migratory birds into their planning.

The President was responding to the dramatic decline of about 20% of all bird species native to the United States over the last 30 years. Scientists consider the decline of these species by than 50% as significant.

Federal agencies are to develop and implement agreements with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve migratory birds.

One of Eric and Ann Brooks' favorite spring migration trips is to Morongo Preserve, Joshua Tree National Monument and the North end of the Salton Sea. Morongo is a wonderful migrant trap, where the migration usually peaks around the first of May. They plan to be there the first weekend in May. They expect to see a great concentration of warblers and flycatchers. Morongo is also the westernmost breeding point for some eastern birds such as Brown-crested Flycatcher, Summer Tanager and Vermilion Flycatcher. They usually see other colorful riparian specialties such as Yellow-breasted Chat.

Moving into the desert at Joshua Tree usually yields birds such as Scott's Oriole, Rock and Canyon Wrens and sometimes a Bendire's Thrasher! The year before last they watched a pair of Lucy's Warblers near the Joshua Tree headquarters for fifteen minutes or more!

And the North end of the Salton Sea will be packed with migrants, including Black Terns, sometimes four species of swallows, and shorebirds. If the trip continues into evening, the Lesser Nighthawks will perform their aerial displays. The weekend typically yields over 100 species for the group! If you think you might join Eric and Ann, book early! It's easier to cancel if you can't make it than to get a room at the last moment!

Local motels in Yucca Valley include:

Oasis of Eden Inn & Suites 760/365-6321

Desert View Motel 760/365-9706.

For more information, contact Eric and Ann Brooks at 323-205-7799 or www.birdclass.com.

As the blazing glory of fall fades away, the dead of winter sets in. Or so they say! Here in southern California, it is hardly such, with over 100 species usually present in any coastal area. The tail end of fall is often laden with birds arriving on their winter grounds, along with lost birds—our vagrants—which add so much spice to local Christmas Bird Counts. These birds essentially flew the right distance. They just did it in the wrong direction, going west instead of south, for instance. It IS fun to see if a certain Nashville or Wilson's Warbler has returned to its patch for another winter; has made it through another year. And, as this year, apparent invasions of unusual birds dematerialize, revealing that they were only passing through instead of settling in. Each year IS unique!

We finished up last column, in early November, at a mild roar. Two reports are worth repeating: a 11/6 Bald Eagle at Harbor Park (HP) and a 11/7-8 Mountain Bluebird at Madrona Marsh (MM). Those are pretty hard to top locally!!! Incidentally, in this column, I mostly stick to taxonomic order (or this week's version of it) for the sake of consistency. By doing so, it is easier to pull out 10 years of November columns, for example, to see how often Mountain Bluebird has been seen. (See side bar on BirdSearch, Ed.)

A light morph Fulmar and a Pink-footed Shearwater were off Pt. Vicente (Pt.V.) Nov.23 (Mitch Heindel - MH). Martin Byhower found a Ross' Goose at HP on the second Sunday walk, Dec. 10. See, it pays to go! Meet at the boathouse at 8 a.m.!

I saw a Goshawk over my hovel here in Torrance on 12/9. Good, but not a yard bird (first timer). Margaret Hoggan saw what was apparently a Ferruginous Hawk at Friendship Park in San Pedro on 11/9. Bob Shanman saw the hybrid American X Black Oystercatcher, which I presume to be the one seen occasionally during the last couple years at Royal Palms (or else its sibling!), on the LA Harbor breakwater, just east of Queen's Gate in Nov. That would sure be a neat bird to record on a CBC! Bob had a Cassins Auklet in the vicinity as well. Red Phalarope was visible from Flatrock Pt., 12/2.

Always most unusual, and notable away from saltwater here, Kevin Larson (KL) had a Heermann's Gull at Alondra Park 11/21. On 11/12, first-winter Glaucous-winged and Mew Gulls were there (MH). The tremendous Royal Tern invasion of the last two years so far seems to be in abeyance this winter. Only a few roosting groups of 8 or 12 have been seen. There are maybe 50 around, instead of 100 or more. Common Murre were often off Pt.V., from late Nov. on. They and Fulmars are in good numbers this year, so get to the headlands as weather systems pass and you'll likely see them this winter.

