While I have no objection to good studies that document predation rates = or other causes of mortality on wild birds, I find this lumping of = free-ranging cats and other predators together disturbing. A logical = extension of this message is that the other predators, like cats, are = "bad" and harming wild birds. I hope ABC and others working to document = cat predation are more cognizant of the bad old days of shooting hawks = and owls on site because they were "bad" and take more care in how they = present this issue to the public.
Mark Martell Director of Bird Conservation Audubon Minnesota 2357 Ventura Drive #106 St. Paul, MN 55125 651-739-9332 651-731-1330 (FAX) http://mn.audubon.org To donate to Audubon Minnesota online, visit our secure site at = <http://mn.audubon.org/support_ways.html> -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of Jim Williams Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 2:34 PM To: MOU net Subject: [mou] Fwd: tracking free-ranging cats Begin forwarded message: From: "William Mueller" <[email protected]> Date: December 15, 2006 12:42:41 PM CST To: "Wisconsin Birding Network" <[email protected]> Subject: [wisb] American Bird Conservancy initiates new online project =20 tracking free-ranging cats and other predators In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative's Issues =20 Committee has attempted to track numbers of cats found on Christmas Bird Counts =20 for the past few years. Here's yet another such effort, now nationwide: ************************************************************************ = *** For Immediate Release: December 15, 2006 "Contact: Steve Holmer, 202/234-7181 ext. 216, 202/744-6459 cell, [email protected], www.abcbirds.org Online Survey Tracks Predators Impact on Wild Birds (Washington, DC) -- American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is today launching "Project PredatorWatch," a new citizen-science project to investigate =20 the impact of free-ranging cats and other predators on wild birds in the =20 U.S. and Canada. The PredatorWatch survey can be found at =20 www.abcbirds.org/cats "Any citizen can participate in Project PredatorWatch and provide =20 valuable information needed to conserve birds and other wildlife by clicking a =20 few buttons on their computer," said George Fenwick, President of American =20 Bird Conservancy. Participants will provide important information to scientists and conservationists such as: 1) helping to identify birds and other =20 wildlife species that are most likely affected by interactions with cats and =20 other predators; 2) determining whether predator/wildlife interactions are affected by season or climate; 3) and determining whether certain =20 wildlife species, age or sex classes are more vulnerable to interactions with predators. "Scientists estimate that free-roaming cats and other predators kill hundreds of millions of birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians =20 each year," said Fenwick. "Cat predation is an added stress to wildlife populations already struggling to survive habitat loss, pollution, pesticides, and other human impacts." Anyone who observes a predator/wildlife interaction in their yard can simply complete a brief on-line survey accessible through ABC's Cats Indoors! website at www.abcbirds.org/cats (on the top left side under =20 Quick Links). Results of this project may be reported in the media and ABC newsletter articles, and may help further identify future wildlife conservation projects. In 1997, ABC launched the Cats Indoors! Campaign for Safer Birds and =20 Cats to educate cat owners, decision makers, and the general public that =20 cats, wildlife and people all benefit when cats are kept indoors, in an =20 outdoor enclosure, or trained to go outside on a harness and leash. ABC has available education materials, including fact sheets, a guide What to do About Your Neighbor's Cats in Your Yard, the popular brochure Keeping =20 Cats Indoors Isn't Just For The Birds, an Educator's Guide for Grades K-6, =20 and print and radio Public Service Announcements." ************************************************************************ = * forward by Jim Williams Wayzata _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list [email protected] http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net
