One should hardly take a mis-statement in the Argos Leader and apply it = to everyone who believes that global warming is real.
The loss of wetlands is real and continuing and affects not just ducks = but a lot of other birds that we enjoy. Whatever the cause (and there = are many) birders, ornithologists, hunters, and anyone with an interest = the natural world need to get together and start pushing back. Mark Martell Director of Bird Conservation Audubon Minnesota 2357 Ventura Drive #106 St. Paul, MN 55125 651-739-9332 651-731-1330 (FAX) -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of Steve Foss Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 1:10 AM To: Jim Williams; MOU-net; Grant Peterson Cc: sd-birds Subject: Re: [mou] No potholes, no ducks "That would force ducks eastward and out of the=20 state's crucial pothole wetlands, which produce 95 percent of the ducks in the continental=20 United States." Since when do South Dakota potholes produce 95 percent of the ducks in the continental U.S.? Sorry, folks, but when I see a statistic like that, it casts doubt on the whole story, and does no good for the credibility of those who believe human-caused global warming threatens life on the planet. Steve --- Jim Williams <[email protected]> wrote: > This article is from a few days ago from the Sioux Falls > ARGUS LEADER, > South Dakota's largest newspaper. It was sent to me by > Paul Baicich, a=20 > friend in Maryland. > South Dakota won't be the only place this happens, not > that Minnesota=20 > has much duck habitat left. > Jim Williams > Wayzata, Minnesota >=20 > Global warming may threaten ducks > South Dakota's wetlands could evaporate with climate > change >=20 > BEN SHOUSE > [email protected] >=20 > 2 July 05 >=20 > BROOKINGS - Hunters and environmentalists have forged > a tentative > alliance to conserve wildlife habitat in recent years, > but new studies=20 > are > nudging that alliance toward a more controversial issue: > global warming. >=20 > Most people know little about the uncertain business > of forecasting > climate change. But on Friday, a group of hunters, > biologists and=20 > officials > gathered here to tour local wetlands and point out the > connection=20 > between > duck hunting and predictions of rising temperatures. >=20 > New research from South Dakota State University and a > new=20 > conservation > report suggest that warming could make duck habitat > literally evaporate. > That would force ducks eastward and out of the state's > crucial pothole > wetlands, which produce 95 percent of the ducks in the > continental=20 > United > States. >=20 > "No water, no ducks, no hunting," said Land Tawney of > the National > Wildlife Federation, by way of connecting the dots.The > Montana-based > conservation group released a report this week called > "The Waterfowler's > Guide to Global Warming." >=20 > The guide, and the issue of warming in general, poses > a dilemma for > conservationists of all political stripes: A coalition of > hunters and > environmentalists could prove a decisive voice on the > issue, but the > controversy surrounding it also could jeopardize their > unity. >=20 > The fate of North American waterfowl and its habitat > lately has=20 > served > as common ground for hunters and environmentalists. In > 2003, for=20 > example, > duck hunters prodded the Bush administration to conserve > more wetlands.=20 > And > in April, about 5,000 hunters and conservationists came > together on the > Minnesota capitol mall for the Ducks, Wetlands and Clean > Water rally. >=20 > Tony Dean is one prominent member of what might be > called this > green-orange coalition. The outdoor TV host from Pierre > wrote the=20 > forward > to the NWF report, taking a stand against some of his > fellow=20 > Republicans' > views on global warming. >=20 > "Carried to the worst potential scenario, it could > surpass even > agricultural drainage, and essentially end waterfowl > hunting," he wrote. >=20 > "What we're trying to do here is create a middle > ground between the > Chicken Little crowd on the extreme left and the 'never > react to=20 > something > unless it hits you on the head' of the right," he said > Friday. But he=20 > said > he does not know how readily hunters will embrace the > issue. >=20 > "Sportsmen are notoriously slow to react, and they > really have to=20 > lose > something before they tend to react." >=20 > According to scientists, the first thing they'll lose > could be=20 > wetlands. >=20 > Shallow, seasonal ponds and sloughs are indispensible > habitat for=20 > ducks > and a larder of insects and other tiny