A very interesting report from Ocean Trails was of a Burrowing Owl (Barbara Dye), present mid-Dec., just before the count. Mr. Bu Ow, Ross Landry, found a fresh BuOw pellet there 12/22. These wintering individuals are most likely migrants from far off parts of their range. Two Red-naped Sapsuckers were found by KL, one at the South Coast Botanic Garden (SCBG), and another in PVE, which will likely remain on territory all winter. The Nuttall's Woodpecker he found in the Sycamore area of Anza in Sept., was seen into late Dec. by David Moody (DM)!

A very rare find was an Eastern Phoebe at Ernie Howlett Pk. (EHP) by KL 11/18-19 at least. We have only a couple of wintering and a couple of fall migrant records for the area. Mind-boggling was the pint-sized, dull-colored, crowish thing following a crow flock on its way to roost, heading ENE over my place on 11/21: a Pinyon Jay! Probably the bird Margaret had at her feeders in late Oct., in RPV. Even watching your crow flocks can be rewarding. Now that one is a yard bird!

A few Red-breasted Nuthatches are scattered around areas with pines. So too are a few Golden-crowned Kinglets. Listen for the "nyut-nyut" of the Nuts, and the hearing-test-high "seee-seeeseee" of the Kinglets. Most unusual was a California Gnatcatcher in George F Canyon (GFC) 12/17 (MH). We must hope it represented local breeding successes rather than development.

In Nov., KL found a Nashville Warbler at SCBG and I found one at Banning Park (BP). Both are likely returnees, back for the winter. I'll reiterate: Most if not all of our wintering Nashville Warblers are of the eastern race, just as are most Summer Tanagers. I found a MacGillivray's Warbler 12/9 at Peck Park (PP), which surely is wintering. We have had 3 good solid records of this species wintering here. Some male Wilson's Warblers were back too: one at HP, one at via Tejon (3rd and 4th winters), and another, probably for its 6th winter, along the fire trail behind Malaga Cove City Hall, and another at SCBG. In late Oct., at MM, I was sure I heard the Lucy's first found in Sept., but couldn't confirm visually.

While none of the three Summer Tanagers that wintered at PP last winter were seen this year, one showed up at BP on 11/11. In four weeks, by 12/10, it went from pure mustard yellow-green to completely red headed with some reddish wash on undertail coverts and rump. It is great to study the progression of molt in these wintering individuals. 99+% of the population does this in the jungle somewhere out of sight of us mortals. Over half-a-dozen Western Tanagers are wintering locally.

At MM, DM had a tardy Clay-colored Sparrow 11/14-17. It's high time we start paying attention to the Fox Sparrows we see locally. The only thing I'm sure we know them is that we don't know anything about them! Note and record: Are they all brown, or are they gray-headed, or gray-headed and-backed? Do they have a big or little bill? Does it have a metallic "boik" note or does it "tschuk" like an overgrown Lincoln's Sparrow? Surely, several subspecies occur here, but in what ratios, and what habitat or food preferences may separate them, is all unknown. On the Junco front, a fair number seem to be present, with, e.g., over a dozen at BP since 11/11, including a pair of Slate-colored, and a nice black-lored (and don't forget dark-eyed) Pink-sided Junco (MH).

I saw an adult female Rusty Blackbird at EHP 12/16, which flew towards the SCBG. I can't help but think this is the bird KL found at SCBG in late Oct., and that it remains present, though elusive. A female Baltimore Oriole was at BP 11/27 (MH). At least half-adozen Bullock's are wintering locally.

I heard a Purple Finch's "pit-pit" at GFC on 12/17, but have yet to see one or hear another report this winter. KL saw 3 Red Crossbills over the SCBG on 12/11, which haven't been seen again. Just passin' through, I guess...And nearby, at El Dorado Park, two Pine Warblers are wintering. Way overdue at the LA River, a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was on the Santa Ana River, in Orange County, in Nov.

So this brings us up to the CBC 12/23. I can only offer some preliminary results as the numbers aren't even close to being counted, much less compared, or thought about. We recorded about 164 species on count day, not counting the Peafowl, or Mitred and Yellow-chevroned Parakeets. Additionally we found another 12 species (at least) the three days before or after the count—for a count week (CW) total of 176, at minimum. Probably enough to continue as the top Los Angeles County CBC. We were fogged in worse than for any CBC here in my memory. Many numbers will be down as a result of this alone, it was so severe. Counting birds in the fog.... is a dumb idea! Thanks to all those who tried anyhow!

