Kudos to you Jody and to all who contributed to this discussion. Hopefully a relatively small group of informed people can make a multi billion dollar institution (my guess) change for the better for our environment. Jim
Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 27, 2021, at 2:42 PM, Jody Enck <jodye...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Hello birders, > > After receiving lots of input, ideas, and resources from many of you, I put > together the letter below and sent it to the President and one of the Vice > Presidents at Cornell (as noted in the letter). Thanks to all who have > expressed their concern and who provided important input to this very first > step in developing a solution. Special shout out of thanks to Nancy > Cusumano for her initial contact with the President, and to Suan Yong, Josh > Snodgrass, and Ken Rosenberg for comments on an earlier draft of the > letter. > > Martha E. Pollack > > President, Cornell University > > 26 June 2021 > > Dear President Pollack, > > I am writing as Chair of the Conservation Action Committee of the > Cayuga Bird Club to communicate and amplify public dismay about recent, > poorly-timed mowing for forage hay crops on Cornell lands during the peak > nesting period for grassland bird species listed as being of special > conservation concern by the New York State Department of Environmental > Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I have been contacted > by many local birders, including farmers and members of the Cornell > University community who are saddened and angry about the situation. Recent > research lead by Cornell scientists and published in the journal Science (see > Rosenberg, K. V., et al. 2019. Decline of the North American avifauna. > Science 365(6461)) found that nearly 3 billion birds have been lost from the > U.S. and Canada just since 1970. Populations of grassland bird species like > Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, and > others have declined the most, down 53% in aggregate, accounting for more > than 720 million grassland birds. Poorly timed mowing of hay crops, > especially throughout the Northeast, is a major contributing factor in the > decline in grassland bird populations. > > Rather than contributing to the problem, Cornell can help remedy > population declines of grassland bird species by developing a plan for > sustainable management of the substantial acreage of hayfields and other > non-woody habitats under the University’s control. The Cayuga Bird Club > stands ready to collaborate with Cornell in developing a plan. We already > have accumulated relevant documents about research and practices aimed at > timing of mowing and other management actions that would be of great use in > developing a Cornell sustainable grassland management plan. For example, > mowing earlier in the season before establishment of nests and when growing > hay is of high forage quality can have nearly as much conservation benefit as > delaying mowing to a time when quality of the hay forage is lower. We also > have established contacts with federal and state natural resource agencies > who are knowledgeable of possible financial reimbursement opportunities for > which the University may qualify. > > Cornell University has an opportunity to be a leader among all > Land Grant Universities by developing a model grassland management plan that > could be adopted by other institutions throughout the Northeast and beyond. > Such a management plan also could be consistent with Cornell’s sustainability > initiatives. While the current initiatives are laudable, the focus on > renewable energy, transportation and built environments, and even economic > sustainability miss an important need. All of these actions are means to > achieving the fundamental end of a full and functioning ecosystem of which we > humans are a part and are on which we are dependent for our survival. > > The modern concept of “sustainability” emerged fairly recently in > the famous 1987 Brundtland report, “Our Common Future”, prepared for the U.N. > In that report, sustainability was described in terms of conserving the > ecosystems and natural capital which are necessary for the basic needs and > well-being of humans. The fundamental end of sustaining ecosystems and > natural capital is noticeably missing from the Sustainable Cornell website. > Indeed, it was unclear what individual from Sustainable Cornell would be the > most important recipient of this letter. I am copying Vice President, Rick > Burgess, on this letter because he responded to Nancy Cusumano when she > expressed her concern about mowing. Also, I think it is somewhat ironic that > one of four Cornell Chronicle articles headlined on the website of the Office > of the President at Cornell, under the heading “Academic Distinction”, is > this headline about the Science article I referenced earlier: “Nearly 30% of > birds in the U.S. and Canada have vanished since 1970.” Knowledge about the > plight of birds exists at Cornell, but does the administration have the > willingness and commitment to actively address that plight? > > Finally, it is worth noting that the Cayuga Bird Club has a long > history of collaborating and engaging with other institutions and groups, > most recently including the Cornell Botanic Gardens. We are actively working > with the Botanic Gardens, the City of Ithaca, and several other partners to > restore native plants to the regionally-rare, seasonally flooded forests at > the south end of Cayuga Lake. This work demonstrates how much we value > engagement and collaboration, just as Cornell University does. We would like > to help Cornell become a regional or national leader in sustainable > management of grassland habitats on university properties. Members of the > Cayuga Bird Club look forward to meeting with the most appropriate group of > administrators to discuss this pressing need. > > Sincerely, > > Jody Enck > Chair, Conservation > Action Committee > Cayuga Bird Club > > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > BirdingOnThe.Net > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