critters that > ducklings need. > Farmers have drained more than 90 percent of the wetlands > in western=20 > Iowa > and Minnesota, said Carl Madsen, a retired U.S. Fish and > Wildlife=20 > Service > official. >=20 > Drainage has affected only about one-third of South > Dakota's =20 > wetlands. > But Carter Johnson, a professor of ecology at South > Dakota State > University, said climate change could finish the job. >=20 > Long-term data has documented rising air and ocean > temperatures, and=20 > a > large body of research links it with a concurrent rise in > carbon dioxide > from human industrial activity. Various studies predict > that will lead=20 > to > an increase of anywhere from 2 to 6 degrees Celsius in > the next 50 to=20 > 100 > years. >=20 > An average warming of 3 degrees Celsius - which is > 5.4 Fahrenheit - > would accelerate evaporation, lowering water levels in > most wetlands, > according to forthcoming research by Johnson and > colleague Bruce=20 > Millett. >=20 > That would reduce the value of most South Dakota > wetlands for ducks, > pushing them eastward and driving their populations well > below current > levels, Millett says. Previous research said warming > could shrink=20 > crucial > pothole wetlands by 90 percent and duck populations by 70 > percent. >=20 > A 3-degree warming would clearly cause other major > problems, such as=20 > a > rise in sea levels of perhaps three feet and major shifts > in=20 > agriculture, > Johnson said. But a catastrophic loss of wetlands could > be one of the=20 > most > noticeable and irrevocable changes in the region, he > said. >=20 > And it would have implications far beyond South > Dakota. >=20 > The "prairie pothole region" of the Dakotas and > Montana produce 95 > percent of the ducks born in the continental United > States, Tawney said. > Loss of wetlands here would rob the avid duck hunters of > Arkansas and > Louisiana of their game. >=20 > Those predictions, as with all forecasts about global > warming, are=20 > based > on computer simulations. Scientists must resort to these > models because=20 > the > Earth's atmosphere and oceans are complex beyond human > understanding, > Johnson said. >=20 > Computer models might raise public suspicion, but he > said scientists > have seen their predictions verified by real climate > data. >=20 > "The uncertainty is not that it's going to get warmer > or not, but how > much warmer and where," he said. >=20 > Getting that message to the public can be difficult, > but Johnson=20 > says he > sees progress. His duck-hunting buddies, for example, > come from across=20 > the > political spectrum, and until about five years ago, he > never would have > talked about his research while sitting in a duck blind. >=20 > But now, he says, "it's getting more traction." >=20 > "It's getting more visible. I think the evidence is > more clear," he > said. "Therefore, I think those discussions are going to > go on in the > blinds more than they have in the past." >=20 > Some duck hunters with less knowledge of climate > science are=20 > beginning > to agree. >=20 > Todd Heidelbauer, 32, of Sioux Falls says he noticed > a drop in the > quality of duck hunting during the recent drought. He > says it makes=20 > sense > that a drier climate could lead to a more permanent > decline. >=20 > "It makes me want to work even harder with the > conservation > organizations to buy up more land for public use and > place > water-conservation structures on the land," he said. >=20 > Pat Gross of Vermillion, a duck hunter and former > U.S. Department of > Agriculture employee, said climate change is real, and he > fears for=20 > what it > will mean for wildlife. But he attended the Minnesota > duck rally at the > Capitol in April and was encouraged by the hunters and > conservationists=20 > who > want to save duck habitat. >=20 > "There was some unprecedented hand holding between > organizations that > typically don't always agree," he said. "I tend to > believe that there is > kind of a new sense of understanding emerging, and people > are willing to > abandon some of their philosophical commitments to do the > right thing=20 > for > natural resources." >=20 > Russel A. Daniels / Argus Leader >=20 >=20 > _______________________________________________ > mou-net mailing list > [email protected] > http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net >=20 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around=20 http://mail.yahoo.com=20 _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list [email protected] http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net
