I have been working this week with the rangers to see if we can't change the timing of some dam maintenance that likely has negatively impacted birds in the Standley Lake Open Space. I realized that this is an opportunity to share an inspirational story from Dave Leatherman that led me here. Perhaps it will raise awareness and/or inspire others to consider how they might advocate for birds in their local communities.
I met Dave Leatherman this past winter while looking for the Gyrfalcon in Fort Collins. He was kind enough to show me and a friend around his patch, Grandview Cemetery. He shared with us the work he's done with the Cemetery grounds management to help preserve trees that, while appearing ready for removal, were still providing important nesting habitat for birds. Through his work and conversations with the grounds management, he has been able to change the standard maintenance protocols and preserve some important habitat. I am thinking of Dave as I watch a large excavator with a mowing attachment mowing all rabbitbrush and other small shrubs off the top 75' or so of the dam. I've noticed it on other years, but now that I'm birding, I'm keenly aware of how much the Meadowlarks and sparrows enjoy and nest in it. I'm cringing as I watch it mow, knowing how bad the timing is for the birds. So I reached out to the rangers, who explained that the dam manager (it's a separate entity) schedules the mowing, and that she'll bring this up with him tomorrow in a meeting that's already scheduled and see if they can't mow much earlier or later to avoid nesting season. Thank you Dave for the inspiration to reach out to our local city, county and/or water managers with win-win solutions, and see if we can't raise some awareness of the impact of some management decisions on other parts of the ecosystem. Often there are alternatives (like mowing earlier or later in the season) where no one loses and the birds can thrive. Donna Stumpp Westminster, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/61ddc9c1-1886-47e2-90b9-eb6a591a8ad2%40googlegroups.com.