The hot bird tips would be: At HP, a Snow Goose has joined the Ross'. (They can usually be seen on the lawn along Vermont.) And a female Hooded Merganser is upstream of (north of) Lomita Blvd. in the Wilmington Drain. Twelve species of Warblers were found on the CBC, including Hermit, American Redstart, MacGillivray's, 2 Black & Whites—and we missed the two Nashville! How about the second ever Falcon slam, with all 4 species recorded!?! The Prairie was around the Portuguese Bend landslide area,following historical precedent.

Final suggestions: Try the trails at Ocean Trails for some very nice coastal sage scrub birding; check lerpy Eucs in residential areas for wintering passerine flocks, which could contain a vagrant or two. Either way, it pays to think global and bird local!

You can now search Mitch's columns on line for references to any species or group of birds seen during the last several years. By going to Audubon'sweb site <http://www.LMconsult.com/pvaudubon>, you can use Webmaster Lewis Morton's unique BirdSearch engine to hunt up every reference to the bird you select. Check out the rest of the web site while you're there—you'll be amazed at how much Audubon actually does. And how many ways you can help out.

When I first started birding, nearly 2 decades ago, it was exciting but frustrating. Every bird was a potential "lifer", but I hadn't acquired the skills or knowledge to trust myself with my ID's, or even figure out which page to turn to in my Field Guides: the first edition National Geographic, the old hardcover Peterson and the old Golden Guide (does that date me or WHAT?). I would investigate every song or call, not realizing how many times I was chasing YET ANOTHER Yellow-rumped Warbler or House Finch. Being a stubborn male, I figured I had to figure it out on my own.

Then I met the some of the local pro's, like Jess Morton, Eric Brooks, Mark Kincheloe, Mitch Heindel, Dave Moody. I started religiously attending the walks at the South Coast Botanic Garden and Mark and Eric's trips. I discovered that there was a whole world of habitats, all within a few hours of the South Bay, each with its own unique assemblage of species.

For ten years, I explored Southern California, gradually expanding my range to hot spots like Southeast Arizona, Texas, Florida. Then I started leading my own group trips, first locally, then out of State, and then to the tropics.

And now I have come full circle. Give me a free morning to pick where I want to bird, and it will be Bolsa Chica in Orange County or Ken Malloy/Harbor Regional Park (KMHRP) in Harbor City/Wilmington. KMHRP is now one of the first stops when I do a privately guided tour for folks from out of state or abroad.

Why KMHRP? Well, Mitch Heindel's exhaustively researched bird list for the park now exceeds 340 species. Have you tried to spot 340 species in California? You have to work at it! And all in an area of about a half square mile!

Granted, that is a list which includes many records from a period in which Harbor Park contained more and better-preserved habitat. But it still has a willow/riparian forest and freshwater lake that are regionally unique, as well as a seasonal freshwater wetland and some remnant sage-scrub and exotic/ornamental sections, each of which attracts a unique assemblage of birds. Harbor Park remains a magnet for exciting vagrant species as well as resident and wintering birds. It is possible to see 100 species in a day, if you are working the Christmas count at the Park, for example. Typically, 4,500 individual birds are counted at the Park on that day.

Serious birders from out of state love the Park, because I can show them everything from the common southern California specialties, like Anna's and Allen's Hummingbirds, Spotted Doves, California Towhees, Townsend's Warblers and the island subspecies of Orange-crowned Warbler, to the species that are becoming endangered regionally, like Tricolored Blackbirds and Least Bitterns. KMHRP is still the best place in the county to see the latter. At least 12 reed-nesting species produce at least 1,000 young each year along the lake's margin. Endangered Least Terns bring their young here to teach their young to fish in the early summer.

In winter, the park hosts a good variety of ducks, egrets, and other wintering and resident water birds. It is a fairly reliable spot for toughto-find species like Thayer's, Glaucous-winged and Mew Gulls. Flocks of sparrows and wintering warblers, vireos, tanagers, and orioles, who normally migrate out of the area, often turn up as interesting surprises. Right now there are Snow, Ross's and Canada Geese (all non-feral—i.e., legitimately "countable"—at the Park.) A Wood Duck showed up last week, and there is a Hooded Merganser in the Wilmington drain. (See Mitch's column for directions.) Grebes (Clark's Western and Pied-billed), Belted Kingfishers, terns, raptors (Peregrine Falcons, Merlins, White-tailed Kites, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks) are all pretty regular visitors. A Bald Eagle flew over the Park in November.

