Last night a weekly WCNY-PBS TV show called Insight that originates in Syracuse featured the artist who made the huge new Bald Eagle Sculp that faces the NYS Thruway, near the end of Wildlife Drive (which it said had been raised three feet, as many of us have seen). Sculp is next to the new pavilion by the new pond there. The pavilion has a huge banner sign on it saying Montezuma and with a radio station travelers can tune to, to get info about MNWR.
Also featured on the show was Dr. Shannon ___?, an Ecology? Professor from SUNY ESF. She provided a fair amount of good info on why Montezuma is so important for migrating waterfowl, other birds, and wildlife, but she never quite stressed how this place is a major resting and re-fueling stop-over for birds migrating from the north to places far south. Both guests talked about how the public can view wild birds there (bike trail, walking, driving slowly around the Drive), but at no point did the professor say that the main reason for the MNWR is that it is a wildlife refuge, not a "wild bird Disneyland". [my words]. The regular moderator of the show kept calling Montezuma "the park" and there were several interview shots of the Director of MNWR talking about how the new b eagle Sculp facing the T'way will, they hope, attract more interest in MNWR and get in more visitors. Although the sculpture of the Bald Eagle set on a huge stone wall base is beautiful and dramatic, I have mixed feelings about this project. I suppose increased public interest in the place might be supportive of getting more funds for MNWR, possibly. But I wonder how much the "public" barreling by at 75 + mph on the T'way is going to be able to safely see the new display. And I wonder about possible curious visitors now barreling around Wildlife Drive and ignoring the "rules" about staying in car, etc. Donna Donna L. Scott 535 Lansing Station Road Lansing, NY -- 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/ --
