have nothing in common. I have searched for the UConn Grosbeaks with no success. I happened to be in Worcester MA the other week and went in search of the Grosbeaks at the Worcester Airport - success (check the central Mass Bird website for details - shorter drive for us in Eastern Connecticut). Several weeks ago I drove through Eastern Connecticut State University - lots of crabapples. Last weekend - I found no crabapples. I have recently realized that almost every public school and industrial park that has any landscaping - has crab apples. Many that I have checked have crab apples that have been stripped of berries. These are the places folk should search for Waxwings and Grosbeaks. Sea level rise. The Coastal Management Program of DEP and the Inland Water Resources Division were successful at requesting FEMA fly our coast to provide the state/towns with high resolution elevation data so that one can forecast the inundation impacts from accelerated sea level rise. The Coastal Management Program plans to examine these data and consider the spectrum of sea level rise forecasts to identify existing terrestrial systems that will become tomorrows tidal wetlands - what were are called tidal wetland refugia. It may be that existing state owned lands will provided the space for these refugia. The question is being asked as to the need to capture at least plant biodiversity through harvesting seed and storing them in a seed bank for future restoration projects as climate change is brought under control. The latest IPCC report indicates that even if the globe were to address climate mitigation tomorrow, there are changes in motion and sea level rise is one. The recent IPCC report actually reduced the range of sea level rise ranges so that folk would focus on the message - that is climate change is real and has a strong signature from man's activities in but the last century or so. There are forecasts in the peer review scientific journals that project sea levels (extremes under a no action scenario) that may run as high as 1.5 meters by 2100 (without a contribution from Greenland or Antarctica - the vast ice that lies on land and could have significant effects on future sea level rise). If you have seen Al Gore's movie, you know that the release of all of the water Greenland could raise sea levels 23 feet (but no time frame is offered). There are recent forecasts in the science, that suggest there is the likelihood of an ice free Arctic by 2013! This will not directly affect sea level rise but a warmer Arctic (ice free oceans absorb more radiant heat) could affect the melting of Antarctica. Science is on a steep learning curve about how our planet operates and what recent changes are actually due to climate change but we should see more accurate forecasts in the near term. If you want to stay abreast the real science (not one of those websites created by the oil industry without the peer reviewed science) subscribe to the NASA Earth Observatory Website. Once a week - Tuesday night you will receive one email with links to summaries about the current science on many subjects, not just climate change. Remember the prolonged retention of leaves on our trees last fall - into December. Scientific studies of trees in Europe found that it was not the warmer temperatures causing this, but actually the elevated CO2 concentrations in the atmospheric. Warmer falls in the Northeast are apparently reducing the amount of CO2 our forests sequester. These findings are delivered to your doorstep once a week - you can be a judge of the science and the scientific discourse. A great source of information about climate change impacts in the Northeast can be found at the website of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Their reports translate the science into easy to understand impacts that we are likely to see in the northeast included state by state summaries. To be sure some of the forecasts are frightening and the first reaction may be denial. There is life after denial - how do we take these forecasts and 1) do what it necessary to reduce greenhouse gases - get a hybrid, don't idle your car when you go into the dunken doughnuts for coffee, etc and 2) how do we protect our biodiversity from climate change. I continue to ask Chris Elphick about the fate of the seaside sparrows from accelerated sea level rise and what might we do (like tidal wetland refugia) to help these species survive into the future. I read with curiosity about the report in yesterday's digest about the frequency of Black Vulture sightings. Is this the result of warming trends or a change in habitat? Ron Rozsa, Ashford.