In the spring and fall the Park attracts a good assortment of migrants. The good news is that, with the exciting restoration projects that are planned and ongoing at the park, birding will only get better. (Check the calendar page in this newsletter for information on the next third Saturday restoration party.) Due to the efforts of this Audubon Chapter and the KHMRP Citizen Advisory Board, a new cooperative spirit is developing between the Los Angeles Departme_nt of Recreation and Parks, Audubon, Harbor College, local elected officials, other influential agencies, local schools, and the community at large. KMHRP is now on the map, and although Breeding Clapper Rails and Yellow-billed Cuckoos may be a thing of the past, the new millennium offers truly exciting birding opportunities at the park.

I have been leading the free, PV/South Bay Audubon second-Sunday walks at the Park for several years now. I have enjoyed sharing the wonders of the Park with many of you reading this article. Participants and I have made many delightful new acquaintances with fellow birders. There is always something interesting to see, whether it is a treed raccoon, Great Egrets nearly dueling to the death, a once-in-a-lifetime vagrant or a newly restored bluff with coastal sage scrub flourishing on it.

There is something tremendously rewarding about witnessing an ecosystem healing and recovering. The return of birds and other wildlife species is one of the best indicators of success in that process. I invite you to join me and enjoy watching nature in the process of recovery. Meet at 8:00 am at the lot near Anaheim and Vermont in Harbor City. And remember, as Mitch Heindel says, "Think globally, bird locally."

Let us all rejoice at the news that President Bill Clinton has issued a permanent ban on logging and road-building on nearly 60 million acres of national forests. The protected acreage is greater than the size of all of the national parks combined, and includes Alaska's Tongass - the world's largest temperate rainforest. In praise of this "Roadless Forest Protection Rule," Audubon President John Flicker stated: "No one except Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot can claim as sweeping a public land legacy as President Clinton and Forest Service Chief, Michael Dombeck."

Attempts to block this order are already being made by some Western governors and Republican lawmakers who are calling the plan hasty and irresponsible. However, the Clinton administration started their initiative three years ago when the president declared "The forest service is developing a scientifically based policy for managing roadless areas in our national forests. These last remaining wild areas are precious to millions of Americans and key to protecting clean water and abundant wildlife habitat, and providing recreation opportunities. These unspoiled places must be managed through science, not politics." His order does just that.

In the last year and a half, 600 public hearings were held by the Forest Service across the nation and two million comments were received from the public, mostly in support of complete protection without exception. In addition to this bold and courageous act for the environment, Clinton used his powers under the Antiquities Act in establishing 20 new national monuments--17 in the West.

At press time, environmentalists were launching a campaign challenging President-elect Bush's nomination of Gale Norton as Secretary of the Interior. This department's primary mission is to manage nearly 500 million acres of the public domain, including our national parks, monuments, and wildlife refuges. As the Los Angeles Timesobserved: "These lands are beset by pollution, eroded by a maintenance backlog, and under encroachment from development. They already are encumbered with stale, frivolous, or otherwise defective claims of property interests asserted by timber, oil and gas, mining , and grazing lobbyists."

The Secretary of the Interior should be an advocate for protecting our public resources, but Norton's record indicates that she will not be a steward of the nation's natural heritage. She is the chair of the Coalition for Republican Environmental Advocates, a lobbying group funded by industry to protect their property rights from environmental regulation.

She began her career litigating on behalf of cattlemen, miners, and oil companies at James Watt's Mountain States Legal Foundation. As a lawyer in James Watt's Interior Department in the mid-1980s, she advocated policies such as opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. While Colorado Attorney General, she implemented a "self-auditing" policy that allowed polluters to evade environmental fines, and promoted legislation that would have established an extreme view of the "takings" clause of the constitution. Her view on property rights would mean that the government would have to pay polluters not to pollute, resulting in a huge corporate welfare program.

In her speeches, she has consistently opposed health, safety, and environmental laws. She was quoted in the Los Angeles Times that "If the government must pay compensation when its actions interfere with property rights, then its regulatory actions must be limited." While Colorado's Attorney general from 1991 to 1999, she suited her actions to her words in delaying action against the Summitville mine which flooded cyanide and other heavy metals into the Alamosa River, killing all living things along 17 miles of river. Despite massive pollution concerns, she allowed the mining company to continue operating. Although she finally filed a lawsuit against the company in 1996, four years after the mine was abandoned, it was not settled until January of this year and was brokered by the U.S. Department of Justice and Colorado's Attorney General.

Norton's stated beliefs about states' rights are also troubling when it is the Interior Secretary who decides how assertive the Department should be in requiring states to comply with federal environmental laws and rules governing mining, drilling, and grazing leases. Consider these words regarding the Civil War from a 1996 speech made to the Independence Institute, a conservative Denver think tank: In the Confederacy, "…we lost too much. We lost the idea that the states were to stand against the federal government gaining too much power over our lives."

As Hummin'went to press, Senator Barbara Boxer had announced her opposition to the Norton nomination. Senator Dianne Feinstein had not taken a position. If you wish to check on the status of the nomination, please call Lillian Light at 545-1384. You may contact our Senators at the following addresses.

This letter is to introduce myself, and to inform you of recent developments within Audubon-California's Important Bird Areas (IBA) program. I'm Dan Cooper, a biologist with the National Audubon Society, working in Los Angeles. Recently, I have been asked to take over the IBA program in California from Bob Barnes, who will devote more time to issues in the Kern River Valley. A native of the Los Angeles area, I came to Audubon with over a decade of birding experience in the state, and have conducted fieldwork on birds throughout southern California.

Since California's IBA program began in 1996, over 60 IBA nominations have been received, which have resulted in nearly 50 sites being designated Global, Continental, or National IBAs. Chapter members spent long hours on the phone, gathering information from local experts and filling out nomination forms. Many of the sites are familiar to you, since they are also famous birding and bird research areas, including Big Morongo Canyon Preserve in Riverside County, the Farallon Islands off San Francisco, and Tule Lake/Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern California. All are well-defined, defensible properties with an active constituency of conservationists working together to ensure these areas stay attractive and vital to birds.

A network of IBAs can become a cornerstone of Audubon's conservation activities throughout California. Aside from showcasing bird-friendly land use decisions, their identification will help guide conservation activities, both at the chapter and national levels of Audubon, as well as those of other groups and agencies. Over the next few months, I will expand our IBA program to eventually include 150-200 sites that are representative of the diverse habitats in the state. This process will culminate in a website, similar to one launched in 1998 by New York State Audubon (http://www.audubon.org/chapter/ny/ny/iba/index.html).

The certification of IBAs had been overseen by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the U.S. arm of Birdlife International, which, until recently worked closely with several states to identify IBAs. Since the ABC is no longer devoting attention to the program, Audubon-California will assume sole responsibility for the identification of new IBAs, and will devote more attention to coordinating conservation activities among them where possible. Future IBAs will be identified using criteria already developed by the New York State IBA Program, nearly identical to those developed by Bob Barnes and a team of advisors a couple years ago.

Over the next year, I will be meeting with experts on California bird distribution to plot the locations of future California IBAs, including David Fix, Don Roberson, and Mike San Miguel. The next step will be connecting sites with interested individuals _ monitors and defenders of the IBAs. Please feel free to contact me directly for more information on nominating IBAs anywhere in California, or if you are involved in groups already working as stewards of particular sites.

I would like to thank Bob Barnes and Kathy Gilbert of Audubon-California, and to the Audubon members and others who have already contributed their energy to this effort. I look forward to developing a first-rate IBA program in California. I can be reached at (323) 254-0252 or email at dcooper1@pacbell.com.

Editor's note: PV/South Bay Audubon will be requesting the designation of Harbor Park as an IBA.

Cabrillo Beach, a collection of 17 nature poems by Jess Morton, is now available from PV/South Bay Audubon as a fundraiser 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 $7.00, including tax and postage. Contact Jess Morton at 832-5601 if you would like to purchase a copy.

Wish List for PV/SB Audubon's Education Program: Portable TV/CD player. Call Debbie at 722-7777 if you can help with these items.

Estate planning helps PV/South Bay's future. You can make a lasting contribution to protecting birds and habitat in our communities by making a bequest to Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon. You should consult with your attorney, but here is an example of language you might use in making a bequest. If you have questions, contact Jess Morton at 832-5601.

"I give $_____ (or a percentage of the estate) to Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, a non-profit corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of California, with a current address of P.O. Box 2582, Palos Verdes, CA 90274."

National Audubon Society's Starr Ranch Sanctuary presents its third season of popular natural history classes offered by biologist, Dave Bontrager. Starr Ranch is a 4,000-acre nature preserve east of Dove Canyon and Coto de Caza in southeast Orange County. Spring classes include the following

Field Natural History And Ecology: A look at the interrelationships between plants, animals, and their environment. Learn the identification of Starr Ranch plants and animals. Topics include: feeding strategies of birds, Starr Ranch mammals, predator/prey relationships, plant communities as animal habitats, the natural history of the coastal sage scrub plant community, pollination biology, fire ecology, and much more. Approximately 75% of the class time will take place in the field. Students will be directed in conducting field exercises as groups. Dates: After an introductory meeting on Saturday March 10 from 8 am to 11 am, the class will meet from 8 am to 2 pm on the following Saturday's: March 17, April 21 and 28, May 5, June 9 and 16, and July 21 and 28.

Bird Study: An introduction to the natural history, ecology, esthetics and conservation of birds. This class has been restructured and will include both classroom lectures and field exercises. Lecture topics include flight and migration, bird behavior, reproductive biology, predation and nest parasitism, habitat relations and adaptation, pollination by birds, bird diversity, bird communities and population biology, and bird conservation. We will spend time in the field at each meeting. In the field, we will make regular bird surveys, study habitat selection and distribution, bird behavior, as well as various facets of nesting biology, including the observation of a variety of active bird nests through the use of video cameras. Some experience in bird identification is recommended but not required. The class will meet on Wednesdays. Meeting times will alternate between 4 hours (8 am-noon) and 6 hours (8 am-2 pm): March 14 (4 hrs), March 21 (6 hrs), April 25 (4 hrs), May 2 (6 hrs), June 13 (4 hrs), June 20 (6 hrs), July 18 (4 hrs), and July 25 (6 hrs).

The Natural History of Starr Ranch Plants: This popular class will include such topics as flowers and pollination—a tale of subterfuge, thievery, and deception; seeds and seed dispersal—how plants travel; plants and their herbivores—feeding the multitudes; spines, thorns and stinging hairs—the plant's physical armory; plant chemical defenses—from deterrents to lethal toxins; escaping the annual drought—how Starr Ranch plants survive the long hot summer; the natural history of weeds—Is a weed more than just a nuisance? Times: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on March 11, 18; April 22, 29; June 10, 17; and July 22, 29.

Cost per class: $50. Class limit: 20. For reservations, call 949-858-0131. For questions, contact Dave in Oregon at 541-93733970 or dbontra243@aol.com, or call us at the Ranch and leave a message at 949-858-0309 - a staff member will get back to you.

Restoration of South Bay Habitats: We can use your energy and some more equipment! If you are prepared to dig and pull and plant, join PV/SB Audubon's restoration of PV Blue Habitat (every first or second Sunday, 9-noon, at the Defense fuel Support Point, 3171 N. Gaffey, San Pedro) and Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park (third Saturday of every month, 9-noon). See Calendar for details. We also need shovels, rakes, hand trowels, and clippers. For more information, call Debbie, 722-7777.

Sharing Nature with Children: Spend one Saturday a month, 8:30-12:30, as a dcoent at Wilderness Park, 1102 Camino Real (near Prospect) in Redondo Beach. Docents help an expert on nature introduce youngsters, ages 6-12, to the park's meadow, woodland, streamside, and marsh habitats and to wildlife and habitats throughout the region Docents help lead the children in games, walks, and crafts designed around each month's special theme. The theme of February 24's class, led by Dr. Jack Ludwig, is nature at Madrona Marsh. For more information, call Lillian Light at 545-1384.

Audubon YES!: If you are already active with a school or youth group in the area, consider becoming a chapter liaison with Audubon Yes! Audubon Yes! students are the backbone of local restoration projects, and assist with Sharing Nature with Children. They attend Audubon field trips and walks. Students with 50 hours of service receive an Audubon Yes! award. Volunteers encourage participation in Audubon's youth-oriented programs.

Chapter Board: Chapter elections for Board members and officers are held in May. The time commitment is a few days a month, and it is a lot of fun! If you would like to become more active in the chapter, please let Jess Morton know at 832-5601.

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